Recently in Missouri Birds Category

If you enjoy watching hummingbirds, its easy to plant flowers that will bring them, and keep them, around your garden.

I have a number of deck pots full of plants specifically for hummingbirds, including various colors of salvia, which look like tiny hummingbirds, and petunias, all in a range of hummingbird favorite colors of red, pink and purple.

Don't these red salvia look like tiny hummers?

Hummingbirds are also very fond of single-blossom tropical hibiscus, which are native to hummingbirds summer grounds in Brazil. Since hummingbirds use their long tongues to lick, single blossoms are easier for them to access nectar.

There are also a number of Missouri wildflowers that I've personally seen attract hummingbirds,  including bee balm, columbine, purple coneflower and, I hear, indian paintbrush, something I have yet to successfully grow from seed but I'm still trying.

Hummingbirds also enjoy coral bells, fuchsia, honeysuckle,  russian sage, purple coneflowers and phlox.

If I had to choose only one flower to plant for hummingbirds,  it would be basic pink phlox. Once these perennials start blooming, they seem to maintain flowers the entire growing season, attracting a variety of not only hummingbirds but  a wide range of butterflies and hummer moths, often confused for baby hummingbirds.

If you don't have room for a lot of these plants, and still want to attract hummingbirds,  hang a hummingbird feeder from a tree tropical hibiscus.

There are a number of hummingbird feeders available on the market.

I recommend plastic ones so they don't break when raccoons take a drink, or two...

To make hummingbird sugar water, mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts water - no need to add red food coloring - and replace every few days, especially if the temperature is hot.  Don't wash hummingbird feeder with soap; use only hot water.

By offering both plants and sugar water, you are sure to attract these amazing birds into your garden!












Charlotte is a Master Gardener writing her blog, and a weekly newspaper column, on a MO hill gardening to distraction.

Phelps County Master Gardeners April 2011 will be painting birdhouse gourds again.

The gourds are grown by Phelps County Master Gardener Laura Lackey and were a popular sale item at last year's 9th Annual Phelps County Master Gardeners Annual Garden Tour and Plant Sale.

Birding experts tell me if a bird has a choice between a bird house and birdhouse gourd, they'll pick the gourd so these are wonderful to bring birds into your garden..

Gourds are close relatives to cucumbers, squash and melons, requiring a relatively long growing season.

In addition, gourds take 6-12 months or longer to dry before you can work with them so finding them already dry will speed up the process.

Birdhouse gourds available to decorate for sale through Phelps County Master Gardeners will be Lagenaria gourds, or apple gourds.

Once the gourd is dry, you need to drill 2-3 drainage holes in bottom in case rain gets in.

You will also need to drill an entrance hole.

Size of the hole varies with the type of bird you want to attract so here's a guide to entrance holes and what birds use it.

Remove most of the dried inner membrane and seeds; you don't need to clean all of it out, birds will take care of the rest and use some of it to move around inside the gourd.

If you prefer the natural look, two coats of clear polyurethane on the outside only will protect the gourd through one season.

If you prefer more decoration, use any exterior paint.

Clean the gourd first with a stiff brush to remove any dirt; allow to dry before applying paint or polyurethane.

A coat of clear polyurethane on the outside will help preserve the artwork.

No need to add a perch; birds are safer without  having them and don't need them themselves to get in and out.

Phelps County Master Gardeners can pick up several gourds to paint from the more than 40 apple birdhouse gourds Laura will bring to Phelps County Master Gardeners April 5, 2011 meeting, 6:30 pm, at First Baptist Church, 800 North Cedar, Rolla, Missouri.

Painted gourds need to be returned by the May 3, 2011 Phelps County Master Gardener meeting at 11:30, First Baptist Church, 800 Cedar Street in Rolla, MO so Laura can add hanging eye hooks and a cord prior to the Mary 22, 2011 10th Annual Phelps County Master Garden Tour and Plant Sale.

If you can't make the April 5, 2011 meeting, contact Laura at LackeyRN@gmail.com (573) 265-8617.

Finished birdhouse gourds will be sold for $10-25 at Phelps County Master Gardeners May 22, 2011 10th Annual Garden Tour and Plant Sale.

For inspiration, here are some of last year's painted birdhouse gourds:

Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill

I wish I could tell you how many times I tried to photograph this little guy at my bird feeder along with the rest of my Missouri winter songbirds.

At first, I thought he was a little accident-prone wren with a bent beak.

Then I noticed his coloring, so much like the tree bark he likes to climb, not to mention his penchant for suet.

Finally, my Twitter photo friend Steve Creek shared some of his wonderful brown creeper photos, and mentioned how hard they were to photograph so here's my one, and only, brown creeper photo - so far.

Brown creepers are little guys. His coloring blends so well in with the tree bark, sometimes the only sign I have he's even around is when the tree looks like it's moving!

One of the ways to easily attract some of Missouri's backyard birds, such as Red-Bellied Woodpeckers (left) and  Hairy Woodpeckers  (right) is to offer them homemade bird suet.

My bird friend Mike Doyen, former president of Missouri Audubon Society's Ozark Chapter, shared his famous homemade bird suet recipe:

"Melt 1 cup of lard, (no substitute) and

1 cup of crunchy peanut butter.

