A Treat For My Feathered Friends

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Decorating our discarded Christmas tree with special treats for our feathered friends has become a family tradition. The wonderful gardeners who have followed this blog since it began (nearly three years ago) may remember the topic from previous years. If so, I apologize for the repetition and suggest you just scroll through this year's pictures. New readers may like to know what this is all about ...

Even before we went to the tree farm back in mid-December, and before the ground froze, H.H. drove a metal stake into the lawn. He located it where it could be seen from the French windows in the garden room. He would plant the used Christmas tree on this stake when the holidays were over. This season we chose a fine Douglas Fir that perfectly fit our small den.

Old Homstead Tree Farm has lots of trees to choose from.

Our Douglas Fir was shaken in a machine and bound with string,

H.H. carried it to the truck.

The Perfect Christmas Tree

When the festivities were over for another year, HH placed the tree on the aforementioned spike in the lawn. It is appropriately located under a garden flag that depicts a Christmas tree.

Ready to be decorated with treats for the birds

In the winter, when my garden is covered with snow and there are no blooms to enjoy, the birds come into their own. From my favorite chair in the garden room, I can watch, to name just a few: woodpeckers, juncos, cardinals, wrens, titmice, pine siskins, and adorable bluebirds.

Bluebirds visit the heated water dish every day.

Male Eastern Cardinal.

Dark-eyed Junco

Tufted Titmouse

Female Downy Woodpecker

I love making treats for my darling avian friends, so I gathered the materials to make decorations for the tree: peanuts, peanut butter, bird seed, and yarn. I strung the peanuts to make garlands. After making a yarn loop for hanging the cones, I spread them with peanut butter and dipped them in birdseed.

Bird-seed and peanut-butter cones.

Peanuts for the birds. But will the squirrels get them first?

I braved the cold to dress the tree in its new finery. Boy, was it cold!!

Then I went indoors, camera at the ready, waiting for the birds. I was not a bit surprised when the squirrels found the treats first. They pulled some of the goodies down to the ground. Several birds preferred to eat from ground level rather than land on the branches of the tree.

Can you see Pesky Squirrel peering through the branches?

He soon pulls some cones off the tree!

The Junco enjoys eating seeds from a fallen cone.

Look closely and you can see a titmouse on the peanut garland.

I missed a great shot of this cardinal on the branch of the tree. (You'll have to take my word for it.)

The bluebird was not so sure and stayed in the catalpa tree.

As I finish writing this post, the squirrels are busy destroying my handiwork, but there are plenty of birds enjoying it, too.

I will use this post for Saturday's Camera Critters hosted by Misty Dawn. Click on the banner in the sidebar for more information - I urge you to join in the fun! For me there is only one answer to the Camera Critter's question, If you could do anything for a living, what would it be? - I just want to continue enjoying being retired!!

(I am posting late for last week's meme rather than waiting until the 22nd, because on Friday I am going back into the cardiac unit of the hospital for heart ablation. I request, dear friends, you keep me in your prayers.)

Love,

Pamela x