Each time I enter a home count in eBird, I include a note that the location is a “Suburban Wooded Back Yard.” The many mature trees in our yard are after all a part of the attraction for the birds that come here. Unfortunately over the past year or two, this description is starting to fray. Our lovely large trees keep falling in unusual numbers and each time this happens, it not only affects the yard’s human owners but also the birds and other creatures that live here. Over this past weekend another very large tree fell. This one in particular is going to have real repercussions for bird life in our back yard.
Just as I was congratulating myself that I had gotten my feeders strategically set up to attract the birds I wanted while keeping squirrels out . . . a new visitor from nature arrived. A raccoon was eating my suet. This is the story of what was happening and how I solved the problem. Raccoons now stay out of my suet!
There is something very special about watching a new day begin with the birds. From quiet darkness, to the first early chirps, to the first few winged visitors, building to the busy activity of dozens, local birds are a big part of the start of each new day. If you pay attention, you are likely to see patterns in bird activity in your yard. Every yard is different and every day is different, but this is the pattern I see on a typical winter morning in my yard.
