Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Backyard Birding

Finally!!  Two straight days of sunshine!!  Not terribly hot, but I'll take the sunshine over all the rain we've had lately.  This is the view out my back door yesterday morning (after a wicked thunderstorm the night before ... complete with murderous lightening and pounding hail!).  I love sitting out in the backyard early in the morning in the summer.  If it's a little chilly, I take a small quilt with me to wrap around my legs, and I sip hot tea on the patio ... so relaxing.

 
For the last couple of weeks, the backyard has smelled heavenly from the mock orange bush (left side of photo).  Unfortunately, I battle with aphids on this bush every year.  I checked our local nursery for ladybugs to release into the bush, but they were right out.  I cut off the branches that were the worst and I may have to go and buy some sort of powder to dust over the poor bush.  I'd hate to lose it.  Does anyone have any known remedies for this?
 
One thing I really like to encourage in my backyard are the birds.  I grew up in a virtual bird paradise at my childhood home.  We lived beside some overgrown woods that hadn't been disturbed for ages.  Vines grew over lots of the trees, and there were huge mature maples dominating the forest.  A large creek ran through the woods as well.  There were great blue herons,  green herons, kingfishers, great horned owls, several varieties of woodpeckers, warblers, grosbeaks, grouse, hawks, turkeys and turkey vultures ... just to name a few!  I learned a lot about birds living there, and I learned to recognize them by the way the flew and their songs.  I started a bird watching list when I was young, and my mother and I would love to add a new bird to the list as the years went by.
 
Then I moved into town when I got married.  I always thought I would get back to the country eventually, but it's been 25 years now, and I'm starting to lose hope.  If I can encourage the birds into my  yard, though, it does make me a little bit happier to see them.
 
I put seeds out for the birds in winter time, and they really appreciate it.  Especially the smaller birds like chickadees and juncos.  Once the bugs start to appear and the birds can fend for themselves, I stop putting the seeds out and let the birds feed off the bugs on my lawn.  Some summers I put out the niger seeds for the goldfinches and other small seed eating birds, but the squirrels usually tear those feeders to pieces when they can't get the seeds from the tiny holes.  Did you know that if you put out a bright yellow feeder, it will attract the goldfinches?  I found this out when I bought my first yellow feeder when I moved to town.  The packaging claimed that the goldfinches would appear within hours of putting the feeder out, but I was skeptical.  I hadn't even seen goldfinches in the area, but within an hour or so there were about six on the feeder.  I was so surprised!
 
This pretty little mourning dove can't decide whether or not to make a nest in this weeping pea tree beside my patio.  I believe there is exactly one twig underneath the dove as it's sad attempt at nest building.  Dove's are pathetic nest builders and this one really lacked motivation.  The nasty storm hit us the night after I took this photo, and the few sticks this bird and her mate had spent all day collecting were swept out of the crook of the tree.  I put them all back into the tree the next morning, and the dove tried to re-arrange them, but it seemed like too much work for her and the "nest" has now been abandoned. 
 
 
 
Another thing the birds like is water.  I've always had a bird bath for the birds, and they come and bathe in it and drink from it every day in the summer.  The key to the bird bath is to put it in a place where the birds are going to feel safe.  I have mine beneath my lilac bush, so if there's any danger of hawks or cats, the birds can fly right up into the branches quickly.  
 
 
We have lots of mosquitoes here in Ontario (and more than usual this year with the wet weather).  I make sure I empty the water from the bird bath every day, scrub the basin with a small brush and fill it with clean water again.  This keeps mosquitoes from breeding in the water, and the birds seem to like having clean water (if the water is murky, the birds don't stop in).  The base of my birdbath broke a few years ago, so now I just stacked up some bricks and set the basin on top of that.
 
 
It's good to have a birdbath deep enough for the larger birds (robins, grackles) to really get in there and get a good soaking.  Mine is about one and a half inches deep in water, and the little birds will get in there too.  The birds don't seem to like basins with a smooth finish like glazed ceramics.  My basin is concrete that came with a white finish (which has now worn off on the inside).  It's rather rough, and flat on the bottom so the birds don't slip when they step in for a dip.
 
Maybe you would consider adding a birdbath to your yard if you haven't already.  The birds will love you for it!
 
Thanks for stopping by!
 
Wendy
 
 

32 comments:

  1. wow.i love those foxgloves and the last flower pic.is that rose?

