Happy May!!

[agnessrainn]

I love the month of May ... the weather is mild ... flowers are in bloom ... trees are green and people just seem to smile a little more!

I have great plans for the month of May!  I am going to have a "Christmas in May" sale ... oh, I know ... everyone knows it should be a  Christmas in July sale!  But, I have sorted through my stuff and acquired some new items to sell.  So now all I have to do is get the photos taken and the items listed.

I am also going to complete my collage project this month.   Would also love to get in some time to start our mosaic garden stepping stones ... I have been amassing plates and various glass and tile pieces for a while now.

As always, I try to make time for reading and writing.  I need to devote more time to my writing and must make that a priority goal for May. 

I look forward to the upcoming month!

I hope you will take a moment to share what you like about the month of May and what your plans or goals are for the month.

Kate

[whotoldya]

Good topic Kate thank you for starting it,

We are in northeast Florida close to the ocean. This time of the year zillions of birds are learning how to fly. And go find food. Sitting quietly outside can become a real pleasure. Having a pair of binoculars is a big help.

We are abuting an Audoton Society region here. So the birds and wildlife are heavily protected. Lots of history around here other groups protect.

We have various things planted all over the place here that birds love. Red blooming flowers draw Humming Birds..... A bottle brush tree draws every bird on earth. There are bushes along the property lines we planted many years ago. They are 20 feet tall. Very full and thick. They are full of birds hidden away in there. Some of the new fliers are only about the size of our thumb. They are very tiny. Hard to identify them they are so frantic.

There are towering high trees around. When they developed this city many years ago they did a fabulous job of leaving the big old trees. Some date back hundreds of years. Way up at the top there are Osprey Nests in some trees. And Eagle Nests in other trees.  Their babies are just beginning to fly.

There are mama, papa and thier newborn deer coming around. The baby deer are so small you want to just pick them up. Many generations of them have been born around here. They are not afraid to walk into our back yard. We have lots of water here for them. But we never feed them.

May is a wonderful month.

Been away for a while ......... lots of time in the Rehab. Nice to be free again

DWB

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@agnessrainn wrote:

I love the month of May ... the weather is mild ... flowers are in bloom ... trees are green and people just seem to smile a little more!

I have great plans for the month of May!  I am going to have a "Christmas in May" sale ... oh, I know ... everyone knows it should be a  Christmas in July sale!  But, I have sorted through my stuff and acquired some new items to sell.  So now all I have to do is get the photos taken and the items listed.

I am also going to complete my collage project this month.   Would also love to get in some time to start our mosaic garden stepping stones ... I have been amassing plates and various glass and tile pieces for a while now.

As always, I try to make time for reading and writing.  I need to devote more time to my writing and must make that a priority goal for May. 

I look forward to the upcoming month!

I hope you will take a moment to share what you like about the month of May and what your plans or goals are for the month.

Kate

---

[agnessrainn]

Sorry to hear you had to spend time in rehab DWB but sure am happy you are back!

I absolutely enjoyed reading your post.  I know how much you enjoy the wildlife in your area ... and all the birds!! 

Can you tell me more about the "bottle brush tree" and how other plants and flowers draw birds?  We have a bird feeder in one of our rhodie trees ... another under one!  And we have found there are many "ground" feeders ... tiny little black and brown birds that like to peck at the seed on the ground under the feeder.  So we started leaving seed on two of the stepping stones.  Oh my ... the birds love that!

We have a pair of bluejays that stop by on a regular basis ... so regular that if the feeder is empty they will sit in the rhodie and "call" to us ... the feeder is right outside the kitchen window ... those bluejays can really make a lot of noise!

We feed the ravens most mornings as well ... a couple handfuls of day old breadcrumbs.  They also will sit in the tree and caw quite loudly until one of us gets out there to feed them. 

I so enjoy the birds!!

Thanks for sharing DWB ... and welcome back!

Kate

[soloinnv]

Yes, DWB, welcome back. It seems as though Spring came to the Comstock a lot earlier than other parts of the country. We still have snow in the higher elevations but the Spring flowers have come and gone as has the baby dove that was born a couple of months ago. His parents built his nest deep in a bush that is actually the size of a tree. I forget what it's called but it's native to these parts. I've never been much of a bird person. Not long after the Hitchcock movie "The Birds" was released my husband and I were walking along a stretch of Jones Beach out on Long Island and got attacked by a bird. Guess we were too close to the nesting area. I did love the hawk that used to sit on the power line pole outside my house in Arkansas. I am fascinated with hawks and falcons. They are so elegant and so efficient in their predatory ways.

