Memorial Day Weekend

First, I'd like to salute the men and women who served to protect our country. Thank you to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and the families who live with their loss. 

We must remember how much freedom cost, and we must be thankful.

My son, Alex, took this pic of a
Bald Eagle  at the Memphis Zoo.

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This Memorial Day weekend, I've spent some time working on new bird feeders. I'm excited to be restocking my Etsy shop! I'm hoping to have new feeders posted by the end of the week. So, check my Etsy shop by clicking the link in the sidebar. I think they look pretty in the yard and they make for sweet gifts. 
  

New bird feeders coming soon!

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Even though we haven't made any hummingbird feeders...I love hummingbirds!  Today, I mixed my own nectar and filled my hummingbird feeders. (I actually added two hummingbird feeders to the yard....shhh, my husband hasn't noticed yet.)  I've read that the nectar with the red food coloring isn't very good for them. So, I'm trying a recipe that I got from a friend (Valerie S.). I mixed an equal amount of sugar and hot water and filled my feeders. Valerie makes her own nectar and her yard is filled with hummers! I've only seen a couple of hummingbirds so far this year but, I'm hoping my new mix will bring a lot more! 

New nectar mixture in feeder.

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After I finished refilling the hummingbird feeders, I was about to take a break when my husband said the yard is full of birds. He took some pics of this handsome woodpecker and a few Cardinals. It was a very busy day in the yard! It was a great day!

Downy Woodpecker

Female Cardinal (left), Male Cardinal (top), Downy Woodpecker (right)

A drop of yellow sunshine

This afternoon, we had a few drops of yellow sunshine in our yard....a couple of American Gold Finches! They are so bright and beautiful! They are easily identified by their bright yellow feathers and black cap. We watched them for a few minutes and then I ran to get the camera. I was surprised they stayed so long and I got quite a few good pics.

I don't currently have a finch feeder in the yard so, I'll have to get one. I've read where the finch feeder needs to be placed about 14 feet from the other feeders. So, I have the perfect tree in mind! However, my husband told me that I'd need to take down another feeder that is already in that tree.  He said that our yard is beginning to border "crazy bird lady" territory! 

I don't think we're even close to that....so, I'm going to get a new finch feeder tomorrow! Check back soon for more fabulous finch fotos! 

  

Front Porch Birding on a Sunday afternoon

Today was such a great day! Absolutely beautiful weather and it was a great day for being (a little) lazy and bird watching! I snapped several pictures of cardinals and woodpeckers. 

It seemed like the birds flocked to our yard all afternoon so it was quite enjoyable....except for one occasional visitor...my husband! He spent the day sneaking up behind me and scaring the crap outta me! In this pic, I felt him lurking so I flipped my phone camera around and got this pic! He always knows how to make me laugh!  

I got really excited when I saw him setup the tripod and started snapping some pictures. He always takes better pictures than me so, I poured a drink, grabbed my iPad, and moved over a chair for him to sit down. He looked at me and said...

"Don't get too excited. I'm not staying out here with you....there's a hockey game on!" 

(And he was gone!)

Oh well, he took a few great pics and set me up for a day on the porch! He's a pretty good guy!

Here are a few of the pics we snapped today.

What's on the menu? Bird seed!

I'd like to talk a little bit about bird seed. If you want to attract song birds to your yard, it's important to get the right bird seed. 

There is all kind of seed on the market and I've tried a few different kinds. However, the one that I find the birds love is The National Audubon Society's Signature Harvest Deluxe Wild bird seed. It's really awesome and the birds - Tear. It. Up! 

It's a blend of sunflower and safflower seeds. It's great for Cardinals, Nuthatches, Juncos, Chickadees, and Titmice. I usually buy my seed at Lowes. The last bag that I got was "Garden Treasures" because they were out of the National Audubon bag. The Garden Treasures was okay and the birds did like it. But, I just bought a new bag of the National Audubon and the birds are flocking to my yard! 

I'm not kidding! My husband made fun of me when I told him this....he said..."I'm sure the birds know the difference. (And he laughed)" But after watching them, he said "I think they do like this seed better." He's so cute when he agrees with me! 

Therefore, I highly recommend the National Audubon Society's Signature Harvest Deluxe Wild bird seed! Please feel free to leave me comments and let me know what bird seed you are using and how you like it!