**This one is dedicated to a close friend who is DEFINITELY not a bird watcher, but who appreciates my love of these little creatures (yes, my dear, you know who you are - I'll make a bird watcher out of you yet J
Being bird lovers, my hubby and I are always looking for ways to bring our feathered friends to the backyard. We really love having them around and watching how they interact and react to our presence as well.
This Winter, we have a family of pileated woodpeckers who visit almost daily. Sometimes they announce their arrival with their loud call, while other times they arrive very quietly. They don’t seemed bothered by us when we’re back there, but that’s probably because it’s winter and we’re not outside as much. We enjoy watching them from the dining room window, or from the upstairs office (in fact, two of them are out there right now as I’m writing this post).
They keep coming back because we’ve provided a very nice feeding station for them. The idea came from a gardening magazine and wasn’t originally intended for that particular type of bird, but is really well suited for them. All our birds (and squirrels) love it.
Here’s what we did: hubby brought home a small fallen cedar tree from an wooded area he worked in. He fastened it to a metal pole driven into the ground before the frost hits.
We then drilled holes along the entire length of the post. These needed to be big enough to insert a homemade seed mixture into. The mixture consists of mixed birdseeds and peanut butter to hold it together. We spoon it into the holes. We have to refill the post every week just to keep up with the traffic.
Occasionally, the woodpeckers try the suet feeder on the oak tree, but they seem awkward trying to pick at it, since they’re so big!
Here's why we feed them and love them so much…
Can you really blame us?
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