Creating a Bird-Friendly Yard in Winter

Bluebirds at their sauna. My 11 pound bag of meal worms arrived just in the nick of time. With all the snow and sub 0 temps they need all the help they can get. Are they not beautiful. Bluebirds never used to come up as far as where I am in NH. But, many years of warmer temperatures brought them here.

We spoiled them with all sorts of food, both native and not. Heated bird baths are a must for them. They are good about sharing it with everyone else. I would easily do without the Starlings though they are beautiful. They travel together. In my yard, I keep an eye out for attacks. So many Bluebirds are killed by them. This severe decline prompted a major effort. There was a plea for us to save them from extinction. You can see I have done my part.

Dark Eyed Junco’s are another bird I adore. They come up to my door always asking for a handout. They will leave when my summer visitors arrive. They will head up north as they love the snow or the generous homeowners that fatten them up. I miss them each time they leave only to be replaced by Baltimore Orioles.



We have been so cold here that the snow has yet to settle yet. My Apple tree continues to rot from within so I use a section to pour birdseed into it. This sharp looking bird is called a Tufted Titmice. It has a beautiful song. It stays all year long with me. So do the Black Capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, and many different types of Finch.

Time to share my snow with those of you who are baking in the heat, far away from us.

I am not sure why Brady insists on lying in the snow. He doesn’t have a heavy coat as I took it all out this summer when it was so hot. He hate cooling off in water so I raked out his undercoat. Eats fresh power(snow) all day and then rolls or lays in it. He grew up on a beach and we had mild winters. He may have never have seen it before we adopted him. We live just about 17 miles inland.

Under this pile sits my shade garden.

This is the road the town plows for us. It’s only the end of January. We have 2 1/2 months when we can get heavy snow.

All kinds of tracks have been left by our visitors

Maybe a squirrel

Deer or Bobcat as they climbed the snowbank into the yard.

Brady is all about tracking with his nose.

I never did the rest of the yard just got tired of it all. Some critters worked hard to get through 20+ inches.

I moved and cleaned my truck off the first two storms this one nope. She you in the spring old girl.

Buried garlic will get plenty of time in the cold.

Again at the end of our walk he is back in the snow.

My poor house is not liking winter any more than me.

I did try to rake the roof off after my Pet Scan. Just too much.

I am sorry for those in the Carolina’s who are getting the current storm. I am just not sure where I would put all the snow from another huge dumping. Or if I would even bother and its only the 31st of January :)

Have a wonderful night.

Eunice

It could be worse. :)