Remember earlier in the summer I did a few posts on birdhouses?  One featured my (and mom’s) collection of barnboard birdhouses and another included links to free birdhouse plans.    There was one thing that all these birdhouses had in common - traditional/rustic styling.  A rustic birdhouse is fine for some, but what if you prefer your birdhouse to have a more contemporary or modern aesthetic?  There are modern birdhouses available for purchase, but they can come with a pretty hefty price tag.  Thanks to Chrisjob over at curbly, the search for a reasonably priced modern birdhouse can finally come to an end.  He has written a post and provided video instructions on how to build your own modern birdhouse.

I was working at the farm yesterday. Actually, I’ve worked at the farm a whole bunch of days this summer and I really need to provide an update, but that will have to wait a little longer. What I’d really like to share right now only pertains to yesterday.

It was very hot and sticky in central Ontario. Late in the day, while passing by the pool on the way to the hose for a drink, I heard “cheep……cheep…….cheep”. When I stopped and looked down I saw a little bird sitting on the pool’s solar blanket. He continued to “cheep……cheep…….cheep” as I knelt down for a closer inspection. It was a baby bird and he was stranded. The water level was about eight inches below the pool deck and the solar blanket was approximately six inches away from the pool’s edge. Not sure how he managed to get himself into such a predicament, however I knew that if I didn’t help him, he’d never get out of it. We had a chat while I slowly and carefully reached my hands towards him. I asked him if he wanted a little help. He answered, “cheep”. I told him that I realized it was a hot day, but he really shouldn’t be swimming unsupervised. He responded, “cheep’”. He was quite a social little fellow - every time I said or asked him something, he would take his turn in the conversation.

As gently as possible, I scooped him up in one hand and shielded him from falling with the other. He didn’t even flinch. The poor little baby was so tired he put his head down on my hand and closed his eyes. What an amazing feeling holding a wild creature so small and helpless in the palm of my hand! Call me crazy, but I just had to get my camera and take a couple pictures before letting him go.

As each shot was taken and my camera beeped, he would let out a little “cheep”. I found what I hoped was a safe spot for him under a tree and away from the pool. I didn’t want to take him too far away as I figured his mommy would be looking for him.

It was so hard to walk away and leave him alone. I was at the farm again today, but I didn’t have the nerve to go look for him. I can’t help wondering if I did the right thing. Left alone, he surely would have drowned in the pool. Taking him out of the pool probably only delayed his demise. On the ground he’d be an easy target. My mushy, optimistic side would like to believe that his mommy did find him and that he’s okay. I’m really much better off not knowing.

As much as I appreciate her and try to respect her, sometimes Mother Nature sucks.

How to Keep the Sandbox Clean?

It’s quite simple really - put a lid on it!

Roaming neighborhood cats and other prowling critters will use a sandbox as their own personal litterbox. Unless you expect your child to wear gloves while playing in his/her sandbox, keep it covered when not in use. No child should have to play in a dirty sandbox when putting a lid on it is so easy to do.

To keep the sand in our sandbox clean, Connor and I cover it with a tarp. Bungee cords laced through grommets on the tarp are stretched over metal hooks along two sides of the sandbox. This holds the tarp firmly in place.

Metal brackets with lengths of 2″ lattice strips raise the tarp so rain water runs right off.

It sort of resembles a covered wagon.

We remove the tarp when it’s time to play and put it back on when we’re done.

Our sandbox is situated under a tree to take advantage of shade on a hot summer day. The birds in our backyard spend a lot of time in that tree. The tarp not only prevents cats and other critters from pooping in the sand, but it takes care of bird droppings too.

For the sake of your child’s health, I urge you to cover your sandbox too!

Never underestimate the importance of the proper attire or equipment for the activities in which you choose to participate. Gloves can be just as crucial to a gardener as a parachute is to a skydiver. Safety first - not fourth.

Ordinarily you wouldn’t think of gardening gloves as a life-saving device, but when you take into account this one tiny hazard you could encounter while gardening or landscaping, you may just want to reconsider!

An article on tetanus in the May 21, 2008 edition of The Vancouver Sun proved to be a real eye opener to the dangers of gardening without gloves.

Cases of tetanus may be rare, however; the spores that cause it are everpresent in the organic material we like to dig around in - soil. You may not have cows wandering through your gardens leaving lovely manure deposits, but what about cats, dogs, raccoons and skunks? It’s all poop, people! Here’s a small excerpt from the article.

“Tetanus, also known as lockjaw because it causes muscle spasms that start in the jaw, is caused by a bacterium called Clostridium tetani, which thrives in dust and soil rich in organic matter such as animal manure.

The germs enter through skin breaks or wounds and once inside the body, produce a neurotoxin that leads to extreme muscle spasms.

That means an activity as seemingly safe as gardening can potentially be risky if a person has a small cut.

Vancouver Island public health official Dr. Richard Stanwick said people should not only get vaccinated, but should also wear gloves while digging around.”

If you are up to date with your immunizations and feel you have no need to worry over the life-saving aspect of wearing gloves, then at least wear them to save your hands!

