I love this time of year in the garden, when I don’t do much more than look out at it from the shelter of our cozy home. Birds definitely are the primary users of our garden during the winter; every morning there are at least a dozen hopping around the patio, examining the husks of sunflower seeds for any remaining nibbles, and jostling for a turn at the feeder.
I look forward to hanging my feeder in late autumn, because I know that the songbirds will soon appear. I don’t see them during the rest of the year. In summer–and spring, and fall–the only birds around here are urban scavengers: crows, pigeons, seagulls, starlings. But in winter, the chickadees and finches and little brown birds of unknown name arrive to feast.
This year, in addition to a little wooden feeder, I’ve been hanging dried sunflower heads, harvested in mid-autumn from my plot at the community garden. I hung them to dry inside for a month or so before hanging them in the hornbeam on our back patio. The birds seem to dig them.
Top photo by Noel Zia Lee via Flickr.
Jenn says
I think your little brown bird is a chipping sparrow.
ondine says
That is a little song sparrow. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/song_sparrow/id
All the little brown birds are probably one type of sparrow or another.
kate says
It’s a welcome sight in winter to see birds enjoying the garden. Your daughter is at an age now where she can enjoy watching the birds too. Hope all’s well.
sensiblegardening says
We get great enjoyment out of our blue birds. We have about 4 boxes for them and they return every year like clock work. The box roofs have hinges and we can photograph the eggs as they hatch. Great Fun!