Looking at my vegetable garden at the end of September, I had what I thought was a brilliant idea……a partially enclosed area where I could hang bird feeders. This would help to  protect any birds and chipmunks that might come to the feeders from Stanley and Casper, my 2 outdoor cats.  I wanted a chance to learn more about birds and to improve my nature photography “in my own backyard” but hated to put them at risk!

Two trellises and some metal stakes were already around the garden so I only needed a couple of small poles, a role of wire and voila…..I was in business.  My friend Eva had given me a finch feeder with the proviso that I try to keep the birds safe. I had another decorative feeder which I had purchased a few years ago at Home Sense and had never used. I made a quick trip to the T.S.C. store in Bowmanville and purchased some shelled peanuts, black oiled sunflower seeds and some nyjer seed.  I filled the feeders, wrapped grapevine and tied corn stalks around the posts and relocated some sunflower plants into the enclosure.

Within 15 minutes, I had visitors! Of course, the chickadees were first to arrive followed by the blue jays. The jays seemed to put out the word that there was food and their friends began to arrive. I was pretty excited that my idea seemed to be a success. Over the past 3 weeks, I’ve had various birds at the feeders and on the ground as predicted.

Below are some of the photos that I’ve taken. I’ve tried to identify the birds but that has been a challenge for me and so I have enlisted the help of friends, even friends of friends and “birders” whom I’ve met on local nature trails. Enjoy and please let me know which ones I may have misidentified!

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