Last year the rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, skunks, etc. had a blast chowing down, digging, transplanting, uprooting, and generally wreaking havoc in my gardens. This year I’m trying a new method of critter control. It’s not all that pretty, but so far it’s definitely been effective.

After planting my spring-blooming bulbs in the fall, I covered them with chicken wire to keep the squirrels from digging them up. Now I’m re-using that same chicken wire to keep annoying (and hungry) critters from munching on my perennials while they’re getting started. The sheets of chicken wire have been transformed into wire boxes.

I used a square galvanized planter as a form.

continue reading "A New Method of Critter Control"

Mom and I dug out our birdhouses on Saturday. They’re of a much more rustic quality than the modern birdhouses featured recently. Although they’re not ultra modern, sleek and shiny, they are environmentally friendly! With the exception of one birdhouse, they were all made with reclaimed barnboard.

One was built by my dad from twice recycled barn board. I love that the hole for the birds was made from a knot hole.

The more elaborate birdhouses were made by Ray Heeres of Listowel, Ontario Canada. His creations can be found in many places throughout rural Ontario.

The stand for this birdhouse was made from the same twice recycled barn board my dad used for the birdhouse he made.

The only non-barnboard birdhouse is one that once belonged to my Grandpa (my mom’s father). I rescued it quite a few years ago and even though it’s a little worse for wear, I’m not about to part with it.

Birds have been the theme lately here at 2greenthumbsup. As I write this post, I can hear all kinds of tweets and twitters, calls and bird songs. Coincidentally, my mom received an email yesterday that she forwarded to me. It contained these photographs of Abigail Alfano, also known as The Hummingbird Lady), feeding Hummingbirds from the palm of her hand.

The photos were taken in September 2006 by Abigail’s husband Sam. They live in a hummingbird migration zone near Franklinton, Louisiana.

While some birds prefer to go the diy birdhouse route - tweaking their nests till they’re just right, most birds are more than happy to take advantage of the bird feeders or feeding stations we humans supply and set up for them.

In keeping with the modern theme started in an earlier post on modern birdhouses, here are some examples of modern bird feeders guaranteed to please the bird with a penchant for clean lines and minimalism.

1. Pip Pip Bird Feeder at FunctionAlley £66.00
2. Eva Solo Feeder Ball $56.00 USD
3. Bird Ball Peanut Feeder at Garden Boutique £34.95
4. Eva Solo Bird Table $154.99 USD
5. Lunchbox Birdfeeder at perch! $84.00 USD
6. Birdfeeder at perch! $84.00 USD
7. Egg Bird Feeder by J Schatz $135.00 USD
8. Nido Bird Feeder by Blomus $36.29 USD
9. Anidar Bird Feeder by Blomus $72.59 USD
10. Nido Covered Bird Feeder by Blomus $72.59 USD
11. Fuera Bird Feeder by Blomus $110.00 USD

Have you ever considered that maybe birds get tired of the same old barn board trend and would like to set up house in a more clean, contemporary space? I’ve come across a number of modern birdhouses that would be sure to satisfy the tastes of even the most discriminating of birds.

For people, sometimes a rustic birdhouse just doesn’t work with the overall aesthetic of your modern / contemporary house and yard design.
These modern birdhouses might make a few of you happy too!

1. Malcolm Leland 21L Bird Shelter by Vessel/Architectural Pottery $175.00 USD
2. Egg Birdhouse by J Schatz $135.00 USD
3. Round Stainless Steel Birdhouse by Tom Dukich $179.95 USD
4. Teardrop Stainless Steel Birdhouse by Tom Dukich $199.95 USD
5. Lantern Birdhouse by Jonathan Adler at haus modern living $150.00 USD
6. Ceramic Orb Modern Birdhouse at Olive Barn $19.00 USD
7. Ralph Modern Birdhouse from Modern Birdhouses $195.00 USD
8. Richard Modern Birdhouse from Modern Birdhouses $195.00 USD
9. J.R. Modern Birdhouse from Modern Birdhouses $195.00 USD
10. Roost Birdhouse from Hepper Home $125.00 USD
11. Architect Series Type a01 from NeoShed $200.00 USD
12. Nidusa Birdhouse - Art. Lebedev Studio $100.00 USD
13. Piep-Show-XXL from Radius Design €129.00

Nothing brightens up a dreary day like seeing the bright red flash of a cardinal in the evergreen hedge or hearing a cheery “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” when you pick up the mail.

We can encourage our feathered friends to stick around for the winter or stop while they are passing through by helping out with their basic needs - shelter, water and food.

Shrubs, evergreen trees and bushes along with any perennials or grasses that were left standing in your garden, will provide food and also safe shelter from winter storms. If the winter birds can find their own food most of the time, they may need help only when there has been heavy snow or ice.

Keep in mind that if you start to feed the birds, they may expect you to continue.

There are some elaborate and expensive bird feeders available, as well as heated birdbaths, but the only feeders I have used are simple ones. They are easy to use and are fun for kids to try, too.

continue reading "Birds in Winter"