Bird baths are essential for winter birds

Bird baths and other water features attract many birds to a yard. We all know that water is essential for all creatures during the heat of summer, but birds also need water in winter. Keeping a bird bath ice-free is a challenge, so a couple of years ago we purchased a bird bath heater. It is a big draw. One frigid day recently, I spotted a squirrel (nothing keeps them away from yards), a Northern cardinal, and a Caroline wren drinking from the bird bath in quick succession.
Naturally, you'll need to check the water level regularly to make sure it doesn't dry out. It is also necessary to clean it on a regular basis. If this sounds like a lot of trouble, it is. But you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping birds survive.

Rufous Hummingbird

Last week I learned that a rufous hummingbird was banded on Mt Washington in Pittsburgh. I had never even seen a rufous hummingbird in the summer, let alone at the end of November. The homeowner was more than happy to accommodate me when I asked if I could photograph the hummer. I could hear its wings buzzing before I even sighted it. It was an amazing experience and I hope it will return next summer - that is, if it ever leaves for the winter!

Autumn Serviceberry

When we purchased our serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), we bought it especially because of its awesome fall foliage. It did not disappoint, as the images I took recently attest.
The serviceberry is also called shadbush or Juneberry. In spring we admire its delicate white flowers, which soon turn into tasty red berries (just ask cedar waxwings or robins). It puts on its biggest show in October when its leaves turn into a bright red burst of color.
Unfortunately, superstorm Sandy knocked many of the leaves from its branches. But we know that next year, we will enjoy our serviceberry all over again.

Successes and Failures of the Gardening Year

It has been a challenging garden year. The warm spell in March fooled the trees and other plants, which flowered weeks before their usual time. May and June brought heat and dry weather, forcing us to water not only annuals, but also on occasion our native plants. With the gardening year winding down, it's time to take stock.

Success stories: The only annual flowers I planted were zinnias and a gailardia. Both are still blooming and have attracted many insects during the summer. Goldfinches also love to eat zinnia seeds. That's why I don't deadhead them.

False indigo, blazing star, purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, cardinal flower, Joe-pye weed, goldenrod, and asters performed very well and attracted many insects. Our pannicled aster is blooming right now and buzzing with life. The butterfly weed did not have a great year. Perhaps it was too dry. It has also not been a great year for Monarch butterfly sightings.

Failures: The Mexican sunflowers we planted in early summer grew extremely tall, but haven't produced any flowers yet. The probably put all their efforts into growing huge leaves. Our biggest disappointment were our tomatoes. Even though we planted them in a new location, they all suffered from some form of blight (or stinkbug attacks). The few that we could actually eat were rather tasteless. In fact, the only tasty tomatoes we ate were heirloom tomatoes that came up on their own from last year. Go figure!

Overall, we're seeing more species of insects every year. If that isn't a testament for planting native plants, I don't know what is.

Caught in the Act

We keep our bird seeds in a plastic container in the garage. It has a lid that closes with a snap. That way the critters can't steal sunflower seeds, right?
For the past few weeks I've noticed that the lid was sometimes ajar or even partly off. I closed it shut, puzzled that my husband would forget to snap the lid shut so many times (he later told me that he suspected me). The other morning, when hubby walked into the garage, he caught the culprit in the act. It was none other than one of these fellows:

Don't get fooled by that innocent look! Apparently, squirrels are pretty smart when it comes to finding food. Being outsmarted by a squirrel, however, is not what we had in mind when we began feeding birds.

Our New Gadget: A Rain Barrel

We are experiencing a very hot and dry summer this year. Our annual flowers need to be watered once or twice a day and even our many native plants are often drooping.
It is therefore rather appropriate that we recently installed a rain barrel. Not only does it provide a little relief from a probably astronomical water bill, but it also keeps some storm water out of the sewers.
One decent rainfall fills up the barrel and the overflow diverts back into our downspout. The rain barrel has a cover because we do not want to to breed mosquitoes in it. And the barrel's earth tone even matches our house. The way things are going with the heat we might even purchase a second barrel to take even greater advantage of the occasional rainfall. The only downside is that we'll have to store them indoors or in the garage over winter.

Photo Safari at the National Aviary

I recently participated in a a photo safari at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. The focus was on raptors. While I didn't garner any flight images, I added some beautiful portraits to my collection.

Lanner Falcon

Martial Eagle

Black Kite