Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Outside the house

In the garden...

There are blooms on the bush beans.


Peppers on the pepper plants.

Hundreds of tomatoes on the vines.

Yesterday we did indeed visit the Wild Bird Center in Independence, as planned. The people who work there are so helpful and knowledgeable. Cliff hadn't been in the store before, and he was pretty amazed at some of the items they sell there.

I looked at bluebird houses and martin houses, but after talking to the proprietor and finding out it's too late in the season for those to attract any inhabitants, I decided to hold off on buying them.

I did buy a hummingbird feeder to attach to the window beside my computer desk. The tiny birds have found it, but so far they notice my movement when I try to take a picture. I'll keep trying, of course. When they're feeding and fighting at this feeder, they're about three feet away from me.


Ever since I saw an oriole at my hummingbird feeder a few weeks ago, I've longed to see more of those beautiful birds. So I invested in an Oriole feeder.

There's a place to put half an orange; little cupped spots to hold grape jelly; and the bottom holds nectar. So far I've only see hummingbirds checking it out, but I'm hoping! It could be that this is another thing that needs to be put out early in the season, because I found this online: "It is important to have the oranges available just as the orioles arrive, which is around April 1st in the South and April 15th to May 1st in the northern half of the country." That information came from THIS WEBSITE.

As for the martins and bluebirds, the lady informed me that sparrows are the biggest problems with trying to make homes for them. Cliff and I checked out some sparrow traps online after we got home. I think I'll deal with one type of bird at a time here, learning as I go.

Boy, I sure would love to see some orioles!

5 comments:

  1. Both of those feeders are something new to me. I like the way that attaches to the window for the hummers. I've no experience with gold finches except that they do come once in awhile to our regular feeders and to the sunflower seeds when they've ripened. We have a few sunflowers that always come up every year from the bird seed.

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  2. Those Garden veggies look good. Helen

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  3. MMmmmm those veggies look great! I love the two new feeders!

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  4. Anonymous5:36 AM

    The veggies look great----your garden or someone elses?
    Ah, 65---Medicare. For two years I bought a BCBS supplement and wasted a lot of money. A Medicare expert sales rep "sold" me on a UNicare Zero Premium policy. I only pay doctor co pay and annual deductable. I saved about $1300 in one year.
    Check it out.
    Shane

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  5. Happy belated birthday to Cliff. I am six months older then my husband and his Mom had to sign for him too when we got married. Did the blood test too. How things have changed.

    Your garden looks picture perfect. Could use one of those green peppers for my omelet this morning. My garden is pathetic, I won't even take pictures! lol!

    Why would you trap sparrows? I've never heard of that before, fill me in please.

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