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    1. Thanks Meghana, the foxglove is new to me this year and is looking good! The white flower is a peony (I wish it was a rose!!)

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  2. If I didn't know you lived in Canada, Wendy, I'd have thought I as looking at pictures of an English country garden!

    I love watching the birds too, especially at this time of the year when thy're so busy, to-ing and froing to feed heir babies!

    Enjoy the sunshine, long may it last!

    Love Claire xx

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    1. It must be all the English rain we're having this year Claire! It does wonders for the flowers, and I've only had to water the pots this year. Another sunshiny day today ... gorgeous blue skies :) Enjoy your weekend!

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  3. I'm with you on early morning tea/coffee sipping! This morning it's tipping down, rain, rain and more rain! I love these glimpses of your garden, it does look like a great place for the birds to hang out! :) x

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    1. It's just so peaceful in the early summer mornings when no one else is even up. I like to get out there around 6:30 or so just as the sun is coming over the trees. I hope your rain stops before the weekend!

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  4. Lovely photos from your garden, it is looking so lush and green, and it must be a perfect place to be for the birds. It's so nice that you are taking such good care of the birds in your garden :)
    I love the bird bath, and I liked how you put it on a stack of bricks to get it up from the ground. I will do that too in my garden!

    What a beautiful peony in the last photo.
    Enjoy the sunshine, Wendy :)

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    1. Thanks Hilde, we've had lots of rain this spring to make everything lush! I now have to trim a very large bush hiding the birdbath from my patio. I like watching the birds splashing around in the water ... at the moment I miss the bath and just see soggy birds drying on the fence. Have a great weekend :)

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  5. What a shame the mourning dove abandoned the nest in the weeping pea tree...sounds like those two names were made for each other!
    I have photos of a grey squirrel upside down on our washing line plundering a bird feeder! Great that your goldfinches found your garden haven!
    Ali x

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    1. This made me laugh!! I hadn't even thought of the connection ... thanks for pointing it out. The dove did have a nest there last year and raised two babies. The babies were hatched and out of the next in two weeks! I've seen a similar photo of a bird feeding thief hanging from a clothes line ... but the thief was a black bear!

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  6. We went through your town on Wednesday (taking a cat to a cardiologist appt in Toronto)..I waved!
    The mosquitoes are in abundance this year...and it seems more after last years lack of them...(can't stand the things).
    We have some sunshine but it's going to be wet again for a few days...more flipping mosquitoes!
    Jane x

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    1. I'm sorry I missed you! I'll be heading through your town in a few weeks on the way to Algonquin. Mosquitoes are just a part of life here, but they are annoying when the sun goes down. Have a great weekend :)

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  7. I read up a bit on the aphids and it sounds like an insecticidal soap is needed. Apparently it's a very common problem with the mock orange. Lady bugs can help but there aren't enough to do the job. I wonder if you start treating it before it blooms if it will prevent the shrub from getting them? The only other advice I saw was to hose them off.
    I do enjoy the birds too. We have a large stand of woods next to us and we get to see a nice variety of birds, but nothing quite as extensive as you had as a child. Mourning Doves aren't too good at building nests. We have a nest in a big tree by us right now. I hope it doesn't fall apart before the little ones can make it out of the nest!

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    1. Thanks so much for this info Liz. As soon as I read it I was outside and hosing off the bush with a hard "jet" spray. I'll have to check out the insecticidal soap as well. I'm sure the little doves will make it out of the tree safely. I would love to have a stand of woods beside me :) Thanks for stopping in!

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  8. Your garden is so beautiful when back lit by the rising sun. It looks relaxing!
    I think ladybugs work wonders on aphids. I would ask if the garden store is going to restock the lady bugs. We did our annual ladybug release last month and they waste no time with aphids.

    I just added a bird bath in my yard but have yet to see any birds. I think it is more ornamental than utilitarian but I can hope, right?

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    1. I'll be checking the ladybugs and some soap mentioned above next time I'm at the garden store. Aphids are so creepy, I always feel like they're in my hair or something when I trim the branches away.

      One thing I did with my bird bath in the beginning was to poke a very small hole in the bottom of a litre pop bottle, fill it with water and hang it over the bird bath. The water slowly dripped into the bird bath and the sound of dripping water is supposed to attract birds too. You could even hang a slowly dripping hose from a tree branch or something to get the same effect. My son's pond has a small waterfall and the sound of that has birds coming to it constantly. Good luck!

