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Mourning Doves multipling

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Every year that we’ve lived here we’ve had mourning doves in the backyard. They always come in pairs.

One will eat at the feeder while the other watches from a tree, a wire, or the roof top. Then they change places.

This year we have four mourning doves. Two are smaller than the others. I have a feeling that they are our regular mourning doves babies. They’re about half the size!

They’re so cute but whenever one of the bigger mourning doves comes along the little one tries to chase it away.

I’ll try to get a photo of the younger ones if I can.

Right now we’ve got one small mourning dove hanging out under a patio chair. We have the sprinkler on and I think it’s drinking water from the cracks in the patio stones design. Smart little things.






Get a better look at the birds in your garden with Bird Watching Binoculars

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Well, it’s the beginning of May and those of you who enjoy bird watching have probably started to notice that a number of birds that migrated South for the winter are beginning to return. The birds that over wintered are becoming more and more active too. Building nests, perhaps even starting to lay eggs and raise young ones.

I love watching the birds that visit my garden. We get a number of common birds, but occasionally we’ll get a visit by birds that are not all that common to our general area. Once we even had an escaped parakeet enjoying our feeders daily.

If you enjoy watching birds as much as I do you should think about getting a pair of bird watching binoculars. You can use them to get a better view of the birds visiting your yard, and you can bring them along on road trips using them to find interesting birds in the trees or by the edge of lakes and streams. If you’re really enthusiastic you might even consider joining a bird watching group. I would assume that these groups are quite busy at this time of year with new members and lots of bird watching outings.

Eagle Optics has a wide selection of bird watching binoculars. The prices are low, and their customer service is superb. If you are a bird watching enthusiast you might opt to purchase a top of the line pair of binoculars, if you do, you can easily get financing on orders over $200 if you need a little help getting the binoculars that you really want.

One other thing that I like about Eagle Optics is that they have a Google Checkout payment option, and Free UPS ground shipping to the 48 contiguous states!

If I were going to purchase a pair of bird watching binoculars I’d probably get mid-sized binoculars. They are light weight and as with their size, they are in a medium price range as well. Eagle Optics has their own brand, and they also carry Nikon, and Pentax in the mid-size range. I’d have to take a good look at the features of each one to decide which brand and model I’d most enjoy using, but I can tell you that those are great brand names.

Check out Eagle Optics for yourself and get a brand new pair of binoculars so that you too can enjoy watching all the birds visiting your garden or area this spring.

Re-use your Christmas Tree

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Do you still have your Christmas tree?

If you do, you might want to think about reusing it rather than putting it out on the curb for the garbage collectors to pick up. The Star Tribune, St. Paul Minneapolis has a great list of ideas for those who want to find ways to reuse their Christmas tree.

WINTER MULCH
Evergreen branches can be like a parka for your plants. “The branches help soil maintain an even temperature, and they will stay in place better than loose leaves or straw,” said Nancy Rose, a horticulturist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. Just cut branches off the tree and pile them on plants that need protection.

FOR THE BIRDS
Your discarded Christmas tree can provide habitat and a feeding station. If you have a sheltered spot in your yard, simply lay the tree on its side or add it to a brush pile, then scatter birdseed around it, said Duluth ornithologist Laura Erickson. Or “plant” your old tree in a bucket filled with sand, then decorate with pine cones slathered with peanut butter.

TREE FOR ALL SEASONS
Get more mileage by repurposing your tree for other holidays. Tamara Belle-Isle said the artificial tree of her childhood stayed up through Easter, first decked with Christmas ornaments, then Valentines, then Easter decorations. George and Michelle Gold save their natural Christmas tree for Lent. They take it outside, cut off the branches, saw off a section of the top and make it into a cross.

BACK TO NATURE
You can compost your tree or, if you have access to a woodchipper, you can turn it into mulch. Evergreen chips can be used just as you’d use any wood chips, plus they smell good.

BURN IT — OR NOT?
Mary Granger’s Christmas tree comes down Jan. 2, is chopped into firewood and burned the following year while the new tree is trimmed. Old Christmas tree limbs can make good fire starters because they crackle and are aromatic. But burn with caution: Christmas trees are highly flammable, and they contain a lot of resin, which produces more creosote than hardwoods.

SPRUCING UP YOUR POTS
If you never got around to adding seasonal interest, here’s an easy, no-cost alternative to the ubiquitous spruce tips. Just cut off your Christmas tree branches and stick them in your pots. (Keep the Christmas-tree trunk, save it until spring and use it to stake tomato plants.)

TREE-MENDOUS TRELLIS?
OK, it’s not fancy but it’s functional. When propped upright in the garden, your old Christmas tree can provide a structure for morning glories, purple hyacinths or other climbing vines. A tree trellis lasts only a season, but you can’t beat the price.

Does anyone else have any other ideas of how a Christmas tree might be reused? List them in the comments area, lets build this list.

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