LILL's LIST

Even during the harsh cold weather in Maine, there’s abundunt wildlife right outside our window.While I miss the beautiful, colorful flowers, some of our birds are almost as vibrantly hued.
Evening Grosbeaks and Blue Jays feed on the ground, enjoying the thistle and sunflower seeds knocked down by the drabber colored chickadees and sparrows. On the bag of thistle seed, Red Polls, Purple Finches and House Finches jostle and twitter at each other as they pull the tiny seeds through the mesh.
This year, we tried a few different things to compensate for the loss of the birds’ favorite place to perch between feedings. It was a huge, dry-rotted oak that we had to remove before it fell down. We still have a smaller maple and a good-sized spruce where they can shelter from snow and wind, so we used them to provide a little extra.
To supplement the two suet feeders we already had, we mixed cornmeal with chunky peanut butter, spread it liberally on pine cones, leaving dry spots for their feet to perch on, then rolled them in sunflower and millet seeds and hung them from the branches of the spruce and maple. The chickadees, especially loved them.
We also pulled up our sunflower plants with the heads still attached, instead of leaving them like we usually do, and tied them into bunches with garden twine. Then we hung them from the hook under the feeder and from the tips of branches in the spruce.
My daughter’s innovative idea was to take our old grapevine wreath, which has certainly seen better days, attach some evergreen swatches, tie on a couple of seed bells and bunches of grapes. We hung it from a branch of the maple and the birds were soon perching and feasting. They looked so festive against the dark green of the wreath. We also stuck some peeled oranges on sharp twigs on the maple for the Cardinals and Blue Jays.
As we approach the Winter Solstice, we appreciate the light and warmth of our home and admire the fortitude and energy of the wild birds outside our window. With neither fire nor any shelter but the trees and bushes, they somehow manage to survive the Maine winter with pluck and perseverance. And so will we.

Related posts:

1. Homemade Gifts That They’ll Really Like
2. Have You Heard About the Birds and the Bees?