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  9. We don't get too many birds at the back of the house, where we have a small enclosed garden - the whippets frighten them away I think - but luckily for me I do live in the country and from the front of the house we look across open fields for miles and see and hear all kinds of birds. Hot days just now we have buzzards circling overhead, the swallows are flitting about as I type, and I'll be listening to the night birds later. I spent my years as a student in a city centre apartment where I hardly heard birds at all and I missed their singing so much, so I do understand how important they can be when you're leading an urban life and it's not what you were used to. And hopefully the day when you can get back to the country will come soon :)

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    1. I sometimes see the turkey vultures soaring around here too. Love their lazy circles, but they're soon lost behind houses. I hope I do get back to the country one day before I get too old and used to the convenience of town life.

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  10. Thanks so much for stopping by!! We have had some beautiful days here lately. Hugh's in the mid 70's with low humidity and lots of sunshine. If the whole Summer would stay this way, I would be as happy as a clam!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

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    1. This week has been really nice here too ... sunny and warm, but with a cool breeze. I could take it just a bit hotter to really feel like summer though ;)

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  11. Beautiful shots of your garden, I love the birds too, we try to do what we can for the wildlife in our garden
    happy summer days
    Thea x

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    1. Thanks Thea. I'm doing lots for the birds and the resident rabbit is thriving too ... he's grown quite large now and gives the dog a good work out running around the fence line. My dog is afraid of our pet rabbit, so I don't think he's trying very hard to catch the wild one. crazy!

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  12. Such a beautiful garden Wendy. I don't have a birdbath, but now looking at yours....I want one! Have a wonderful weekend!
    Hugs, Shari

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    1. Thanks Shari, the birdbath just seems to complete the garden and it's nice to have a little cooling off spot for the birds on the really hot days. Enjoy your weekend too ;)

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  13. Your yard looks so pretty. We don't have a great yard, but we see a few birdies in the pond behind us.

    The mosquitoes are pretty bad this year! I don't usually notice them much, but we were at the park this evening and I felt like they were all over me.

    Jo

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    1. From your photos you have that open grassy area behind you, which I bet is home to a lot of little field birds. We have mosquitoes in the shady areas of my backyard this year too (a green murky pond right beside our patio doesn't help :[

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  14. Happy summer looks like you are already enjoying it with your beautiful blooms and pretty birds. I'm a bird watcher too there is something comforting in watching them. I mix up a few drops of a lemon scent dish washing liquid and water and toss it on my Mock Orange and/or a heavy spray of water if you do this several times it should help. hugs, Cherry

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    1. Hi Cherry! Yes, my spring blooms have pretty much finished now, and we're sort of in limbo for some full summer flowers now. Thanks for this tip on the soap and water spray, I'll definitely try it. I did give the mock orange and good hard spray with the garden hose a couple of times now, and I don't see any aphids on it at the moment. Have a great weekend!

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  15. I had aphids and a sooty mold on my mock orange last year so cut out the infected parts. If your whole shrub is affected you don't want to do that. Do you fertilize this shrub in the spring? I find the healthier the shrubs are, the less chance of getting aphids and other pests. We can use Safer's Soap on aphids and it works as I've used it on my carpet roses in the past.
    The mosquitoes are bad this year, aren't they? I bought an organic spray at a nursery that works pretty good but if I start to perspire, they zero right in on the bare areas.
    We have a birdbath in the front and back, and of course the waterfall - all of which the birds use to drink and bathe.
    I want to thank you Wendy for your email and suggestion that my pink depression glass dish could be a salt box. The measurements are similar but then I found a Jadite dish that is almost identical and it's called a planter.
    Judith

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    1. I don't normally fertilize my plants, and maybe that's where the problem begins. I cut the bush back hard a couple of years ago because of the same problem, but the aphids return each year. I'll check at the nursery for the Safer's Soap too. Thanks for these suggestions Judith. The mosquitoes don't seem to bother me too much here in town unless I'm out in the late evening. I'm glad you sorted out the mystery of your glass dish ... it really does look so pretty with the flowers in it (much better than salt!!). Enjoy your weekend, they're warning of a real humid blast for us :)

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  16. I will have to see if mock orange bushes will thrive in my planting area.
    I love the dark, beady eye of the dove!

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    1. I hope you're able to grow them, they really are a pretty bush. The flowers last a couple of weeks and have a very heady perfume, and the leaves are a nice bright green.

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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