Lazuli bunting (via utahbirds.org)

I recently “celebrated” my 5 year anniversary of employment at my current job.  They were kind enough to let me select a gift from a little online catalog.  I ordered some binoculars which have turned out to be pretty nice.  It is hard to imagine that I enjoy watching birds and prior to this haven’t owned a decent pair of field glasses (it is bad enough that I don’t have a decent camera for close ups). Today I noticed some birds that looked slightly different in size and behavior from any birds I have seen recently at the feeder.  To my surprise they turned out to be lazuli buntings (and this from utahbirds.org) and there were about 7-8 of them both males and females. They are strikingly beautiful birds.  Hard to imagine this is my first sighting of these little flying gems. Now I just wish I had a nice camera to capture them.

NePo Suet Logo

I just wanted to thank NePo Suet for sending me a big box of cakes in the mail yesterday.  The cakes are part of a popular suet cakes for logos exchange program that I am starting.  No, actually I felt the creative urge a few weekends ago and whipped up a logo for them and they were kind enough send me a box full of cakes as a token of their appreciation.  It sounds like things are getting busy for them.  Please be sure to check them out and order a few cakes for your self.

I am in the mood to pay it forward so I will send 1 cake to each of the first 3 people to comment on this blog post (US only, sorry).  Leave a love note below and I will contact you to get your address.  Thanks!

Recycled material bird feeder, an easy weekend project

Given that Earth Day is quickly approaching I thought I would come up with a quick and easy bird feeder project made of reused and recycled materials that would have otherwise been garbage.  I don’t recall how I came up with the idea for the feeder, but it really works well and doesn’t require very much to build.  To get started, you first need to gather the materials.

The main structure of the feeder comes from Kirkland Organic Animal Crackers (which are yummy). The seed hopper is an empty 2 liter soda bottle, I purchased a bottle of Shasta club soda special for the project.  It had the 2 things I was looking for; clear plastic and a 5 footed base which is an important part of the functional design as the feet push the seed out so the feeder can be completely cleaned of seed by the birds.  You can enjoy a snack of crackers and soda while working on the project.

The rest of the materials – clothesline cord, 1/4 inch bolt and wing nut, and a carabiner are likely materials you have around the garage or house or can be easily acquired.  Tools include a permanent marker, electric drill, box cutter or sharp knife, and may need some Goo Gone to get rid of label residue.  Once you have the materials and tools, you are ready to get started.

Click here to view the step-by-step tutorial:

It is fun to involve the kids, but use caution as a drill or box cutter can seriously injure a curious helper.  Also be sure to check out my other … Continue Reading

NePo Suet Cakes from neposuet.com

I had a pretty good bird day yesterday.  I took a walk on my lunch hour down at the Jordan River parkway and saw a few great birds that I don’t normally see, including a couple of belted kingfishers and some ruby-crowned kinglets.  One of them lit on a branch right near where I was standing and I got to watch him flit around catching midges until some runners came by and scared him off.

Upon returning home, I found I had received my two Nepo suet cakes in the mail. I was pretty stoked to get them and give them a try.  My first impression was that these are very high quality products.  I am just estimating here, but it felt like one of these cakes weighs about the same as two suet cakes you might buy at a large retail store.  What’s more, NePo cakes are very dense and contain no filler material like the common store brands which are about 80% cracked corn.  I don’t have many birds in my area who like eating that stuff and it mostly ends up on the ground, so I was really happy have a cake that will get 100% used by the birds.  I am guessing that they will feed a lot more birds than what I was using before just due to their density.  The two cakes I requested were the Insect Blend and the Peanut Butter Blend, both of which I am certain the birds are going to devour.  You can read about the extensive process they follow to create these cakes here, but suffice it to say that … Continue Reading

Downy woodpecker (via nps.gov)

Over the last few days, my yard has become a veritable bird sanctuary.  I added a new feeder and then some birds discovered a couple that had been around for a few weeks, but not getting any action.  Since Sunday, scrub jays have discovered a tray feeder full of peanuts that has been around for weeks.  I sat with the kids and we watched as the jays came and in a near panic grabbed the peanuts and hid them around the yard and neighborhood.  We watched one tuck a peanut in a bunch of grass, tapping it in with his beak, and then covered it with a few leaves.  Very clever.  Yesterday morning, the starlings found my suet log hanging in the tree that has been there nearly a month.  They were all over it.  At one point I think I counted 10 of them on the log at once.  Shortly thereafter a couple of downy woodpeckers had their way with the suet.  Today in about a 10 minutes span during breakfast I had the following birds in my yard:

• black-capped chickadees
• mourning doves
• house sparrows
• house finches
• song sparrows
• western scrub jays
• starlings
• downy woodpeckers
• dark-eyed juncos
• american robins
• northern flickers

Suet log bird feeder

Last weekend I decided to undertake what turned out to be a fun and simple project. I made my own suet log feeder. Here is what I used for my feeder:

• One log about 18″-24″ long
• One 1/4″ screw eye
• One carabiner
• Rope or chain to hang from tree or other suitable location
• One suet cake
• A drill with a 1″ spade bit

So the process is pretty easy, take your drill with a spade bit and start drilling holes randomly around the log. I also drilled some smaller holes with my largest auger bit. Take the screw eye and twist it into the top of the log. Clip the carabiner into the screw eye. Then get your suet cake and with a putty knife, scoop out suet and mash it into the holes you just drilled. Once you have them all filled, you just hang the log and hope that some birds find it. This is intended to draw in birds like chickadees, woodpeckers, flickers, and other birds that cling to tree trunks to feed. Hopefully I can draw some birds in soon. For some reason my yard has been pretty empty lately, just in time for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Last weekend there was a Cooper’s Hawk in my neighbor’s tree, so he may be the cause. Anyway, I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before the birds find it. Hopefully it is before the raccoons do.