Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today is sunny and warmer with a nice breeze. :D

I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows and a male house finch.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/27/26 -- I cut and labeled four water jugs. These will hold Shithouse Marigolds, Black-eyed Susan, Milkweed, and Purple Aster. These are all flowers that I know can handle harsh conditions.

EDIT 2/27/26 -- I taped the jugs, moved them to the parking lot, and secured them with string.

I've seen a starling. Red-winged blackbirds are calling, but I haven't seen them. They arrived way early again this year, so I suspected that they'd wind up in my yard, regretting their poor life choices. At least it has cover and water here.

Crocuses are blooming, still all pale lavender. But there is a white bud in the rain garden!

EDIT 2/27/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 2/27/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 2/27/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 2/27/26 -- I finished trimming dead stems off the wildflower garden. I still need to cut down the tree seedlings and rake more leaves off it, but the old grass is gone.

A yellow crocus is blooming by the log garden. Snowdrop flowers are opening. :D

EDIT 2/27/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Comments

[alatefeline]

Poor confused birbs! Thanks for looking after them. Your yardening is probably having a measurable effect on the entire ecoregion...

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Poor confused birbs! <<

I feel so sorry for them. At least this year, some of their weed perches are still standing by the drainage ditch, but the cattails haven't sprouted yet in other places and none of their food has hatched yet. They're still stuck eating winter forage like seeds. I wonder if they'll figure out the suet.

>> Thanks for looking after them. Your yardening is probably having a measurable effect on the entire ecoregion... <<

I like to think so. It's like an island of resources in a sea of barren agricultural fields. I get a lot of birds. A couple of times, a bald eagle has dropped by. We have a great horned owl. Occasionally deer even come into the yard. In summer there are lots of fireflies.

Just the other side of town there is the big nature reserve, which is now up over 1000 acres protected by Grand Prairie Friends, and it's adjacent to a state park, a lake, and a river. I'm pretty sure that's where the bald eagles are coming from because they like waterfront.

Once you know what has helped species in the past, you can do those things in present, in hopes of improving the future. So that's why I aim to create refugia. I may not know for sure if it makes a difference ... but I know that it is the kind of thing that does.