Bird Reflection...Birds make me smile

Today I’ve been thinking a lot about birds.

I see them feeding outside my window. A downy woodpecker pecking on the suet cake, stopped and tilted its head my way – as if listening to me play my guitar. The pretty little finches make me smile to see their energy and free spirit. The male cardinals chase each other through the shrub border. A mockingbird bathes in our partially open garden pond. A pair of bluebirds stop for a drink on their way through. Chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice flit from feeder to pergola to shrub in their nervous way.

On a drive today we saw eagles, swans, and crows. Flocks of geese adorned the blue sky of puffy clouds. Eagles sat on Emiquon’s ice waiting for a meal. Swans ate corn left by a combine in the field. Crows jumped around along the roadside.

While drinking our morning coffee in the hot tub, I watched a blue jay fly from tree to tree. Its loud “caw” making it easy to find. Flickers hunkered down in the holes of dead pines in our woods. Woodpeckers bobbed up and down as they fly overhead.

Birds seem to be an important part of my life and home. My living room is decorated with birds of many types in figures and wall pictures. My last watercolor painting featured a cardinal on a limb.

My most recent project is to create a quilt for our bedroom that matches a beautiful hummingbird painting that we bought while vacationing in Ecuador. It features two blue hummingbirds on a nest set in a jungle tree. My new quilt is various shades of blues and white. I made two throw pillows to match, each with a bird silhouette formed of fabric squares. I'll post a picture of the final result on my RetroRhondaJ Facebook Page. 

In many ways, my outdoor gardens are created with birds in mind. Of course, we have bird feeding stations outside our living room and office windows, but there are also landscape plants and features that bring birds to our yard. My landscape provides food, shelter, water, and nesting sites for birds living her year-round and migrating through in spring and fall. Read my article on “Creating a Backyard Bird Habitat” to learn more.

This year I noticed a cardinal plucking the seeds of my lilac bush. Birds often eat crabapples, juniper berries, and other plant parts in our yard. Like humans, birds have favorite foods and those are the ones we try to feed them. Read my article on how to “Grow Your Own Bird Food” to learn the plants that common bird seed comes from.

I’ve had friends ask how we get so many birds in our yard. My friend who works for Illinois Audubon showed us tricks over the years. These include using good quality food and providing feeding stations for various types of birds. For example, some are ground feeders, while others prefer stationary platforms. Read my article on “Bird Feeding Basics” for more details.

Finally, as a retiree I spend hours (it seems) each day watching birds in our backyard or during our travels. A good pair of binoculars and a spotting scope help enhance the experience. Read my article on “BirdingEquipment…how to use binoculars” to be sure your equipment is setup for your best experience.

Wow, birds really bring me a lot of pleasure. I think I’ll get a cup of tea and go watch some more birds outside the windows. You can “watch” them with me in my RetroRhondaJ Facebook Page photo album of Backyard Birds.

Happy Birding!

Bird Feeding Basics

Originally published in Canton Daily Ledger Column on 12-4-04

Last weekend my husband Mark hung a new birdfeeder in the ash tree behind our house. I’m looking forward to the birds finding it. I have a great view of it from my kitchen window. We have another feeder at the front of the house that typically attracts many birds.

If you want to begin feeding birds, now is the best time to start your bird-feeding program according to Bob Frazee, University of Illinois Natural Resources Educator. Birds, small mammals, and other wildlife are actively seeking food sources to fatten up for migration or for winter temperatures if they are year-round residents. By having your feeders up early, there is a better opportunity for birds to find the feeder and become accustomed to using it before winter arrives in earnest.

Since enjoying birds is a major objective, you will want to locate the feeder where it can be conveniently viewed – and used. Due to differences in body size, feet and bills, birds not only prefer different seeds, but also different foraging areas. This does not mean that birds will never feed in a different area, but you will increase your chances by catering to their feeding preferences.

Birds such as juncos, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, and mourning doves prefer to forage on the ground for seeds. Frazee notes that you will often observe these birds hopping around the lower branches of shrubs and rustling through leaf litter in search of seeds and berries. A small brush pile, open lean-to or grassy patch provides cover for ground-feeding birds while they eat.

