For the Birds

I went to Ace Hardware today. Bought a trash can. All the time I've been living here I've just been putting my trash bag, naked as it were, out on the "curb" (no real curb, but you get the idea.) But I'm tired of picking up the mess.

Dogs? you ask. Raccoons? Bears? No. Crows. The crows wait in the trees until I go back into the house, then they fly down and tear open the bottom of the bag and pull stuff out. I've tried spraying the bag with ammonia and bleach, but they've not been discouraged. So, gonna try some durable plastic. It should keep them out.

The other thing I got was bird food. I've stopped using loose seed, and only use seed cakes. It makes less waste, thus attracts fewer rodents. Except squirrels. I've watched a squirrel hang by it's back feet to gnaw at the seed cakes in my feeder.

I saw this seed cake called "Hot Pepper." Most are, you know, "Peanut" or "Song Bird's Favorite" or "Orange." So, I thought, this must be the one that wards off squirrels. I bought one, just to try it.

I have a double feeder, just like this one.

Picture credit: www.birdfoodsdirect.com

 

I put the hot pepper one on the side the birds like to eat first, the side by the pole, and a regular flavor on the other side. I didn't see any squirrels this afternoon, but all the birds I saw actively avoided the hot pepper side. So, another failed experiment.

 

Meanwhile, I applied for a position at New Albany (near Columbus), mostly finished the on-line application for Fort Wayne, planted some flower seeds, and collected about a thousand eggs on my farm game. They still won't let me buy more sheep.