You see all sorts of stuff people are talking about these days, makes you wonder sometimes. Trends pop up, people get obsessed, then it’s on to the next thing. Hard to keep track, honestly.
Anyway, that whole thing got me thinking about… well, actually, it reminded me of something completely different I got myself into the other week. A little project I decided to tackle right here in my own backyard.
My Bird Feeder Saga
I started by noticing how quiet the garden felt. Too quiet. Thought maybe adding a bit of life would be nice. So, I figured, “Why not try a bird feeder?” Seemed like a simple enough idea at the time. You know, hang it up, birds come, everyone’s happy.
So, off I went to the store. Stood there looking at feeders for ages. Tube ones, platform ones, fancy house-shaped ones. Just grabbed a straightforward tube feeder in the end, nothing too complicated. Picked up a bag of mixed seed too. Looked easy enough on the packaging – just fill and hang.
Getting it set up was the next step. Finding the perfect spot took longer than I expected. Needed a decent tree branch, not too low for the neighbor’s cat, but not so hidden I couldn’t see it from the kitchen window. Spent a good while wandering around, sizing up branches, before finally settling on one.
Filled the feeder, hung it up nice and secure. And then… I waited. Nothing happened. Seriously, for about two solid days, not a single bird. I started thinking, “Great, wasted ten bucks on birdseed.” Felt a bit silly.
Then, one morning, a couple of tiny finches showed up. Success! It actually felt like a real achievement. Soon, a few more different kinds started appearing. Chickadees, sparrows. It turned out to be quite pleasant, watching them zip back and forth while I had my coffee.
The Squirrel Problem
But just when I thought I had it figured out, the squirrels arrived. And let me tell you, those critters are something else. Bold as brass. I saw one shimmy down the branch, hang upside down by its feet, and just stuff its face, emptying half the feeder. Unbelievable.
That started a whole new phase of the project: Operation Keep The Squirrels Out. My attempts were, let’s say, varied:
- Moved the feeder to a thinner branch. (They just jumped further.)
- Tried hanging it higher up. (Didn’t deter them.)
- Got one of those dome-shaped ‘baffles’ to put over it. (That actually worked reasonably well, for a while.)
- Considered getting extra spicy bird seed, but felt bad for them.
- Definitely yelled at them through the window a few times. (Zero effect, obviously.)
So, my little “practice” of birdwatching quickly became a daily strategic battle against the local squirrel population. Some days I manage to keep the feeder mostly for the birds, other days I come out and the whole thing’s been raided. It’s a constant back-and-forth.
So that’s my record of the bird feeder experiment. It’s still up, the birds still come (when they can get a look-in), and the squirrels are still a menace. It’s become part of the routine now. Honestly, it’s kind of entertaining in its own way. Definitely keeps me occupied and gives me something real to focus on, which is more than I can say for a lot of the stuff you stumble across online.
