So Much for Hot Seed

Apparently, Mr. Squirrel likes his seed on the spicy side.

He keeps coming back for more and he brings his friends!  Can you see where he's chewed on the window feeder?  He gets mad after he's twisted it so much the seed quits coming,  Yep, he's got quite the temper.  The chewed up spots are really bad in some places. Grrrrrr...

Don't let that cute face fool you.  You won't believe all the damage he's done to my outdoor wicker and the lights I had strung on the pergola and the deck.  When the feeders that hang from the deck are taken in at night or they aren't put back out early enough in the morning, he takes out his revenge on the outdoor wicker under the pergola.
Click HERE to continue reading...

Squirrel Outwits Bird Feeder: The Story of Leon and Pearl

Once upon a time there was a squirrel named Pearl and she lived on a Leon's deck. Whenever Leon wasn't looking, Pearl would creep over to Leon's bird feeder and throw it off the table and onto the deck. The poor bird feeder became badly bent and broken. Leon was not pleased and he chased Pearl away whenever he saw her. "How can I keep Pearl from totally ruining my feeder?" mused Leon. "I know, I'll tie it to the deck posts!" And, so he did. "Take that, Pearl!"



That afternoon while the evil homeowner Leon napped, Pearl came along and discovered the bird feeder would not budge! "Oh No! What to do!" thought Pearl. With just a little effort, Pearl found she could just simply unscrew the top piece. "Voila! This is even better than throwing it on the deck," thought Pearl.










When Leon awoke from his nap, he was really, really mad and chased Pearl away with the garden hose. He screwed the top of the bird feeder on really, really tight, and retreated back inside his home mumbling, "Let that little stinker try and unscrew the lid now!"

Once the angry homeowner left, Pearl returned to the scene of the crime. After a little investigation, Pearl realized she could just take the whole top right off. She threw it onto the deck, dragging it all around looking for a place to throw it so Leon couldn't put it back together again!




Pearl even tried to drag it off the deck, so she wouldn't have to deal with it ever again!




But, try as she might, it just wouldn't fit through the rail. Pearl finally gave up and thought, "Oh well, time to eat!"




Pearl spent the afternoon, happily stuffing herself on sunflower seeds.




Pearl Squirrel: 3, Leon: 0




Bonnie, thanks so much for sharing this funny story of your hubby's battle with wily Pearl. A friend of mine has been encouraging me to try a different seed in my feeders. She swears by it and says her birds LOVE it and the Squirrels...not so much.




This is from their FAQ page and it explains how it works. It is supposed to be completely safe.



I filled up my feeder with it last night. I've seen a few birds coming to the feeder to check it out, but not too many, so far. Have you tried the hot seed? If so, do your birds seem to love it?



To see Bluebirds feeding their babies mealworms in my dovecote, click HERE

To see a darling birdfeeder that's a replica of the English cottage in the movie, The Holiday, click HERE

To read about a HUGE hawk who stopped by my backyard for a visit in January, click HERE

For additional "birding" fun, click on the category "Birding" at the top of this blog.

A Dovecote in the Garden Landscape

A Dovecote in the Garden Landscape:

Recently, I posted about a kind soul who came to my "rescue." That post contained lots of photos of the large dovecote in my perennial garden that runs along my driveway. I received several e-mails from readers asking for more information about this bird house and where I found it.

My interest in a dovecote for my garden came from years of going on garden tours. Often, while on the tours, I would come across these huge, beautiful dovecotes, and each time they captured my heart. But once I'd go home and price them...I would forget the idea of owning one. I could never understand why they were so expensive.




Over the years, to satisfy my desire for a dovecote, I bought smaller birdhouses similar in design, and always, after just 2-3 years they totally fell apart...just rotted away. Four years ago, I added a screened-in porch and a front porch to my home. Since the front porch completely transformed the front of my home, I decided to spruce up the large perennial garden along my driveway with a real dove cote. The brand I had always seen on the garden tours was Lazy Hill. I could always tell because the Lazy Hill dovecotes have a small, copper plaque along the bottom of the house. I had been told many times by gardeners that they held up and lasted for years and years. After my experience with the knockoffs falling apart, I was ready for the real thing.




The Lazy Hill dove cotes are really meant to be a focal point in the garden, a decorative feature...but don't tell the bluebirds who nest in mine year after year. :)




The roof of the Lazy Hill dovecote is cedar so it naturally grays to a lovely patina. At Christmastime, the dovecote in my garden gets a wreath. I love having this bird house in my front yard because I enjoy seeing it each time I return home. Four years later, I have to say, it has been one of the best investments I've ever made for my garden landscape.



