Today in the Gardeners Journal - January 2

After spending some time at home, I have become keenly aware of the amount of birds that appear during winter. Why haven't I noticed these beautiful creatures during spring, summer and fall? Perhaps it's because they are busy feeding on the natural beauty that surrounds my home?  Whatever the reason, I'm happy to witness their visits during the winter and have taken great strides to welcome them!

Outside my kitchen window hangs a pole perfect for resting bird feeders on which gives me a "birds eye view" of my new friends. But, now I needed the feeders! Being a thrifty kind of person, I decided to try my hand at making my own. It was rather easy to do with just a few small purchased items. I made these bird feeders out of:

• Soda bottles
• Milk containers
• Plastic storage containers

Tools I needed:

• Wood burner (used very carefully to make the feeder and perch holes)
• Wooden dowels for perches
• Cooking spoons for perches
• Shoe laces or twine for hanging
• Screws to hold the saucers on

After I was done making the feeders, I filled them with a variety of birdseed. You'll notice that the one feeder has smaller feeding holes as finch food (Nyjer seed) is very fine and only requires a small hole.

It is important to match up the size of your feeder hole to the type of seed you will be using or else, your seed will flow quickly out of your feeder.

The next element I decided to add to my pursuit of welcoming my fine feathered friends was the addition of my "Feeder Tree". It is a Dwarf Alberta Spruce in which I added plumes of ornamental grasses, pyracantha cuttings and sprays of millet. It has been fascinating seeing the smaller birds fly in and out of this tree collecting the seeds and nestling in between the branches of the tree.

After I 'set the table' for the arrival of my new friends, I realized that they were one week in arriving as it was apparent that my new 'bird cafe' had to be watched carefully before being accepted as a four star restaurant. I'm happy to report though that they have finally started dining without reservation!

Another interesting lesson I learned is that woodpeckers especially love suet! They are not camera shy and they often travel in harmonious pairs. I think I'll investigate how to make homemade suet next! Do you have a recipe for suet you'd like to share?