As for May, it's always been a "big" month for my family. My mom's birthday was April 29th. Then came Dad's on May 7th. Then Mother's Day. Then my sister-in-law's birthday. Then mine and finally my niece's. My poor brother was indeed poor after all the gift-giving. I wll be taking Dad to bingo for his birthday on Saturday and then out to his favorite steak place. My brother and his wife will be coming for a visit on the 13th. My niece and her boyfriend won't be able to join us this year. She will be in Canada at an energy conference making a presentation.

I have two major things left to do in order to finish my Spring cleaning...windows and the carpet. I decided to postpone cleaning the carpet until after my brother and his wife leave. It will take too much energy and I'd rather spend the energy on visiting. I still have 6 weeks before summer gets here and this will actually be the very first time I've ever completed my Spring cleaning in the Spring!

Glad you are back DWB. Unfortunately we have other members who are going through some difficult times with their health. I wish everyone a very happy end of Spring and will thing of both of you DWB and Kate every time I hear the birds!

solo

[whotoldya]

Nice to be back thank you for thinking of me Kate, Going thru multiple issues at once.

Good way to find out about birds in your area are:

. . . . . Most states have a website dedicated to wildlife, birds, etc. They vary in how much information they offer.

This may be near you:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrB8pUIxSlX9zQAxIsunIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBsZ29xY3ZzBHNlYw...

For a lifetime I tried to figure out what birds I was singing with?

Now we can look up "bird sounds" in our state. They have sites where you can hear how different birds sound.

Doing searches for what birds like to eat in your state:
The Audobon (spelling?) is wonderful for bird information. We are very close to a huge tract of land that has been designated "protected land". The Audobon society created places there where people come to see birds. It is all along the Intercoastal waterway. And all along parts of the ocean.

There is a massive tract of land the US Government protected.

We bought here in the early 1980s. A home that is wrapped around by a golf course that has been in existance for 60 years.  The prices back then for homes here were lower than a normal home anywhere. How times have changed. Thankfully the government protected all of this.

We are very close to the inlet below. (loaded with history)

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVvpZwylXcBYAsP4nnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTEyODk4bTYyBGNvbG...

Bottle Brush Tree

Here is a web page that shows lots of pictures of them

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVi8OwylXTB8AbkgnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG...

Birds Deer etc coming to the window.....woooo hoooo they found me

Enjoy your hunt for information. Its worth the effort

DWB

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

whotoldya

Good topic Kate thank you for starting it,

We are in northeast Florida close to the ocean. This time of the year zillions of birds are learning how to fly. And go find food. Sitting quietly outside can become a real pleasure. Having a pair of binoculars is a big help.

We are abuting an Audoton Society region here. So the birds and wildlife are heavily protected. Lots of history around here other groups protect.

We have various things planted all over the place here that birds love. Red blooming flowers draw Humming Birds..... A bottle brush tree draws every bird on earth. There are bushes along the property lines we planted many years ago. They are 20 feet tall. Very full and thick. They are full of birds hidden away in there. Some of the new fliers are only about the size of our thumb. They are very tiny. Hard to identify them they are so frantic.

There are towering high trees around. When they developed this city many years ago they did a fabulous job of leaving the big old trees. Some date back hundreds of years. Way up at the top there are Osprey Nests in some trees. And Eagle Nests in other trees.  Their babies are just beginning to fly.

There are mama, papa and thier newborn deer coming around. The baby deer are so small you want to just pick them up. Many generations of them have been born around here. They are not afraid to walk into our back yard. We have lots of water here for them. But we never feed them.

May is a wonderful month.

Been away for a while ......... lots of time in the Rehab. Nice to be free again

DWB

---

@agnessrainn wrote:

I love the month of May ... the weather is mild ... flowers are in bloom ... trees are green and people just seem to smile a little more!

I have great plans for the month of May!  I am going to have a "Christmas in May" sale ... oh, I know ... everyone knows it should be a  Christmas in July sale!  But, I have sorted through my stuff and acquired some new items to sell.  So now all I have to do is get the photos taken and the items listed.

I am also going to complete my collage project this month.   Would also love to get in some time to start our mosaic garden stepping stones ... I have been amassing plates and various glass and tile pieces for a while now.

As always, I try to make time for reading and writing.  I need to devote more time to my writing and must make that a priority goal for May. 

I look forward to the upcoming month!

I hope you will take a moment to share what you like about the month of May and what your plans or goals are for the month.

Kate

[soloinnv]

DWB and Kate...you are a positive influence on me! Yesterday the two doves were on the ground near my car. They didn't fly away as I approached. So I started making the cooing sound they make. They both looked up at me. They have absolutely amazing eyes! I can't even describe the color. My cooing and their looking at me went on for a minute or two. Then they got bored and walked away.

