Feeding the birds...

...is a wonderful past time, although can be somewhat costly.  That is if you feed the such things as hulled sunflower seeds.  People who do that do not want a "mess" of hulls on their patio or whatever.  And some people even feel that it's so much better for the birds, since it's "easier" for them to feed.  Personally, I feel that since they're getting "free food" they can "work for it" a bit.  As for the mess, my backyard is so shaded nothing grows there anyway, so the hulls are almost a type of mulch to walk on.

But the upside is seeing all the different varieties in one place, and on occasion, the oddballs that may be passing through on their migration and find a free meal.    I think I may have covered some of that in an earlier post. 

The picture below show a small part of the number and type of birds coming to the feeder on this snowy afternoon.  I took the picture through the kitchen window.  Every time the curtain moves a bit, the birds have a tendency to scatter.  Therefore, we really have more coming to the feeder, but these were the more bold ones.  All the red spots in the trees are cardinals.  They have a tendency to feed early in the morning and later in the afternoon.  The smaller birds feed all day long.

There are three fill-type feeders, one saucer feeder, and to the left, four suet feeders (suet cakes are back to back.)   I use sunflower seed, safflower seed, canary seed, and thistle seed.  The feeders are filled every morning and every evening.  The suet feeders usually last about a week or two.  The joy is forever!