A covered tray feeder raised off the ground on a fence or pole is the most common feeder you see in people’s yards. Tray feeders will accommodate most of the ground feeders plus chickadees, nuthatches, and finches. While this type of feeder will attract the widest variety of birds, the seeds are not protected from the weather and can get wet and/or moldy. Frazee cautions that squirrels and large birds, such as grackles and blue jays may also invade a tray feeder.

Finches eating niger seed

Hanging feeders may include hopper, silo and tube feeders with perches. Hung from a branch, eaves, or a clothesline, these feeders sway freely in the wind, which doesn’t bother birds such as finches, chickadees, woodpeckers, and nuthatches. However, some birds, such as sparrows, get a little “sea-sick” and prefer more stability. Frazee encourages filling large hanging feeders with sunflower seeds to attract cardinals and blue jays. Small feeders should be geared more toward finches, chickadees, nuthatches and tufted titmice. Niger seed is very attractive to goldfinches and works well in small-hole tube feeders, which avoid waste.

Woodpeckers and nuthatches are primarily insect eaters. They prefer foods high in protein and fat such as suet and peanut butter that can be dispersed in clinging feeders. Made of hardware cloth, mesh bags, pinecones, coconuts or other “structures” lacking perches, clinging feeders are excellent for dispensing peanuts to smaller birds or suet to insect-eaters.

Lastly, just like persnickety kids, birds have different food preferences. Hands down, black-oil sunflower seeds are the most popular food among a large variety of birds. Juncos and sparrows go wild for white proso millet, goldfinches can’t resist niger seed, and chickadees and titmice will delightfully indulge themselves with peanuts. In a nutshell, Frazee concludes that the key to successfully attracting wildlife to your backyard is to add variety.

Original Source: Bob Frazee, Retired University of Illinois Extension Natural Resources Management Educator

Grow Your Own Birdseed

Originally published in Canton Ledger Column on 12-16-17

Feeding and watching birds has become one of America’s favorite pastimes. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, nearly half the households in the United States provide food for wild birds. In honor of my husband’s December birthday, I’m writing about the different plant-based ingredients in birdseed.

Sunflower Harvest in  2013

The most commonly used birdseed are sunflower seeds, with black-oil sunflower seeds being the most popular. It’s small size and thin shell make it easier for small birds to eat. Striped sunflower seeds are larger with thicker shells. Sunflower (Helianthus sp.) are easy plants to grow and come in various colors and heights.

All sunflower shells contain allelopathic toxins that prevent other seeds from germinating. This is partly why the ground beneath a feeder is often bare when feeding sunflower seeds. If this is a problem, consider feeding sunflower hearts instead. The hearts are expensive but contain no shell. 

Safflower seeds look similar to sunflower seeds but have a very tough shell that only larger birds can crack. They are the seeds of the annual safflower plant (Carthamus tinctorius). This herbaceous, thistle-like plant is also grown commercially to produce vegetable oil.

To attract finches, use a tube hanging feeder filled with black nyjer seed. Although sometimes also called thistle or niger, the nyjer seed sold today is not a thistle at all. Rather, it is a daisy-like plant, known as Guizotia abyssinica. Nyjer is an annual flower with bright, yellow-orange flower heads that turn into seed pods. You can grow your own by starting the seed indoors or planting seed directly in the ground after all danger of frost is gone. Similar to sunflowers, you can harvest the seed or leave the plants for birds to feed on all winter.

Cereal grains are used alone or as filler in birdseed mixes. They include dried whole kernel corn, cracked corn, millet, and milo. Millet or milo are the little round seeds often found in mixes. Millet comes from a Pennisetum plant, while milo is a type of grain sorghum. Both are available as ornamental plants with attractive colored leaves and seeds. Purple Majesty (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’) is a cultivar of pearl millet with dark purple foliage and stems, and stunning purple-brown seeds that are a favorite of many birds. Ornamental sorghums are available in earth-tone colored seed heads and grow seven to twelve feet tall.

Like picky kids, birds have different food preferences. Hands down, black-oil sunflower seeds are the most popular food among a large variety of birds. Cardinals love safflower. Juncos and sparrows go wild for white proso millet; goldfinches can’t resist nyjer seed, and chickadees and titmice will delightfully indulge themselves with peanuts. In a nutshell, the key to successfully attracting birds to your backyard is to add variety.

Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat

Originally published in Canton Daily Ledger Column on March 13, 2004

Indigo bunting and Cedar Waxwings

This week I witnessed an amazing sight. Our garden pond had 12 waxwings, 3 robins, and a mockingbird all drinking from it at the same time. We located the garden pond so that it is easily was viewed from the window above the kitchen sink and it is always giving us surprises. Since this is one of the only water sources in the area, it is frequented by a large variety of birds. My husband even saw Scarlet Tanagers last summer, which rarely make an appearance.

Did you know that birding is one of the most popular pastimes for Americans? Birding can be simple or elaborate. Most people simply watch birds in their own yard, while others plan whole vacations around a good birding location. To attract birds to your yard, follow these tips provided by Robert Frazee, Educator in Natural Resource Management in the East Peoria Extension Center.

Wildlife needs food, water, cover and space. Every wildlife species has its own preferences and requirements for each of these elements. You might not be able to provide everything on your property, but the neighborhood might.

Consider plant components for your yard. Evergreens provide shelter from the weather and predators. Spruce, cedar, pine and other conifers also provide excellent nesting cover and are important in the winter to provide privacy all year.

Grasses and legumes also provide cover, food and habitat for ground-nesting birds. Ornamental grasses, native wildflowers, clovers or unmown areas of your yard will serve well.

Woody plants that provide cover and food for birds include American cranberry viburnum, elderberry, hawthorns, crabapples, dogwood and mountain ash.

In addition to plants, consider non-living components, which can be as important as plants in providing good habitat for wildlife. In some instances, they are very easy to incorporate into your landscape. Examples include nest boxes, dead or fallen trees, brush or rock piles, dust or grit, salt, water and finally feeders.

Originally adapted from article by Bob Frazee, University of Illinois Extension Retired Natural Resources Management Educator

 

Coffee Grows on Tropical Evergreen Shrubs

Many people enjoy coffee, especially during the holidays. There are so many different types of coffee and ways to brew it. We drink coffee every morning while we enjoy nature all around us – either from the hot tub or dining room windows.

Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee

During my travels, I’ve seen coffee growing in many different places. Coffee plantations scattered Costa Rica as we drive from San Jose through the Tilaran Mountain range. I visited a coffee farm with antique processing displays in Puerto Rico. We bicycled through Jamaica’s blue mountains and drank fresh coffee brewed over an open fire.

Coffee beans grow on the Coffea arabica plant, which is an evergreen shrubby tree. Its leaves are broad, shiny, and shaped like an arrowhead. In the wild, it grows to a height of 14 to 20 feet, but when cultivated it is usually kept pruned to about 6 to 10 feet to facilitate picking the beans and to encourage heavy bearing.

The plant has fragrant flowers that are typically pollinated by native honeybees. The flowers are small, white blossoms that cluster at the base of the leaves. These mature into a small oval berry that are about the color and size of a small cherry. Inside of the skin and pulp, two coffee beans are nestled with their flat sides together. About four thousand beans make a single pound of coffee. 

Coffee bean harvest is done by hand and only when the cherries are ripe. A worker can pick 7-12 baskets a day. Once picked, the cherries are transported to coffee mills where the cherry skin is immediately removed from the coffee cherry.

Coffee grown as houseplant

Processing involved many steps including washing, pulping, fermenting, drying, storing, and finally roasting and packaging. Beans are a pale tan color until they are roasted, which changes the beans to a beautiful shiny brown color. Roasting is done according to customer preference such as medium roast, full bodied dark roast, or espresso roast.

I really like a robust cup of coffee. The best coffee I ever had was in Ecuador, fresh brewed by my daughters-in-law’s grandmother. She roasted and ground the beans herself, and then slowly dripped a small amount of water through the grounds to form a think almost-syrup liquid. The syrup was mixed with hot water at the table to each person’s taste.

I also enjoy coffee in a French press, Italian Moka pot, Espresso machine, boiled on the stove, and auto dripped in a traditional American coffee maker. I typically drink my coffee black, but I also really like a skinny, soy latte.

As you enjoy your coffee this holiday season, think about the coffee plant and how it was grown. You might also try growing a coffee plant as a houseplant.

