My Winter Window

Now that spring weather is here (40's yesterday, 60's today--whatever!), I'll show you the winter view from my sink.

After experiencing technical difficulties with last year's equipment, I bought a better bird feeder.

 We've observed many species, including some beautiful woodpeckers (not shown here, alas). 

 This feeder has multiple ports, and sometimes we have several birds nibbling with more waiting on nearby branches.  Some eat here while others grab seeds "to go."

This is our Squirrel-Be-Gone 3, a marvelous contraption.  Our S-B-G 2 lasted many years, but when I replaced it last year, the newest model was a bust!  It had a broad base the squirrels could sit on while chewing through the plastic, outwitting the device.  So aggravating!  I happened to stumble across this upgraded (and more expensive) model, and it has performed beautifully!  Enjoy a tour . . .

There are 3 sections which can each hold a different seed mix.  One above is full of sunflower seeds.  Later in the season I switched to a fruit and nut mix (in just one section), which helped attract two species of woodpeckers.

Now here's what makes the Squirrel-Be-Gone so effective:  springs.  Maybe you can see them on the sides.  The springs can be tightened or loosened so that birds on the perches can grab seeds from the ports, while anything heavier--like a squirrel--

pulls down the metal covers!  It is wonderfully effective.  In fact, we had fun watching squirrels whenever they attempted to grab the birdseed.  They could jump onto the feeder, but were never able to tread lightly enough to steal any food.  Mwa-ha-ha!  (Now can you see how the wide base on the newer S-B-G 2 was a disaster?)

The birds must have been hungry this day.  Rebecca sat quietly, but not for long, and saw several birds up close.  You may not be able to easily find the one above, so below is a fuzzy zoom-in.  Hey!  It's one of our neighborhood woodpeckers after all! 

This contraption (thanks to my husband for financing and installing) has been enjoyed by all of us.  We can see it from the kitchen table, sink, and craft area.  It will be retired soon, waiting for next winter.