Winter at craftygardener.ca
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Walking in the garden after a fresh snowfall is wonderful. It is great fun to shake the trees and watch the snow cascade to the ground. I always make sure I shake the globe cedars at the front of the house after a snowfall, as I don't want the branches to get too laden down. The birds love to hide in these bushes for shelter from the wind and have a hard time getting inside with all the snow on them. Over the cold winter months we have many feathered visitors to our garden. There are over a dozen different types of feeders in our garden. Birds come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colours and and just like us, they each like different types of food. Bird feeders should be placed close to trees, shrubs, and bushes to provide birds with shelter. A brush pile is a great place for birds to find shelter. Clean off your bird feeders as soon as you can after a snowfall, this helps keep the seed as dry as possible. It also attracts the birds in to your garden as finding food after a snowfall is difficult. Keep feeders full of seed, especially during icy-cold weather. Clean feeders regularly and discard any seeds stuck at the bottom before refilling. We have a feeder strictly for finch food which attracts goldfinches galore. There are a couple of suet feeders that bring in the downy and hairy woodpeckers, and the nuthatches. We have 2 silo feeders full of black oil sunflower seeds. These are popular with the goldfinches, the purple & house finches, the chickadees, and the sparrows.
It is wonderful to watch the chickadees take a seed, then flit to a nearby branch and crack the seed open. What a treat to hear their dee-dee-dee as they approach the feeders. Then there are the big bluejays. They squawk as they are approaching the feeders. Is it to scare all the little birds out of the way or to let us know they are coming in for the peanuts? We toss peanuts on the top of some old hollowed out logs. The jays swoop down and snatch the peanuts.
We also have a hanging feeder for peanuts. This is a favourite spot of the downy woodpecker. He knows the peanuts are safe from the bluejays. The woodpecker clings to the side of the feeder and pecks merrily until he gets the nuts out. There are two flat feeders that attract the sparrows, morning doves, chickadees, juncos and bluejays.
It is a lot of fun to watch the chickadees and goldfinches perch on a coconut feeder for the sunflower seeds. A quarter of the coconut was cut away with the saw, it was hollowed out by just scooping and scraping the coconut out, and a hole drilled in the top so we could hang it. Drill a hole in the bottom as well to let the water drain out. Fill with sunflower seeds and watch the antics of the birds as they perch on the coconut shell.
I made a birdseed wreath using 2 wire wreath forms. Lay the wreath form onto a cookie sheet or tray to make moving to the freezer easier. I lined each half of the wreath form with heavy plastic (but freezer wrap should work too) and then filled them with birdseed. You can also add dried fruit or nuts. I melted vegetable shortening and peanut butter in the microwave and the poured it into the mold. Put in the freezer immediately so that it will set. Remove from freezer when set, and carefully remove from the plastic bags. I then lined the wreath form with mesh that I saved from bags of oranges. Put the birdseed wreath back inside the lined form. Put one side on top of the other, fasten the wreath form together (I used small clamps) and hang from the tree. The chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and odd goldfinch can be seen sitting on it and feeding merrily.
Suet balls are a great attraction for downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers as well as nuthatches and occassionally chickadees. This picture shows a downy woodpecker at the suet ball hanging close to the house. I took the picture through the window in the kitchen door. The downy has taken up residence in one of our bluebird houses. It gives him shelter from the cold winter nights, and when he sits on the perch, it gives him a perfect view of the peanut feeder. We have a couple of feeders made from 2 litre pop bottles and those screw on caps you can buy in various stores that sell birdseed. The caps add a little rim around the bottle opening so that the birds can perch on them and eat the seeds stored in the bottle. This is a really inexpensive way to introduce a birdfeeder to your garden. Water is important for birds as well. During the winter it is hard to keep the bird bath from freezing up, but do put out some warm water every few days. You can buy commercial bird baths with heaters in them. Our most favourite visitor of all are the cardinals. Such brilliant red feathers! They are a joy to watch. They feed mostly on the ground under the feeders eating all the seeds that fall. We are trying safflower seeds in a feeder just for them. I’m sure they will get the taste of it soon. Cardinals come in to feed in our garden in the morning just after sunrise and again at dusk. We keep a pair of binoculars by the back door in the kitchen so that we can enjoy the beauty of these visitors as often as possible. Bring a little joy into your life this winter and feed some feathered friends. Birdcake recipe I make my own birdcakes to go into hanging wire baskets for the woodpeckers. I originally bought one from the store to get the container to use for a mold. The feeder is about 10x5x1 inches. Each mold is around 5x5x1 inches. Fill the mold with birdseed, sunflower seeds and some peanuts, then cover with melted shortening and peanut butter. You can also add things like raisins, grapes, cracked corn, chopped nuts, or cranberries. Pop into the freezer for a short time to harden. Remove from mold and slip into the hanging basket. This will attract woodpeckers to your garden.
On a cold, chilly evening, after a day of winter birdwatching and making snowpeople, toss a firestarter or two along with some logs and make a nice, cozy fire. Don't forget a cup of tea, coffee or cocoa.
Photographs
and web design by MurLin Creations
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