Spirited Plants

Happy New Year! Whether you toast in the New Year with sparkling grape juice or a more spirited drink, it is interesting to think of all the plants that make up spirits.

Spirits are named by the fermented material from which they are distilled. Various grains make up whiskey, vodka, gin, and most types of schnapps. Brandy is made from fermented grape juice, and fruit brandy is made from other fruits. Rum and cane spirits come from fermented sugar cane juice or molasses. Tequila and mezcal come from the fermented pulp of the agave plant.

Whiskey is distilled from various grains. It is aged, often for extended periods of time, in wooden barrels (usually oak), which adds aroma, flavor, and an amber hue. After some time, these whiskey barrels are cut in half and sold as plant containers. Scotch and Irish whiskeys are made from barley, while North American whiskeys are typically a mix of corn, rye, wheat, barley, and other grains in different proportions.

Vodka is distilled from a mash of pale grain or vegetable matter, including potatoes, molasses, beets, and a variety of other plants. Rye and wheat are the classic grains for vodka, with most Russian vodkas being made from wheat.  In Poland, they are mostly made from a rye mash.

Juniper berries

Gin is a juniper berry-flavored grain spirit. Junipers are grown worldwide and are very common foundation plants.

Rum comes from sugarcane. While touring the Bacardi factory in the Bahamas a few years ago, I found out that Bacardi rum’s unique recipe is not only a distillation of molasses and water but also special yeast. The yeast is the secret and has been growing since 1862.

Distilling the fermented juice of agave plants in Mexico makes tequila. The agave is a spiky-leafed member of the lily family (it is not a cactus) and is related to the century plant.

Other alcoholic beverages include wine and beer. Wine comes from grapes and other fruits, while the beer is brewed from grain and hops.

For those of you who toast in the New Year with champagne, you might be drinking sparkling wine. Champagne is a region of France, and only wines that come from this region can properly be called "Champagne." Similar drinks from California and the rest of the world should be called "sparkling wines."

Have a safe and happy New Years! Please take care of yourself and each other, and don’t drink and drive!

Holly and Mistletoe Symbolize Christmas

Holly and mistletoe are symbols of the Christmas season. They are very different plants, but both quite beautiful in their own unique ways.

Juniper mistletoe in Arizona on 8-16-2020

Mistletoe is actually quite a pest in the South – including occasionally in Southern Illinois. It is a semi-parasitic plant that attaches itself to deciduous trees and “feeds” from that tree, although it also produces its own chlorophyll.  The scientific name for mistletoe is Phoradendron, which in Greek means a thief (“phor”) of a tree (“dendron”). Mistletoe indeed gets at least some nourishment from the trees on which they grow.

Mistletoe’s sticky fruits are poisonous to man, but some birds can eat them. One or two berries are sufficient to cause severe poisoning or even death in a child. Therefore, any mistletoe you buy should have fake berries. This is definitely a time when artificial is okay. I tease that the sign of a good horticulturist is to know when and how to properly use fake plants!

From the earliest times mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European folklore. It was considered a bestower of life and fertility; a protectant against poison; and an aphrodisiac. Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. For those who wish to observe the correct etiquette: a man should pluck a berry when he kisses a woman under the mistletoe, and when the last berry is gone, there should be no more kissing!

Holly is overall a much prettier plant. The deep, green holly leaves are shiny and spectacular. Their unique shape is found on many Christmas items, including cookie cutters. The red berries are also quite nice.

There are many different types of holly plants, but many are not winter hardy here. The most common holly grown in northern gardens is the Meserve Hybrid Hollies (Ilex x meserveae). Holly plants are either male or female. Both must be present in the near vicinity to ensure the female flowers and thus produce fruit. Generally, we recommend planting one male plant to several female. To assure this, you must purchase your plants from a reputable source because there is no positive way to identify the different sexes until they flower.

American Holly at Graceland in 
Memphis TN on 1-8-2016

Probably the best known of the holly trees grown in the United States is the American Holly. These are beautiful dense pyramidal evergreen trees. They are quite popular in Southern Illinois where they are more winter hardy. However, I do occasionally see a nice, big tree up here. In Champaign there are a couple very nice, old American Holly trees. Mature trees are quite large, growing 15-25 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide. If male and female trees are within 2 city blocks, they produce beautiful berries that last all winter.

Happy Holidays!