Banned By The Wild Birds

Nuthatch was here daily and would not give up his spot for anything!

Today I am excited about many things. Things I cannot really talk about yet, at least not here. Soon though. One thing I can talk about is I saw my first robin today! Every year, those birds make my day, the first time I see them. I heard them singing in the forest across the wood in the evening last night. Music to my ears! I tried to get a picture of one today, but still not close enough to my deck. I can't walk out in the yard or on the paths yet, still too muddy. The return of the robins and the other birds who leave for the winter is a sign to me, that winter weather is over or almost. It means soon we will have our windows and doors open. The grass will be green and I will be foraging for wild foods. New life will be all around. It is the time of the year I love.

Chickadees constantly here!

For some unknown (to me) reason, the wild birds that have came here every winter since we moved in, 1999, stopped coming here. It was like they had a meeting and we have a bird ban on our house and yard. None of the chickadees. I can't believe it those little traitors! They have always came right to me. I would be feeding them and they were so close I could have touched one. I didn't though. I became attached to the birds that I fed. Not only chickadees, but I had three different woodpeckers and I really loved those guys. One of them even started coming to my living room window and door to get my attention that they needed more food on the deck. He knew I was in here on my computer.

I love the 3 woodpeckers!

The blue jays, there are three, would come down to the rail of deck and take as much of the food as they could in one mouthful. It was funny to watch. They especially liked if I put out pieces of my homemade pumpkin bread. The woodpeckers' favorite was a cat food can of grease from meat, like pork, bacon , beef, etc. They would just sit there eating it. Always looking around, above them like afraid something would attack them. They were every day feeders, like the chickadees and the nuthatch.

Three Blue Jays also visited me daily!

I am not sure what has happened here at Peaceful Forest, unless it was that my husband took down most of the big trees around our homestead. He was afraid of them coming down in a storm and hitting our house, barn, shed, truck or horses. So he took them down in these last few years. Not sure if that was what would make the birds leave and never return. They are out in the forest, around here, just are not coming to the deck anymore. The robins though are back and have been in the yard. Normally we did not have any of them eating on our deck but last year, this one particular robin, started coming right up onto our deck.

This robin is the only one that comes to the deck like this.

Copyright © 2018 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2018 Kathleen G. Lupole

Screams Of Terror In The Forest

Birds in these trees were screaming!

This forest is owned by New York State and they log their forests on a regular basis. This one hasn't been logged in this spot since we moved here in 1999. It is directly across the road from our house. So when they started their process, it became VERY noisy. I am keeping my windows closed, even though it is very hot too. I would have no problem with this, in fact, I am hoping the logging project will increase the sunlight to our solar panels in the winter. I think those trees blocked it quite a bit.

Many critters live in this forest.

My complaint is really about their method of logging now. The new modern way. It is super fast and that is why they do it that way. The trouble with that is, it does not give the critters and birds who live in this forest time to flee. They awoke yesterday singing like usual. Then a little later as the machine made its way through the forest knocking down trees in its path, the screaming started. I could not listen. There was not a thing I could do to help these little critters. I don't know how the ones on the ground would be able to survive.

Normally, a quiet spot!

Many of the birds in this forest and the ones around us, are birds who do not fly south. They gather food all year waiting for winter when they will feed on it. When you cut down trees one by one, slowly cutting them and loading the truck with them, they have more time. This type of logging is cruel to them. I guess it is like waking up in the middle of a tornado or a fire and having to run for your life. I am only thankful that most of the baby birds have been out of the nest for a long time now. The bats! You should have seen the sky with bats who had been awakened from their daily sleep by their trees being knocked over. I never saw anything like it.

"Razor Robot"

The squirrels that lived in this forest are usually quite vocal. They never come into our yard or our garden. I am sure they were busy storing food too. Of course, many will not have survived. I have seen them hop from the tops of the trees, so I hope they were able to get out too. This morning though, this forest was incredibly quiet. Kind of spooky.

Copyright © 2013 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2013  Kathleen G. Lupole

Wild Birds Provide Entertainment

Blue Jay

Every morning our deck is a playground for the Chickadees, Nuthatches and one big healthy Woodpecker. And sometimes, if I am lucky a couple of Blue Jays.Our dog, Nikita takes her bones out there and chews while my husband is out there doing morning chores. So when she is not there the birds like to eat off those bones too. I started putting scraps out there for them instead of where I kept the bird feeder. I did that because I had to walk in deep snow to get to that spot. But the real reason I feed them on the deck in winter, is because it is my favorite form of entertainment. If I buy a big amount of suet at the grocery store it will be gone by nightfall.

