Birds and Squirrels

It’s rare that an average person with no carpentry skills is able to build a bird house at home, but with a dried out gourd, a drill, and a little elbow grease, you can build a great bird house in just a few minutes! First you’ll need a gourd, which can be bought at a local farmer’s market, or found at various supermarkets during the fall. The gourd needs to be sizable, about five inches in diameter. Once you’ve found your gourd, you’ll need a drill and an inch wide drill bit. Drill a hole into the center of the gourd where it is widest in circumference.

Do your best to drain any liquid inside, and then hang the gourd out to dry. This is the tricky part, because it can take months for a gourd to dry completely, so it’s best to do this in the Fall and have new gourd bird houses in the Spring.  Gourd bird houses can house a variety of different bird species, including martins, sparrows, and even chickadees if you drill a smaller hole!

If you have a birdfeeder in your yard, you may have dealt with “bully birds”. Bully birds are usually blackbirds, grackles, house sparrows, and pigeons who want the birdseed in your feeder or on the ground and will chase away your favorite birds so they can inhale it all.

Bully birds are usually bigger than the birds you are trying to attract with your feeder, so try to limit accessibility of the feeding ports and keep the area under the feeder as free of seed and suet as possible to discourage pigeons. It can also be beneficial to eliminate favorite bully bird foods from your bird feeding area-they seem to prefer bread, corn, wheat and sunflower seeds.  Finches prefer hanging thistle bird feeders, while safflower seeds in hopper or tray feeders will appeal to cardinals, nuthatches, and chickadees.

While some of us take measures to prevent squirrels from feeding from our birdfeeders, it’s also nice to offer something to our furry backyard friends. One option is to spill a little bit of the bird seed when you’re filling the feeder. But a much more entertaining option is to add squirrel feeders to your garden décor.

These feeders are designed for squirrels and intended to keep them distracted and off the bird feeder; most of the time they’re successful! Squirrel feeders can contain a variety of different feeds, including peanuts, corn cobs, and sunflowers. Squirrel feeders also come in different styles, some of which feature more entertaining or original designs.

  Many people out there only think of how they can keep the squirrels away from their bird feeders. But I believe that there are just as many people out there who love those bushy tailed gymnasts and would like to see more of them running around their yard. If you could use a good laugh sit in your  backyard and watch their acrobatic skills.

  To attract more squirrels to your backyard try putting up a Squirrel Feeder. Thats right a feeder just for the squirrels not the birds! I mean they have squirrel proof  bird feeders, so why not a squirrel only feeders. You can have the best of both worlds in your own backyard and double the fun.

Bats are not only very interesting, but are the primary predator of night-flying  insects of which mosquitoes are one. A single bat can eat  between 600 & 1,000 insects or mosquitoes in just one hour. So how do you get these wonderful mammals to start eating your insects? Try putting up a Bat House.

Bats are one of the most misunderstood animals, 70% of bats feed on insects and almost all bats in the United States do. They are actually very clean animals and are not blind. Bats will not interfere with bird feeding or disturb your pets. Out of the 45 species found in the US 6 of them are on the endangered species list.

By putting up a Bat House not only are you giving them a home (possibly to an endangered species). You can also expect the benefits of having fewer mosquitoes, yard and garden pest. You’ll be surprised at how much you will enjoy learning about bats with your friends and family.

If you want to bring North America’s largest swallow and only Martin on this continent to be a guest at your house try putting up a Purple Martin House. However  make sure when putting up your Martin House it is in the center of the most open place available, at least 30 feet from human housing and 40 feet minimum from any trees. 

East of the Rockies, Purple Martins are completely dependent on humans for their  houses. For more than 100 years Martins have nested almost exclusively in Purple Martin Houses put up by us (humans). Purple Martins  are unusual due to the fact that several pairs will nest in a Martin House with multiple compartments. Once you have attracted the subadults to your house they will return year after year to you. They enjoy the company of humans and will reward you with their beautiful songs.Purple Martins are unique that they get their food (insects) and water while in flight. They skim the surface of the  water and scoop it up with their lower bill.

I have always loved squirrels. In fact, when I was growing up my family had pet squirrel. One day, while working in the garden, my Mom noticed the neighbor’s cat had something in its mouth. Upon closer inspection she realized it was a baby squirrel. After convincing the kitty to give up its prize, she brought the squirrel inside the house. My Dad built a little enclosure for the squirrel, which we named “Gwowl,” which we kept on our back deck.

For months my Mom hand fed the pitiful little creature. And, after a while, it regained its strength and grew into a healthy adult. Eventually, the sad day came when we had to let the squirrel go back into the wild (the trees in our backyard.) But we kept a squirrel feeder out just in case the little guy felt like coming back for a visit.