When I bought mine, I priced them locally and online. The best price I could find was from Wildlife Cottage, a seller on eBay. I think he's still on eBay...or at least he was last time I checked. The dovecote comes with mounting brackets and I used those to attach it to a 4 x 4 pressured treated post I purchased from Home Depot. I pre-drilled the holes into the post because those posts are hard as rocks. Then I just used the long screws that came with the house to mount it to the post. I painted the post with the same exterior paint that had been used to paint the front porch.

Here's a photo from Wikipedia showing actual doves inhabiting a dovecote. Each cavity houses one pair of doves. Doves are supposed to make wonderful pets, according to what I read online. Interesting! It sounds like there's a fair amount to do though, to keep them safe.




Dovecotes have a fascinating history dating all the way back to Roman days. You can read all about them HERE and see pictures of quite a few HERE. Though many have disappeared over the years, during the 17th Century England had over 26,000 dovecotes on the grounds of monasteries and manor houses. Doves at that time were considered a food source, for both the eggs and the birds themselves. Dovecotes like the one below in Sussex England, often housed 500+ doves!




They were built in lots of different designs/styles. This dovecote is in a commune, Colombier at Manoir d'Ango in France.




My dovecote is around 4 years old and it still looks the same today as the day I installed it in the garden...except for the graying of the cedar roof. If you didn't want the roof to gray, I would think you could treat it with a stain or whatever is recommended for a cedar home. I personally opted to let it gray since I like that slightly aged look.

In late winter, I clean out the old nests and my tool of choice is really high tech...a coat hanger. ;) The directions at the Lazy Hill site say the roof comes off for cleaning, but I've never tried removing it since the coat hanger technique works so well. My house is made of wood but I noticed online, they are now made of "solid cellular vinyl" for durability.



Hope this information is helpful. I do recommend the Lazy Hill brand dovecote since mine has held up so well. My bluebirds would definitely give it a thumbs wings up. ;)



Tablescape Thursday:
Scroll on down to view some absolutely gorgeous tablescapes that were linked for this week's Tablescape Thursday!

Links available in this post:
Front Porch
Screened-in Porch

Knights in Shining Armor...They Do Still Exist

The ground had been covered with snow and ice for four long days. At last it had melted...just enough for her to leave her home for a quick trip out. Upon returning, as she pulled into the driveway, she noticed a little fluff of orange feathers protruding from one of the entrances to the dove cote, the same cavity where the bluebirds had nested every year for the past three years. The thought came to her...the bluebirds must have sought refuge there from the bitter cold of the last few days. She wondered if perhaps a whole family was down inside since one bluebird was actually visible in the entrance.




A few days passed and that thought was replaced with dread. Something was amiss. Each day as she left for a quick trip to the market or to run an errand, upon returning she noticed the little orange fluff protruding slightly from the entrance was still there. With heavy heart, she tapped on the side of the dovecote. The orange fluff did not move. She kept it together just long enough to get inside the house, but then the tears came…and they came and they came. She had become so attached to those silly bluebirds…the same sweet family returning year after year to nest and feed their babies on the meal worms she provided every spring and summer.




Then a horrible, terrible thought came to her. What if there was a whole family down inside, all frozen to death in the unusually bitter cold that had lasted the whole week. What if several bluebirds had sought refuge in the dovecote but became trapped inside because one of them had frozen just inside the entrance. The thought was more than she could bear.

She beat herself up, wondering if she could have done something, anything to help the birds through this difficult and unusually cold winter. The feeders had been kept full with seed, but what if...what if they had not survived the cold. What if there were more trapped beneath. Her heart breaking, she wondered how she could face removing the little body, or worse yet...bodies, from the dove cote. Were not these the very same birds she had come to love through multiple nestings in the dove cote every spring for the past three years?




She needed help…she couldn't face this alone. But who could she call? Who could help her with such a sad undertaking? She called the bird store where she had bought her meal worms and seed for the past several years and through tears she described what she had found and her worst fears. An unbelievably caring soul, Craig, consoled her...telling her this wasn’t her fault. Bluebirds could normally weather the cold and he would be happy to come over and help.

