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Keeping Busy During the Quarantine: Make Your Own Suet

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I have wanted to make my own suet for a while now. I found a fellow blogger with a recipe that I thought seemed relatively straightforward, but I never seemed to find the time to experiment with it. Well thanks to the quarantine, I have all the time in the world to experiment. And, I ran out of suet, so it seemed like a sign. Luckily I also had all the ingredients that I needed.

I followed a single recipe, which I found here: https://www.houseofhawthornes.com/diy-birdseed-cakes-aka-let-them-eat-cake/ That being said, there were a few differences that I should note right up front. I was unable to find a single jello mold of the size recommended by Pam Kessler in her recipe. So what I ended up with was a mini loaf pan with nine rectangular spaces. Since these suet cakes would fit into my suet holder, I decided to dispense with the straw and string.

I highly recommend having all the ingredients measured out and ready to go, because once you start, there is definitely a finite amount of time. I wasn’t quite ready, and my husband ended up having to sweep in and act as sous chef. My cake-like batter turned out a bit thicker than I expected, and much faster than I expected. More like stirring thick peanut butter or gum, rather than cake batter. It definitely wouldn’t have flowed into the mold on its own.

I lowered the heat way down and I ended up adding more water, to get it back to a more liquid consistency. I think I probably added roughly another ½ cup of water. But that seemed to loosen up the batter enough to allow the whole amount (three cups) of seed to be stirred in successfully, with a bit of elbow grease.

When I spooned the mixture out into the molds, I only filled eight of the nine sections, thinking that it was better to pack those sections I filled as tightly as possible. I opted to cool them in the refrigerator, rather than the freezer, because we did not have enough room in our freezer.

The next morning, I pulled them out of the refrigerator to give them a look. They had solidified nicely and were very hard. They also popped out of the mold with relative ease.

Without too much effort, I was able to fit two of my homemade suet cakes into the holder, and as you can see, I had some customers shortly after hanging it out. Bon appétit!

Feathers

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As I spend more time both bird-watching and reflecting on my experiences, I seem to fall further and further down the rabbit hole. There really is so much to learn about our feathered friends. Like what exactly are feathers, and how do they work?

All birds have feathers. The possession of feathers is one of the features that defines an animal as a bird. Feathers make up about 6-9 percent of a birds weight (on average). Birds have a lot of feathers. For example, swans have about 25,000. Plumage refers to a group or assemblage of feathers.

For most birds feathers come out of distinct tracts, like fingernail cuticles or a hair follicle. Feathers are a bit like fingernails or teeth. When they are growing they are alive, but once they are finished forming they are no longer alive. What makes feathers different is that they are not regularly renewing. Rather they are replaced all at once, usually on an annual basis, in a process known as molting. Molting also allows for seasonal coloring to be developed both for breeding and camouflage purposes. Most birds molt after they breed, but before they migrate.

Besides being a key component for flying, feathers also provide a water and sun barrier for birds. They help birds regulate their temperate and protect them from injury. Tail feathers act as rudders in the air, in the water and on the ground. But not all feathers on a bird serve the same function.

The two major types of feathers are contour feathers and down feathers. Contour (flight) feathers usually include all feathers that are visible on an adult birds back, tail and wings. Down (semi plume) feathers are hidden in the underparts of adult birds. Most baby birds are hatched with only down feathers. Other types of feathers that are only present on some birds include powder down and facial bristles, but for the purposes of keeping this simple, I am going to focus on contour and down.

Contour feathers have two parts, a spine or quill and a vane on each side. Each vane is made up of a series of barbs that form at about a 45 degree angle from the spine. The barbs in turn have a series of hooked barbules generating from them more or less perpendicular to them. The barbules for each barb hook together, creating a knit or mess pattern. The barbules can become unhooked, but are easily re-hooked by stroking the feather from bottom to tip. It is this action which we call preening.

Down feathers have a spine as well, and their barbs also project. However, they are almost perpendicular to the spine and the absence of hooks on the barbules helps to create a more fluffy structure. Their major function is insulation. Some contour feathers have barbules without hooks toward the bottom, creating a downy insulation without a full down feather.

Spring Has Sprung and the Babies Have Come!

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Spring is a time of rejuvenation, when we think about new growth and new life. In the bird watching calendar, spring ushers in a whirlwind of behavior as birds find a mate, and then frantically prepare a nest for the little ones that are soon to follow. By May every yard, garden and park is alive with the sounds of tiny little chirps and the sights of fuzzy, fluffy young birds venturing out into the world.

It is important to remember that as we enjoy the new arrivals, we must also respect their space and give them room to grow up safely. Some of their parents, particularly the geese, swans and ducks will be sure to let you know what they consider a safe distance with some aggressive hissing and perhaps even a snap of the jaw or slap of the wing if you aren’t careful.

Other parents signal their displeasure by attempting to distract your attention. They will hover near your face and in many cases, actively avoid approaching the nest for fear of giving away its location (as if the hungry cheeps emitting for the birdhouse or nest weren’t evidence enough of its contents). Be sure to back off if you notice the parents hesitant to approach. Those babies are hungry and they can’t eat if their parents are unwilling to go to them.

If you really want to be in on all the action, they do make cameras that can be discretely placed in nest boxes. This piece of tech will allow you to fully enjoy nature without giving the new parents a coronary while they try to keep you away. You can find tons of different cameras online, but here is an article to get you started if you are interested: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/installing-a-nest-box-camera/

Not all baby birds are the same. When I say baby, what I am actually referring to is hatchlings. Hatchlings are young birds, just out of the egg and not yet to the stage where they can be considered juveniles. Some hatchlings, such as those born to Sparrows, Robins, Blue Jays and many song birds are often born with no feathers. Bald and defenseless, their beaks often look much too big for the rest of them! As their feathers develop they can often give the appearance of being wet, their feathers looking slicked down. These hatchlings are also called nestlings, because of their nest-bound state. They are completely dependent on their parents for food.