A Nuthatch who does not like to share at all!

Our cat, Callie sits in front of the sliding glass door to the deck and just watches the birds. Sometimes she ducks like she thinks they are going to swoop down on her. Other times she makes her chirping sounds, as she doesn't growl or make the usual sounds a cat does when it wants to kill. She is the most friendly cat and chirps to everyone......even her victims. But having the birds feeding on our deck has given our cats a way to break the boredom that winter brings. Only Hobo goes outside regularly. She is the one I have to keep an eye on as far as the birds go. She is a good hunter but seems to understand that she is in trouble if she messes with the birds.

A Chickadee eating out of the cat food can!

Last year, we had a Crow attack one of our Blue Jays. My son and I ran out of the house and chased him away. I had never seen them do that before. I always chase the Crows away when they land on our property. They will take all the food that I put out for the other birds. They don't usually land in the forested areas. But we have open spaces around our house, paddock and garden areas.

I put grease from meats out there in the cat food can. They love it! I put all kinds of scraps out there for them besides the bird seed. The birds all prefer our food first, then sunflower seeds. If I buy the cheap bird food, many times they refuse to eat it. Just like my cats and dog will not eat cheap cat and dog food. What is in the cheap stuff anyway? I guess it is like buying the cheap processed foods for us. No difference.

Do you have wild birds come to your house? Mine swoop down to my husband and me when we are outside all the time. They will land right next to me when I am putting food out there for them. I like to watch them fight and bicker over the food. Just like the horses do. They are just so cute!

Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

Spring Time Is Our New Year

 Foggy Spring Morning at Peaceful Forest

We have had a few of these foggy mornings here. I like them. It is cool and crisp in the morning when you go outside and I have always loved the fog. I do not like to drive in it but going out to the barn in the morning it has a mystic look. My little girls didn't seem to mind it much either.

First Two Robins to come home!

The day our first Robins arrived home made our day! We love these birds so much. With the arrival of them back from their trip south means the arrival of spring and a new year of growth and life for us as well. I always feel new year's day should be the day they come home. Their arrival changes the whole structure of our forest and yard. All the other birds such as the Blue Jays, Chickadees and Nuthatches seem to go back into the forest to live for the summer as the robins, the Red Winged Blackbirds, the Cowbirds all seem to take center stage in our yard and around our garden. The Woodpecker comes and goes, appearing on my deck many times through out the day.

When we first moved here the forest came right up the house. We had to cut back and cut back until we have what is now a good sized yard and many raised beds. Now I am planning on putting in a flower bed along the front. As for the birds, we seem to have made this more inviting to them. There were not that many here when we first moved in. There were many Yellow Finches but my cats have killed them and I don't see that many here anymore. I have always owned cats but am thinking when these little girls go to cat heaven I will not be replacing them. I have come to love my wild birds and would like them to feel safe when they come to our house. As it is now, Hobo, my littlest cat is a good hunter and she loves to catch the birds. She knows now that I do not want her to do this but it does not stop her unless she sees me outside.

Cooking pork ribs over the fire!

One of my favorite ways to cook during the warm weather is outside on our camp fire. I can leave food on there all day and let it cook slowly as long as you raise it up from the fire. Too close and it'll burn. I guess cooking on a wood cook stove keeps me in practice of cooking on fire. Some of my best meals have been cooked over the camp fire. I usually cook from scratch and prepare everything in the kitchen and then take it outside to the camp fire. I have been rushed at times to make something quick though. One time I needed a dish to serve to company and ran to the store and bought 4 cans of Bush's Baked Beans and a package of bacon. I put the beans in my cast iron Dutch oven and put bacon slices over the top. Let it sit right down in the coals. Mmmmmm! Was that ever good! Tasted homemade. My father-in-law could not stop eating them!  Sometimes you can make something quickly like that taste homemade if you simmer it slowly over your fire. Even on the wood stoves. 

Copyright © 2010 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Updated 2019

Fall In New York Is Beautiful!

My road in fall

My newest form of entertainment has become my bird feeding station under my apple tree. I can watch them while I am washing dishes or doing most anything in the kitchen. I always had just one suet feeder and hanging feeder and there is a large rock out there that I put feed on for my ground feeders. Just lately though, I have 6 beautiful blue jays out there every day. What a show it is to watch them trying so hard to feed on the small suet feeders! Usually, my smaller chickadees and nuthatches feed on that. And they end up getting pushed out since the blue jays are so much larger. So this week I purchased a larger suet feeder, which has a shelf on the side for the bird to stand on and the blue jays fit on it just fine. Solved that problem!