She hung up the phone and she waited, pacing the floor and just hoping for the best possible outcome. A friend once told her, you are "too tenderhearted." What does that mean? How do you cure a tender heart? She stood at the window looking out at the birds coming to the feeders. And then it happened. A big fat, healthy bluebird came to the deck rail just outside…just a few feet away. Though she was sure one bluebird was lost, maybe this was God speaking to her, comforting her that it was going to be OK.




The doorbell rang, startling her from her thoughts. It was Craig and he had good news. There was only one bird, a male...not a whole family inside. He told her he had not frozen but had died from an injury to his chest. He must have sought refuge in the one place he felt safe.

She felt terribly sad for the one bird that was lost, but so relieved there were no others down inside. She gave Craig a big hug, thanking him over and over again for his help. He again assured her that she had done nothing wrong and there really wasn’t a practical way to help the birds stay warm in the winter…that they knew where to go and what to do to stay warm. He told her providing food and water was really all she could do...and this she had done. Before he left, he cleaned out the old nest so the dove cote would be ready if bluebirds came again in the spring. She never even had to see the lost bird...Craig had removed him before he ever came to the door.




She tried to pay him for his time, for any expense…for his unbelievable kindness. He refused saying it wasn’t necessary and he had been glad to help. Before he left, she showed him a photo on her computer of a large hawk who had come calling several weeks before. As they studied the hawk attempting to identify him, Craig noticed and pointed out a bluebird just outside the window drinking melted snow from the candelier. She was so grateful for his kindness…a huge burden lifted off her shoulders. All she could think was how amazing it is that there are still such caring, generous people in the world.



If you live in the north suburbs of Atlanta, please stop by and say hello to Craig at Wild Birds Unlimited on Piedmont Road in Marietta. He saved me that cold January day and I will always remember his kindness.

Wild Birds Unlimited
1050 E Piedmont Rd
Marietta, GA 30062
(770) 565-9841


Today, as I walked down the driveway to retrieve the mail, a bluebird couple flew from the dovecote to the top of the crape myrtles nearby. They are prospecting...staking out their claim. They know the days are getting longer and soon, spring will be here. Thanks to the kindness of a true gentleman, a knight in shining armor, the dove cote is all ready.

What Kind of Bird is This?

Last January 13th, 2010, I posted this tablescape below, and in the midst of taking pics...




Something large came to call in the trees out back. I took a quick pic through the glass of the bay window, but before I could get a better photo, he was gone.




I was pretty sure he/she was hawk, but had no idea what kind. A couple of readers said he looked like a Red-tailed Hawk, also known as a Chicken Hawk. Here's a pic of a Red-tailed Hawk from Wikipedia:




Well, guess what?! He (or someone like him) came back today and I ran through the house like a crazy woman to get my camera. I don't have a zoom lens so this was the best I could do standing with my camera and head stuck outside the screen door of the porch. I was afraid to go onto the deck, lest he fly off. He was keeping a close watch on the ground under the two feeders that hang from the deck. I guess he doesn't care for squirrel because he was ignoring one that was munching on seed under the feeder. (CLICK ON THE PIC AND IT WILL ENLARGE.)



So, what kind of hawk is this guy? Is he the same one/kind that came calling before? Do you still think he's a Red-tailed Hawk? Here's a list of the hawks that are prevalent in the state of Georgia, per answer.com:

•Red-tailed Hawks,
•Red Shouldered Hawks,
•Cooper's Hawks,
•Sharp-shinned Hawks,
•Broad Wing Hawks,
•Marsh Hawks (in winter)

I am just so in awe of these birds...totally in awe. Isn't it interesting that I always see hawks in my backyard in January. Maybe they are in my backyard all year but the leaves hide them from my view. Or, perhaps food is more scarce right now so he has to be bolder and come closer to homes than he'd like.

Can't wait to hear what you think he is! :)

Owls, Beautiful Owls

Wow, you guys are amazing! I'm soooo inspired after seeing so many creative "Before and Afters" this past Metamorphosis Monday! We had over 150 participants! If you haven't had a chance to check them all out, just scroll down to the post below this one and start clicking. There is so much talent and creativity in Blogland!




















































When my son was in elementary school, I worked in his school for five years as a Media Parapro, assisting the Media Specialist/Librarian. We had many a book fair and I could never resist buying books by the armloads. I always looked for the Caldecott Award and Newbery Metal winners.

If you have young children or grandchildren, Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (illustrated by John Schoenherr) is a delightful book. It was one of my son's favorite books (and mine) for bedtime reading. It was a winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal, so you know the pics are wonderful.