Sunday, December 26, 2010

Winter Bird Food Wreaths



Today the sweet little Carolina wren entertained me. It loved the homemade suet! All day long, into the evening, it hung around the wreaths I made. It made me very happy!



Last Saturday, for some reason, I was having difficulty swallowing and aspirated twice while eating and drinking water. All week long I have had the most obnoxious cough that aggravated my asthma making breathing difficult. I was concerned that I might be getting pneumonia. The constant coughing was exhausting.



I've just been resting and doing a lot of bird watching over the last few days. Which is what prompted me to make the wreaths.



The wonderful thing is so far the house sparrows are leaving the wreaths alone and only the more desirable birds are enjoying it.



The female downy came and ate off of both wreaths.





I haven't seen much of the downy woodpeckers this winter. Usually they hang around all winter. Hopefully now she will be back and bring her mate.



Notice the wren and the woodpecker both at the wreath!



I painted a little pastel colored basket that I had picked up at a garage sale and attached it to the wreath. I put a few Spanish peanuts in it hoping to lure the blue jays to the wreath.



The brave little wren discovered the treats pretty quickly.



I went outside to fill the feeders and it stayed close by. I have a feeling that with some patience this one could be trained to eat right out of my hand.



The blue jays are curious about the wreath and are trying to get the peanuts that are attached. So far they haven't landed on the wreath, hopefully tomorrow.




The sweet little chickadees landed all around it but never on it. Hopefully that will happen tomorrow too.

I have enjoyed looking out the windows and sliding glass doors and seeing the bright, bold colors on the wreaths. Watching the birds enjoy them is a delight!

18 comments:

Ruth Hiebert said...

The wreaths are so perfect for photography.I love the bright colours and the bird sure seem to like the buffet.
I hope you are OK.Taks care and get lots of rest.
Ruth

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I am glad you have this wreath to lure your entertainment so close. What fun. I hope you are feeling better now too. This dry winter air is hard on people.

debsgarden said...

What a delightful idea! The wreaths are so beautiful and a great way to attract birds for for your camera. Your photos are lovely! I hope you are feeling much better by now.

Garden Lily said...

Those are delightful photos. Wow, tru "living" wreaths! I look forward to seeing more photos. Robin, I hope you are back to full health soon.

The Giraffe Head Tree said...

I hope today finds you feeling better. Your wreaths and photos are amazing, Robin! A great idea indeed!

Laura Bloomsbury said...

What can I say other than that these are the most beautiful and delightful images of Christmas for the birds.

Happy New Year

Laura

Carolyn said...

Hi Robin,
Those are beautiful photos and a great idea to feed the birds with a beautiful wreath.
I hope you feel better soon.

Take care,
Carolyn

Anonymous said...

That looks like a wonderful idea. We took our birdfeeder down a while back because it was just squirrels eating out of it. Yet when the snow came, we have thrown seeds on the sidewalk and have been enjoying the birds as we sit at the kitchen table. I love your idea of the wreath to make it easier for the birds and prettier for you as well.

Hope you feel better soon!

Lona said...

I hope you get to feeling well soon.
Your wreath is not only yummy for the birds but beautiful to look at too. A wonderful idea.

Karin / Southern Meadows said...

Oh I love this idea! Your wreath is functional and beautiful. I have seen wreaths for birds in the catalogs but yours is much prettier than any of them! A super way to attract the birds and photograph them with such a lovely backdrop.

Mark Willis said...

Those photos of the wrens on the wreath are absolutely fabulous! They look as if they ought to be on the front cover of Homes and Gardens magazine of something like that..

Dayna Stevens said...

What a wonderful idea. I have been trying to lure birds to my yard all winter and am having no luck at all. The forest service dropped off about 12 female turkeys and all the birds have seemed to have found new homes since the arrival of the turkeys. Hope you are feeling better. Thanks for sharing your beautiful idea!

Jayne said...

Your wreaths are absolutely gorgeous! And I love the variety of birds they have attracted. I should find a place in my garden for a wreath like that. What a great idea.

ann said...

What a great idea. i put homemade suet in feeds and hang them in the Russian Olive. We get the downys--male, female, and I think a very young female. The birds devour the cakes. I like the idea of wreaths--they add interest and color. Get well. cheers. ann

Cindy said...

Your wreaths are amazing as well as your photos of them. What a great idea to attract so many birds and at the same time have something pretty to look at. We so often hang a wreath on the back of the door and can't see it, then hang lights on the house and don't see them from the inside. I have a perfect spot under the pergola where I could see it from the windows. I would love to make one, thanks for the idea.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Hi Robin,

I did make a wreath as I love yours so much. Mine are not nearly as nice but fun just the same. I posted here:
http://gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-birds.html

Kindly, Lorraine

marie said...

What a wonderful idea and so beautiful too! Your photos are awesome!

Hope you feel better!!

Amy said...

This blog was posted on a friends site. I LOVE the wreathes! I would love to know how you made them. What is your recipe for the homemade suet. How did you get the seeds to stick on the pine cones? Beautiful pictures as well as beautiful wreathes! Hope whatever was going on with your health at the time is better now!