Hobo Bird Watching!

My cat, Hobo thinks I feed the birds for her entertainment! She hides around my various gardening beds, and even right behind the rock that I put feed on. But they seem to know she is there. In 2003, someone threw her off the bridge near my house. I had to nurse her back to health as she had a hole in her head, blood coming out her eye, nose and mouth. My husband warned me not to get too attached as he might have to put her out of her misery. I started bathing her with 4 herb tea, a generic brand of Essiac tea available at Herbal Healer.

Hobo

Anyway, she survived, and is an important member of our family now. But she wasn't too trusting in the beginning, and must have had a bad life before coming here. She has lost most of her teeth, and is petite in size, but a tough little girl, and a awesome hunter. She is not afraid of most things and will put all kinds of critters on our door step. I have the feeling that whoever had her before, and threw her off that bridge, probably did it in anger. She has a way of thinking that nobody can tell her what to do, and will growl, and in the early days here, would strike out with a claw or two. She doesn't do that anymore, but I have more patience than most. Especially with my animals!

Sun shining!

We have been having unseasonably beautiful weather here in upstate New York. And I just love it! Nothing puts me in a better mood than seeing that sun shining! Gives me power too, since I use solar power to generate my electricity. Next year, I hope we can install a wind turbine. Then we will probably never have to use our generator. Great news on that. Though I am planning on getting a bread machine, and figure I will probably have to use the generator for that. But I will be using it for mixing and kneading only, and bake the bread in my oven. I just don't have enough time or energy to make it completely from scratch anymore. So this will work for me.

Pumpkin Bread

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, and didn't eat too much. Now it's the time of year for more festivities and all those holiday goodies. Enjoy it but don't go overboard.

Updated 2019

Copyright © 2006 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2006  Kathleen G. Lupole

Fall Is On The Way

It is Fall already here in upstate New York. We have been feeling it in the air for a couple of weeks already. Our Robins are gone. The only birds I hear now are the Blue Jays and Woodpeckers. I miss the Robins singing while I work out in my garden. Every year, that is what I look forward to - seeing my first Robin. Now, it's time to stock up on bird food, especially for the chickadees. They come right up to me and demand to be fed, all winter long.

I canned more green beans today. And made some banana bread. So I wasn't on my computer this morning. Some days, I just have to get my household chores done. Neither one of those chores are really chores to me. I love to can food! I buy it in the grocery store on sale and bring it home to can. Once I mastered using my pressure canners, I became the canning queen! My father taught me to can, and what he showed me how to make was grape jelly. As he grows lots of grapes. Now I usually can it as juice, and if I need jelly or jam, I can can that. Last year, I canned lots of Elderberry Jelly, so this year, I plan on canning the Elderberry Juice. As it is good to have around, as a preventive measure for catching the flu - even the bird flu!

My husband knows how to can food too. Our first year that we had a garden, he canned 40 quarts of corn, 49 quarts of green beans, over 50 of pickles and I canned 48 quarts of pumpkin. I was working at that time, and he was home, so he was left to do most of the gardening and canning. And we have never used a gasoline rototiller to do our gardens. My husband has one of those wheel hoes, that he plows our gardens with. Both houses we had gardens at had never had a garden before. So he had a lot of hard work to get it in. But he doesn't like the fumes in our garden area. Last year, he started building beds for our garden, and we both like them so much better. I built some stone beds too. And we plan on adding more of those. Our plan is to grow as much as our food as possible.

My tomatoes are still green as I got them in late, due to heavy rains we had here earlier in the spring. So if they don't turn red, I will bring them in and wrap them in paper and turn them red inside like that. Or I will, slice them and fry up some good ole fried green tomatoes, which is something we love! A couple of years ago, Jackie Clay (my favorite author, who writes at Backwoods Home Magazine) said that you could put them in a pie, and tell everyone it was a apple pie and nobody would know the difference. Well, I did that. My husband knew immediately that it was not a apple pie! He ate it, as he will not waste food (unless you give him onions or mushrooms!), but he was not crazy about it. Sorry, Jackie.

My brother, Mickey Dran, better known as "The Marshall", puts on a wild west show called "The Spirit of The Old West", and he has been doing this for a number of years now. Tomorrow his show will be robbing the Cooperstown Railroad in Cooperstown, New York. His show uses black powder guns, and the kids usually love it. They dress in period clothes, and he is a stickler for detail. So it should be a fun time for all!

Well, I'll try to be back tomorrow. Have a great week end!