As this mixture comes to a slow boil, stir in:

2 cups quick cook oats

2 cups corn meal

1 cup of white flour

1/3 cup of sugar and 1 cup of white raisins. (Make sure to let raisins soak in water for a couple of hours)

Pour mixture into wax paper-lined square container. Allow to cool; then cut to size and store in freezer as needed.

If you double this recipe, which I often do, especially in winter, it will make eight good size cakes.

You can use any dried fruit, just make sure you soak first.

Place cake in suet cage or just lay on a plate and watch birds flock to your feeder."

Thanks, Mike!

Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill

My collection of Missouri backyard birds spending winter at my bird feeders would not be complete without this very attentive species that spends mornings hanging out at my living room windows.

Now it's not always easy to spot them at first.

Luckily this Missouri wildlife species has a very marked tail.


These little guys are fast, usually taking off before they can be "caught."

This little guy, though, still had sunflower seed hulls in his mouth.

As my nephew in Virginia likes to tell his cats - "busted!"

Hi, I'm Charlotte Ekker Wiggins and I write Gardening to Distraction an online blog and weekly newspaper column.

The name comes from a local newspaper writer who wrote a profile and noticed all my many green friends.

I've been playing with plants since I was 2 yrs old and poked coffee beans into my mother's favorite orchid.

I can blame it only partly on genetics.

Our family goes back 600 yrs to farming in Hungary, then immigrated to Louisiana to grow strawberries and make strawberry wine.

It does explain why my brother once said baking a strawberry pie was a waste of a perfectly good pie crust - we inhale strawberries!

Over the years, my chemical-free, 1-acre Missouri garden has become not only inspiration for a business and a weekly newspaper column, but a sanctuary for Missouri nature.

I'll confess, I have a messy garden; vegetables planted among flowers, Missouri wildflowers allowed to take over without being invited, birds and birdhouses everywhere; several small ponds full of wildlife, including snakes.  Two honeybee hives keep my garden company, and I don't believe in grass. Nothing personal, I just prefer spending my time in the garden doing something other than mowing.

I became a Phelps County Master Gardener in 2010 so I now have more people I can share my passion for gardening and ask for help!

In this blog, I also share personal gardening experience focused on USDA Zone 5, recently-changed to zone 6; Missouri nature adventures;  occasional trips to area gardens, as well as my adventure with a Missouri traditional - I call it a toy - vegetable garden.  

Why yes, I do like to garden!

Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill

 

Among Missouri backyard birds in my wildlife garden, mourning doves are one of the most faithful.

I've had pairs of mourning doves in my wildlife garden for years, mingling with other ground-feeding birds, or just hanging out close to favorite garden beds and feeding stations all year around.

They're one of the most common backyard birds but I always feel privileged when they settle in. Sometimes mourning doves will spend days perched on tree limbs, usually in pairs, or find a comfy spot on the ground on downed limbs.

Mourning doves will make a twirling cry as they fly off when I approach, but they don't go far. These two now barely move when they see me.

Aren't their feathers pretty?

Whenever I see these bright, blue grey birds among my Missouri backyard birds, they seem to be backing up - trees, bird feeders, suet holders.

Nuthatches are well-behaved Missouri backyard birds, easily getting along with other frequent visitors to my sunflower-filled bird feeders and blending in with Black-Capped Chickadees, Dark-Eyed Juncos and Tufted Titmouse, all who share similar coloring.

Nutchatches are a little bigger than a sparrow, and easily mis-identified as a woodpecker because of their long beak and penchant for hanging out at suet stations.

For the first winter in years, I had a Blue Jay visiting my suet station February 2011.

I used to have a handful of these large, bright blue birds causing mischief.

Blue Jays are very intelligent and not very picky; they'll problem solve to get food out of bird feeders and eat anything, including acorns. Some biologists attribute the range of oak trees to Blue Jays storing acorns in the ground like squirrels do.

Blue Jays also are aggressive birds; they'll take over a bird feeder, chasing off other Missouri backyard birds and generally acting like bullies. Ironically enough, they're also generous guardians,  kaw-kawing a loud warning if a cat or other threat gets close.

Years ago, my cat Margaret came nose to nose with a Blue Jay. We were walking through the garden when I heard the distinct Blue Jay warning call. When I didn't see Margaret walking behind me, I retraced my steps to find Margaret and a Blue Jay 3 inches apart, the Blue Jay leaning towards Margaret and the white cat sitting up but still, only the tip of her tail twitching every couple of seconds.

When I called to her, i saw her reach out a declawed paw close to the beak. The Blue Jay stood up as Margaret turned towards me, then flew off, noisily kaw-kawing again.

I'm guessing Margaret was not his first cat encounter.

The Blue Jay in my photos looks like a young bird, possibly the new generation that survived West Nile virus, which decimated many bird populations including Blue Jays.

I'm glad to see these beautiful, mischievous birds back.

Besides Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, my Missouri backyard birds attracted to suet holders include Hairy Woodpeckers.

These agile, black and white birds with a patch of red on the back of their heads look very much like their smaller cousins, Downy woodpeckers.

Like their smaller cousins, Hairy Woodpeckers also hang onto a bird feeder while they're feeding.

When trying to distinguish between the two, I look for the length of the bill. Hairy Woodpeckers have the longer bill.

If I can't see the bill well, I'll still guess Hairy Woodpeckers. They seem to instinctively know when dinner's on!