I have decided I am going to get a bird feeder. I'm hoping the jays stay away and the rest of the birds enjoy. Any suggestions for what I should get as far as a feeder and feed? Squirrels are not a concern here.

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

Spring LOOOOVE is in the air. This pair of hawks have been having "dates" on the telephone poll across from our house everyday for a week. Then they sit and "scree" call to each other for another hour. I wonder if they are saying "was it good for you? "  

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

And a close up of what I think is the male red tail hawk.  

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

Thought I'd jump in here with my bird feeder suggestion.   

You might want to consider a feeder that is supposed to keep squirrels out as it will keep out the larger birds like Jays that gobble everything up.  In Tucson we have white wing doves which are the size of pigeons and a "pest" bird.  We love the little morning doves though!    

You can stretch the spring a bit at top so it makes it more weight sensitive. 

We buy 50 pound bags from Costco or Walmart.   Just basic seed, we used to buy the more expensive kind with higher sunflower content but it's not worth it as far as our birds are concerned. 

Keep it in a plastic can that seals well as there will most likley be moths, that happens with all bird seed.

We used to have pet Parrots and we'd put their bird seed in the freezer to kill any moth eggs kind of hard to do with a 50 pound bag though. 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/10841854?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227009268664&wl0...

In the winter you might want to put out Suet cakes, the can get melted and messy in the summer but they have a high calorie content that really make the birds come round in winter. 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Heath-All-Season-Suet-10-Pack/28415712

You can also make your own suet with conmeal, lard and peanut butter.    I am too lazy so I just buy the store bought ones. 

Hope you all are enjoying spring.  It was 100 here yesterday.  I had to turn on my AC for the first time this year for a few hours... it's SUPPOSED to cool done a bit again next week.    

Take care,  Jenny

[soloinnv]

Thanks Jenny. No squirrels here. I have no idea what you are talking about with stretching the springs at the top. I'm going to make a trip to Home Depot and check out what they have. I usually do that then look for something online. I can usually find what I want for less on Amazon. Sorry eBay but the deals just aren't here any more!

Happy Mother's Day ladies!

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

No squirrels here either but the spring allows a cover to come down over the holes so heavier birds can't gobble up all of the seed.

There is a spring inside the top of the one I put a link to. I had to stretch it a smidge to make it more sensitive to weight so the white wing doves couldn't chow down. They only get what falls on the ground now.

It would help keep out the jays if you want to. Have fun 🙂

[soloinnv]

Thanks. I don't shop in Walmart. I'm one of those people who has a list of establishments, companies, etc.that I don't go to because of their practices. I'll look elsewhere

[agnessrainn]

On the same page here Solo ... I rarely, and I mean rarely,  shop at Walmart.  On the average ... mayhaps once a year I step into a Walmart.  My biggest pet peeve is about the people who complain about the "cheap" products they get at Walmart ... and yet, they continue to shop there!   I usually tell these "complainers" that they get what they paid for! 

Also, just a another little thing I do ... I try to NOT buy products Made in China!  And I choose not to support a company that primarily sells products Made in China.  I have heard of many products that are made in China that the Chinese government would not allow to be distributed in their own country.  Yet they export shoddy and unsafe products to this country!  No thank you! 

Ok, off my soapbox now.

Enjoy your evening ...

Kate

[soloinnv]

Their treatment of their employees is a disgrace. When I lived in Arkansas I lived right next to a town that had one of the very first Walmart stores. I spoke with an elderly man who had worked at the original store. He said that the founder is probably exhausted from rolling in his grave because of what Walmart has become. He firmly believed that the children destroyed their father's vision of Walmart.

I remember years ago when an item had a tag on it that said "Made in Japan" it was considered cheap. At least back then there weren't health risks associated with the products. When I saw that the laminate flooring made in China was making children sick I got sick. That's just one example. I stopped buying from a number of online stores and catalogs because they will list that a piece of clothing is "imported" but won't say from where. I actually have more of a problem with Pakistan and other nations who support terrorism. 

If at all possible I will choose a locally owned establishment over a chain or even a franchise. It's more expensive but I'm willing to do without something else in order to afford the added cost.

[soloinnv]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with this part of the country. I live in Reno, Nevada. Basically the city is in a "bowl" surrounded by mountains. The weather here is crazy. The photo below was taken on Monday of this week at a park about 10 minutes from my home. By yesterday most of the snow was gone. Tuesday I had the air conditioning on. Today I had the heat on. It's raining and snowing and the sun is out. For a crazy person like me this is the perfect place to be in Spring...or any other time of year!