Birds on the Brain

Being "Birds" I suppose Mike and I are more prone to care about the flying variety. When we first moved to Shoals, it was fun keeping track of the different birds we saw in the deep woods, the huge Pileated Woodpecker being the most amazing. Our interest was further intensified when Marty worked for Wild Birds Unlimited. I started doing official "bird counts", carefully identifying and recording their presence at different times of the year. Mike and I continue to compare what we see with the pictures found in the Audubon book and on the internet. There was a Rufous-Sided Towhee at the feeders this morning. (see below)

In the last couple years Mike has taken over bird feeder duty, making sure they all have access to plenty of the right kind of seed. He also takes many, many pictures of the birds, some of which he posts on his website. I'm generally the one to select the bird feeder systems, the feeders themselves, and to buy the seed. Several years ago my sister sent us a wonderful hummingbird feeder, so we get to watch the teeny little birds, too. We have a couple suet feeders that we put out in the winter. Now we have bird feeders on the east, west, and north sides of the house for our unfailing entertainment.

Birds like suet in the winter; the fat in the suet helps their bodies keep warm. A few years ago I found a recipe for suet on the internet, and now make it every 3-4 weeks. In case anyone's interested, here it is: Melt 1 cup lard and 1 cup crunchy peanut butter. Remove from heat and add 2 cups quick oatmeal, 2 cups cornmeal, and 1 cup flour. Mix well and divide into 4 freezer containers. Freeze. Optional: Add raisins, craisins, nuts, veggies. Then settle back with your binoculars, camera and bird book, and enjoy the calm of a little nature study.