a little cup of

 

There was an old enamel cup that had been chipped and was no longer fit for use.  I had designated it to be used in the mudroom for measuring out laundry detergent, but then it seemed to be the perfect size for a little suet feeder.

The smaller birds can balance on the stick, but there is only enough room for one bird at a time.

Soon, the woodpeckers found it. And the bluejays found it too, but they could not hang on for very long.  

By the time the RedBellied woodpecker found it, the other birds could only watch and wait until he had finished before they got another turn at it.

I mixed suet with peanut butter, cornmeal, flax seed, millet seed, chopped nuts, raisins, safflower seed, mealworms and black sunflower seed. I mixed the suet with the peanut butter and heated it together on top of the woodstove until melted. Then I stirred the rest of the ingredients into the cup.  Lastly I added a small stick, and let the mixture cool off before I added some evergreen and berries to the top of the cup.  The weather is very cold, so the birds are getting a good treat.

slow start

So the first pysanky of the season always finds me a bit rusty.  I played with the kistka and cleaned it out and taught myself how to draw 40 triangles on the surface of the egg.  This one is not to give away because it has too many mistakes.  I searched around under the glass cupboard and found the dye jars.  Then the rest of time was spent on emptying the contents of several eggs.  There is something nice about giving eggs with the yolks still intact, but I have lost many eggs to "sudden explosions" and have changed my mind (contrary to tradition).

With the snow and ice finally melting off, the first snowdrops of the season show themselves on the hillside.  I saw my first wasp today and thought it was rather cold and windy for it to be flying about.   There are signs that it is time to start getting the seeds together.  Peppers and lettuce and tomatoes are at the ready.  The lettuce can go directly in the greenhouse, but the rest will have to go under the grow lights on the windowsill for at least 5 or 6 weeks.  Gives me time to rake off the winter in the garden!                                                                

Dryocopus pileatus

 

This woodpecker arrives each morning to survey the area and find something good to eat.  I have been serving "bark butter" spread, which contains mealworms and other goodies that I spoon into a log feeder.  Most all of the woodpeckers seem to enjoy it.  When the Pilaeated woodpecker arrives, he announces his presence with a loud "hahahahaha!" and then swoops down from the big old oak tree and grabs onto the log feeder.

We now have at least two of these woodpeckers that frequent the feeder.  Sometimes they chase each other in circles around the oak tree.  I hope they are a pair, but it is difficult to identify a male from the female.  From what I have read, "Pileated" refers to the bird's prominent red crest, from the Latin pileatus meaning "capped".