I love wild birds. I enjoy everything about them. I feed them and give them water. I provide nest boxes for some. I am rewarded with birds all around my home. Lately I am finding feathers all the time. I pick them up and admire the beauty, even the large dark ones. I understand that some people think that our angels leave them for us, and that colors have special meanings. I don't know...but it is a nice thought.

Thank you to everyone who commented or sent me an email. It is good to be reminded that my blog does bring enjoyment to others. 

Backyard Birdfeeding - American Goldfinch

These small birds are one of my favorites that come to my feeders. They have such a brilliant yellow summer plumage that is amazing. A flock of them have just returned to my farm. I watched them for awhile, a pretty song, and now I know why some people call them "wild canary".  They eat thistle seed from a speciality feeder, and some black oil sunflower seeds. 

How to catch a Chickadee without trying...

OK...see....I received this cute feeder as a gift. I filled it with black oil sunflower seeds. The seeds were nearly gone and I had not realized it. A hungry little Chickadee flew inside the feeder, and was trapped inside. The little fellow was flying up inside the jar. The rescue involved slowly removing the metal tray and ta-da a free bird. This is a design problem for small birds. I think that I can put something...screening maybe to solve the problem.

Vintage Christmas Cards with Birds

I really love wild birds, as you may have noticed. These vintage cards are so pretty, that I just had to show them to you. All these are from Pinterest.

Feeding the Wild Birds Suet Cakes

I love to feed the wild birds, especially in the winter months. I make my own suet cakes from a simple recipe from Wild Bird Magazine. I tried the factory made suet cakes, however, I found that the birds do not like the factory made cakes that can be purchased in many stores. The birds don't really like the fancy feeders out there, just get these simple cages for feeding.

This feeder is a peanut feeder, a great source for winter food. I don't find that the birds here like peanuts very well. I put chopped walnuts into this feeder, with a tray attached to the bottom so that they walnuts don't end up in the snow.  The birds go for it!!  In addition, I put cracked corn onto the ground after snow removal, this works for many birds including quail.

Be sure to put the feeders near a window so you can enjoy bird watching while in the comfort of the house...and then you will be able to refill the feeders easily. Oh, and BTW it was 10.9 degrees here last night. Burrrrr