Bitter cold weather and lots of snow….it was all I could do to try to keep some of the little songbirds fed a bit so they could tolerate the cold, which was descending fast. How could I bring their numbers up in the garden (for our viewing pleasure) if they didn’t survive the winter? A few crushed up peanuts and residual seeds under the bushes here and there helps, and I top off the suet feeder, though the nasty squirrels are now the most persistent feeders, as anyone with bird feeders will tell you. Even using suet with pepper oils in it has suddenly stopped deterring them after almost a year, and they attack not just the suet but chew the shit out of the pine log used to make the feeder. The flickers just eat several days’ worth of the songbirds’ suet in about ten minutes’ time. Only once had a pileated woodpecker visit, and I got some great video (see next entry). Placing wire cage cloche over the feeder log hasn’t helped with the squirrels, nor the appearance(one of the cloches is in the background of the video below). I’ve resorted to purchasing a squirrel and flicker proof caged feeder, which doesn’t allow the squirrels into the space around the suet, that should help in a few days when it arrives. And then to top it off, I ordered the good stuff to use in it, that the squirrels and flickers really like, so I can drive them nuts for a change.
The good news is that Wiley is back, having not been on camera since late November. He appears to have at least detected the pork roast bone and gristley parts, though he missed them by two hours since the crows got there first- the place he ends up sniffing at the end.
Finally caught a wren on the video, hopping up into one of their favorite roosts. They usually just go there at nights, but are also known to cozy away during inclement weather, which we were experiencing, with sub freezing temps and intermittent heavy snowfalls. In the past they have been more consistent about staying in the same holes, etc. but maybe there are lots of places for them to stay. Also not sure yet if they are going into wren box and just not being detected…….this video capture was likely compliments of the chickadee who wrestled around right next to the camera first.
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