Re: fat birdies

In a message dated 01/22/2003 6:53:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
gardenqueen@gbronline.com writes:

> How do y'all up North keep your biries going in such abominable cold??  Just 
> curious.....
> 
> 

Always put seed out the night before so they will have something first thing 
in the morning if we should happen to sleep late (doesn't often happen.)  We 
feed only sunflower hearts, which all sorts of birds seem quite happy with.  
We also hang wire cages of a suet-peanut mix purchased from Duncraft, or my 
own peanutbutter-oatmeal-sunflower seed mix, which is their very favorite.  
We have to bring my home-made mix in when the @#$$%^ starlings arrive, 
because they can finish a cake of it in minutes.  
I worry about our birds in this cold - it's 8 degrees here right now and so 
windy the wind-chill must be 15 below - but the number of birds seems to 
increase rather than decrease.  I counted 7 tufted titmice visible at one 
time this morning, in addition to five downy woodpeckers, several chickadees 
and a couple of nuthatches.  We also have cardinals, blue jays, Carolina 
wrens, a regular flock of about 15 doves, red-bellied woodpeckers. 
white-throated sparrows, goldfinches and a few either purple or house finches 
(I'm not sure which) and one rufous-sided towhee who has been around all 
winter and visits the feeder regularly.  This is the first year I have seen 
him in the winter - usually just  in the spring.These are the regulars.  
Others stray in from time to time - saw a red-tailed hawk sitting in a tree 
the other day, but he flew away without doing any damage.  There is a large 
flock of crows that are based near here and come by a few times each day - 
and then those plagued starlings.  I keep telling myself that they're God's 
creatures too, and need something to eat just as much as the others, but 
they're so greedy and noisy.
Stay warm.  Auralie - Westchester County, NY - Z5

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