How to keep the squirrels away from the bird feeders

Well, since I hung most of my feeds on the laundry line I haven't seen the squirrels that much.  But when using the pole as a mount for my other feeders this simple and free trap works wonders. 

Just take a 2L pop bottle, cut off the bottom where the bottle's shape reaches full width.  Be careful not to cut yourself.  I used a box cutter to do it.  Then do the same to the cap of the bottle, so that the opening slides over your post.  Cut it to wide, use electrical tape to hold it in place on the pole. 

The squirrels will climb up the pole and have to go into the pop bottle opening and it doesn't get them anywhere. Of course the location of the feeder shouldn't give them a chance to jump on the feeder from a taller object like a fence or a tree. 

Here is a picture of it on my feeder containing the nuts and sunflower seeds. As you can see, this is also where my other "laundry line feeders" hang in the summer on the left and the right.  So that pop bottle is extremely important to have out here in the woods.  We also have lots of chipmunks.  The other deterrent we use is our Dog. ROFL.  She lives for chasing these critters before they even make it to the pop bottle. 

Any other solutions and suggestions are always welcome.

Feeding the birds in the winter time

I always love watching the birds feeding.  Right now I have found a new use for the laundry line.  The Kinglets, Chickadees, Nuthatches and the hairy Woodpecker (picoides villosus) are coming close to the house right now.  Got a picture of Woody through the window.  If you have any pictures, please post them with your story.  Any advise on what seeds to use to attract different kinds of birds?  I have different kinds of sueds squares.  Niger seeds, finch food and wildbird seeds.

HoHoHo! Christmas again?

Well, I am really not sure if it is true what I was told by my parents.  Time goes by much slower when you are a young.  I must be getting old, because I can't understand where this year has gone.  I guess part of it has to do with some major life changes, but hey, they were all for the better.  Let me tell you, if you ever need a fresh start and feel like you are stuck on a treatmill everyday, doing the same thing over and over, it is time to do something about it.  One can do anything.  It might not seem logical to do, but as long as you never give up, I believe you can make changes against all odds.  And if you are patient and believe in freedom of choice, your life can change.  Sure, depending what your goal is, it might be taking a chance.  But my experience has proven itself a few times in my life.  You want to change something, go for it.  Where there is a will, there is a way.

Hmm.  This was supposed to be about Mother Nature, right.  It is the nature of things that the world keeps turning, no matter what decision a single individual makes for themselves.  Earlier I was watching the beautiful night sky again, wondering if there is anyone looking down at us right now.  It is freezing, but totally clear sky.  The fresh air took my breath, my dog was running around in the dark and I hear the snow under her paws.  I called her back, I heard a big whoosh coming towards me.  And there was my girl, happily looking up at me with a smirky grin on her face saying: You called?  How can I help?

These are the moments that can make anything you do in Life feel right. So if something doesn't feel right anymore, change it.  Have courage and go catch your dreams.

Hmmm.  I think this is getting to philosophical.  So I am now going to grab a beer and sit back in front of the idiot box, knowing that again there is nothing to see that interests me but being by the fire and relax doing nothing useful during these lasts days of the year.

Cheers everyone!

Sensing Old Man Winter

Boy, is it getting crisp out there.  We already had our first snowfall, well kind off.  It lasted a whole morning and I absolutely disliked it.  My dog however loved it, as always.  The other day we got lucky again and spotted deer by the road.  They were actually kind of trusting.  We slowly rolled to a stop and observed them.  They were no more than 3m away from the truck.  I could have stayed forever.  To watch deer has been a wonderful experience this year.  There is hardly a day when we don't see any.  Unfortunately I have had no success in getting a shot of them to post on the blog.  Not that you don't know what a deer looks like. :-)

The other day the closest neighbor donated a bone to our dog.  He goes hunting.  Okay, I guess it also needs to be done to keep things under control.  But giving my dog a deer bone wasn't quite enjoyable.  Luckily my dog just snooped it, licked it a few times and walked away from it.  GOOD GIRL.  I tossed it in the garbage.  Have you ever fed your dog a deer bone? 

Time to go in the woods before the snow starts.  Getting dark out there and it is definitely in the forecast now.  GRRRR.

Dress warm, everybody!