Other hatchlings, hatch ready to roam. They are born with downy protective feathers which do not often resemble their parents, but do help them as they walk and swim shortly after their debut in the world. The species with hatchlings like this tend to live in more open environments like beaches or lakes. The parents teach them how to find food, rather than bring it to them directly. Ducks, swans, geese, and chickens fall under this category.

Once any of the hatchlings begin to leave the nest, or in the case of the roaming hatchlings, wander away from their parents protection, they have graduated to the next growth stage and are considered a juvenile. It is now that they begin to resemble their parents in coloring, although they don’t always look exactly like their parents overnight, a situation which causes much confusion in the bird identification world. Juvenile birds offer enough material to be the topic of their own dedicated post, so I won’t go into more detail here.

So go out and enjoy all of nature’s newest arrivals, but remember, respect their space so they can grow up to be healthy, beautiful birds.

Additional Sources:

https://www.audubon.org/news/birdist-rule-57-its-summer-watch-out-juveniles

Felt Birdhouses?

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Over the summer, I found myself shopping in a touristy, vacation town. I had only just started working on this blog and was still trying to determine what directions I would like to go with it and all bird related products were of particular interest. I happened to look up over the registers and there, hanging among the wind chimes and windsocks were a series of felt birdhouses. The accompanying sign assured customers that not only were they a sustainable and fair trade product, but they were for inside or outside use. Taking one look at these cute things I felt great doubt that they could sustain a full season outside. But who knows? Lucky for me I had my phone handy and thought fast enough to snap a quick reference photo. I put this in my metaphorical bag of ideas, for a rainy day when I had time for more googling.

It didn’t actually take much research to find the source of these felt birdhouses. Wild Woolies Felt Homemade Designs. The retail website indicates that they are made of 100% wool, in Nepal. As I searched the site and took a look at the birdhouses, I was genuinely surprised by the variety of styles. According to my count, there are exactly thirty-nine different felt real estate options. Many are what you might expect, cute houses, themed and decorated in a way that you just know Tinkerbell and her fairy friends would feel right at home. These styles included the Pixie Cottage, Magic Mushroom and Fairy House, as well as the Chalet and Hermit Hut (for those birds seeking a life of solitude and quiet contemplation). There were others inspired by nature such as the Acorn, Cactus and Beehive and several decorated with flowers, humming birds and insects. But there were also some less traditional housing options, including a Taco Truck, Yellow Submarine, Hot Air Balloon and Yeti Hut (for which you could also purchase the accompanying yetis). For me the most bizarre were those designed to look like animals. The Owl, Chicken and Fox, which all have holes in their bellies, making me assume that the emergence of the resident bird probably looks like an adorable parody of a scene from Alien. For me the Puffer fish and flower power Elephant were just a bit too weird, though admittedly cute.

As I browsed the different houses I caught myself thinking of which friends would like which designs, as if I was doing my Christmas shopping instead of researching for my blog. But the questions still remained, can they really survive the elements and act as a functioning birdhouse? I snapped out of my shopaholic state, and started looking for reviews. I could only find one, which was a five star review from 2018. A positive sign. Unfortunately the review didn’t answer the question of outside use as the reviewer specifically said she wouldn’t put it outside. Five stars for cuteness, but does the product work outside as promised? I searched in vain for a while longer before coming to the conclusion that there were no more reviews. No one had put the wool birdhouses to the test AND written about the results.

And then I got an idea. An Awful Idea. I had a Wonderful Awful Idea. Just kidding! What are the holidays without a good Grinch reference?! But I did truly have an idea. If I wanted to know how the houses fared outside, I should buy one. I could hang it out this spring and document its progress. And then I could write the definitive review that either confirmed or denounced whether these cute little houses can weather the elements.

So I have put in my order, and am anxiously awaiting my package. Stay tuned to see which design I picked and learn how it does outside.

If you are interested in buying one of these lovely houses, since I think we can all agree that they are super cute, you can find them at a variety of retail outlets, including amazon. I referenced https://www.songbirdgarden.com/ when I did my research which seems to be the outlet that features all of the different style options. They also sell a variety of felt bird ornaments, perfect for any bird lover on your holiday shopping list.

Introduction

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Bird watching is a great hobby as it is easy to do anywhere. In theory it’s free, unless you get addicted and begin bribing birds to your yard with numerous feeders like I do! It encourages us to take in nature more generally and often motivates us to walk in parks or on trails, getting much needed exercise and fresh air. However, the thing I like most about bird watching as a hobby is that you can dedicate as much or as little time as you have. There are whole days I have sat in my yard with a camera and a book. But I can also come home and sit outside for a few hours, unwinding after work and allowing myself to relax.

I have always liked nature, camping, hiking etc., but I didn’t really get into bird watching until we moved from the city into the suburbs…a heavily treed suburb. Sitting by the window with my warm drink, I would often see flashes of color fly past. Sometimes I knew it was a blue jay or a cardinal, but I wanted to know more about the other flashes I was seeing. I was given a bird identification book for Christmas 2015, along with my first feeder pole and feeder. Before I knew it, I was hooked! And bird watching turns out to be contagious. After seeing my photos, my parents purchased some bird feeders, their own field guide and we have all been bird watching ever since.

This blog is a way for me to share some of my bird photographs, but I also want to provide some facts and figures along the way, as well as some of my own observations. I want to be clear that I have no background or formal training in any science field, so most of the information I will share comes from field guides.