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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Attracting Birds and Other Critters

We have a birdfeeder hanging outside our living room window. I love watching the titmice, nuthatches, and goldfinches eat from it. We have mostly house finches, but the others are more fun to watch. Usually I fill the feeder with black oil sunflower seeds. We have had Doves and California Towhees around the yard throughout the summer and they are still here, but they don't come to the feeder. They are ground feeders. Recently we've had a few Juncos and Spotted Towhees show up also. I love the way they look and would like to entice them to stick around through the fall and winter if possible. So the last time I bought birdseed at the Wild Bird Station on Hwy 49 in Auburn, CA, I also bought his Deluxe Blend (it says Premium Blend on the package, but is different from his own premium blend that he mixes himself) which he says will please the ground feeders. The first day we found out just how pleasing it is. We had wild turkeys, several deer, a squirrel, and even a gopher helping themselves to this new seed. I saw a Steller's Jay today. Molly enjoys chasing the critters away to help save the seed for the juncos and towhees. =^)