Fun at the Jelly Feeder

Our jelly feeder is supposed to be for the Baltimore Orioles, and we do have quite a few of them coming to eat from it.  

The guys, the gals... they all come, and they have their own style of dining.  Right-side up or upside down, it doesn't matter.

 The feeder has also attracted others with a sweet tooth.  Oops, they don't have teeth, do they? 

The male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks both love the grape jelly.

female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

I try to get them to eat healthier by giving them some banana, too, but they usually seem to go for 'dessert' first.  Then they eat the fruit after!

This Chickadee comes often for a treat, too.

I started chopping up the banana and mixing it in, because squirrels were stealing the whole chunk!  That's right, red squirrels are feasting from our feeder, too.

These acrobats are why I had to add the clip to hold the glass into the wire holder, too.  They were knocking it to the ground with all the swinging around they do.

This grey squirrel also found the feeder and was caught red-handed in the jelly:

As you can see, there is quite a parade at our little jelly feeder.  It only cost a couple of quarters for the glass candle holder and the wire was some we already had.  Now, the cost of all the grape jelly we put out is another matter!  But I buy the cheap kind (no one is picky about 'brand name' it seems!) and I easily receive back in value the fun of watching the parade!

A Christmas Eve Visitor

On Christmas Eve, we had a blast of lake-effect snow.  I was in my nice warm kitchen most of the day, doing some Christmas baking and cooking.  While I worked, I was entertained by the birds at the feeders outside the window.  Besides the birds, there was a visitor I hadn't seen for quite awhile.... a Red Squirrel.

At first he had his back to me.

What a handsome sight his rusty coat was against the white snow and green pine boughs!

He was busy eating and I was busy working, but I kept watching.  As the snow continued, he found a spot right under the White Pine branch to proceed with his meal.

Red Squirrels eat many kinds of wild foods -- the seeds from evergreen cones, most any kind of other seeds, plus acorns, insects, buds and twigs, mushrooms, and even eggs and young birds.  They store food for the winter in "middens"which are caches near their nests which can contain up to a bushel of dried foods.   This one seemed pretty intent on filling up his stomach right on my bird table however!

"Yum, yum!"

Red squirrels are very alert and territorial.  They can chase off grey squirrels (which are almost twice their size).  They are also very agile and quick!  They need to be, because they can be preyed upon by hawks, owls, coyotes, house cats, weasels and the like.  So, this one was keeping an eye out for trouble!

It's okay, just a junco! Back to eating...

He is pretty well hidden under those pine boughs anyway.  Can you see him in the next photo?  Look near the middle of the table, for his tail sticking out.

His tail is not as bushy as a grey squirrels, but it sure is a beautiful color!

Having him visit brightened my day, and I hope these pictures of him will brighten yours!

 

Jumper the Red Squirrel

Ruby is here with me today.  It's a dark and very damp day, so we thought you might need some cheering up.  Of course, Ruby and I go outside no matter what the weather.

As you can see by Ruby's ears, she got quite moist during our morning walk.  It's okay though because she has her own towel.

After a little drying off time, we thought about what we could post to make you smile.  (Of course, you haven't been smiling at Ruby's pictures, have you?)

Jumper the Red Squirrel seemed like a good choice!

 

Jumper comes on sunny days.... and rainy days like today.

  Today, he can sit right inside this feeder, snug and dry, while he eats his fill of sunflower seeds.

 Jumper also enjoys other foods we provide.

 When he wants something sweet, he can eat a little grape jelly or some orange.

 

See the spot on his back where he doesn't have much fur?  Let me explain how Jumper got his name which may also explain this hair loss!  

When Jumper first started coming to our bird feeders, he did not like the swinging sensation that resulted when he jumped into the copper feeder.  He would jump into it, grab a seed, and quickly jump out again!  Up and down he would go, over and over.

The grey squirrel on the other feeder probably thinks he's crazy!  Jumper had many crashes, especially on rainy days when things were wet and slippery.  

Jumper does a little helicopter spin at the end of this short video.  Watch closely or you'll miss it!

So, I'm thinking he may have lost some fur in various crashes that he's had (I've seen quite a few!).  He's gotten better at sitting in the feeder and just eating til he's done.  He is also mastering other positions.

Kids, don't try this at home. 

 

Jelly Feeder Parade

In celebration of the lovely rain God has given us the last couple of days, I thought I would share with you the antics I’ve been watching right from my kitchen window!

Speaking of rain, don’t you love how this time of year -- the leaves seem to just explode once we have some rain?  I think it’s amazing!  You can almost hear the trees saying, “aaahhhh” and their leaves bursting forth.  I tried to think of some other phrase to describe it, but they really ARE bursting forth!

Back to the kitchen window.... I still have some of my regular bird feeders out that were out all winter, but now I also have two hummingbird feeders, half an orange, and a homemade grape jelly feeder.  The jelly feeder is where a lot of the action is happening right now.  (although a hummingbird made an appearance about 5 minutes after I put up my last post about being ready for them!)
The orange half and the grape jelly are for the Baltimore Orioles.   If I have an over-ripe banana, chunks of that go in the feeder, too.

They love it... both Mr. and Mrs. Oriole.

The male Orioles line up to get a chance to eat some!

Last year, I was chopping up bananas to add to the jelly, then I got busy and just stuck a big piece in the feeder. That worked just fine.  

Here's a male with a big piece... later in the season, they will fly off carrying the pieces in their bills to feed their young.  For now, they gobble them up themselves, right at the feeder.

They also like oranges...

 And even suet, when I have it in a bag.  I have not seen them eat it from our suet log though.

  
The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks arrived and thought they should check it out.

Is this stuff to eat???

It's pretty good!

Honey, you come eat some, too...

This is a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.   They sure look different, don't they?  But you can tell them by the large beaks ('gros' meaning large... not 'gross'!) God gave her the right colors to blend in with her nest for protection.  

They mostly enjoy the sunflower seeds but do hop over for some jelly every once and awhile.  Then they wipe their beaks from side to side on the crab-apple tree to clean off the stickiness!

 
Finally, not to be left out, Jumper the Red Squirrel (who really deserves a post of his own and will probably get one someday!) decided to try the grape jelly, too!

Notice where Jumper's hind feet are in this photo!  Jumper is one of the least coordinated Red Squirrels I've ever seen!

One of the things I love about God’s creation is you just never know what you are going to see next!  

Why not put some grape jelly out and see who eats it at your house?