I love a fully decked out gingerbread house with their Candyland-like sweets. But, last year I had the urge to create a more natural looking gingerbread house, and that’s when we came up with this nutty treat for the birds. Continue reading
Hey peeps! The backyard bird count is happening this weekend! Learn all about it here, but basically you sit somewhere for 15 minutes or more and you tally up all the different kinds of birds you see then you report in with your findings. Read this, it’s a good introduction of what you’re getting into. You can make it as big or as small of an affair in your household as you please.
Yesterday and today I simply sat in front of my big office window watched the woods behind my house for thirty minutes. It’s kind of meditative and if you’re thinking you can’t sit still and do nothing (you’re actually helping quite a bit!) listen to a podcast or an audio book while you wait and watch. I’m currently listening to All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Total coincidence BTW.
If you have children, this would be a great time to get out any bird identification books you might have, bird stuffed animals, stories about birds or even a big pair of binoculars. While you’re at it, you could fill any feeders you have hanging on your porch or in your yard. Get your babes interested in our feathery friends. My pop started taking me on bird walks at a very young age and I still remember the wonderment I felt finding and identifying different birds. Great egrets and snowy egrets were some of the first I learned and to this day I still get excited when I see them even though they’re hella common. Have an amazing weekend and whatever your plans, make time to spend at least fifteen minutes contributing to the Great Backyard Bird Count.
September is a great time to take a hike. The extreme heat disappears, rain moves in and cooler temperatures arrive. The damp woods are bursting with fungus. You could even think about joining a mushroom club or going along on a foray this month. If you’re trotting along you’re sure to see squirrels and chipmunks gathering nuts and seeds for the winter months. Overhead you’ll hear birds migrating, check out this post to see how to properly prepare for those on the move. If you’re interested in following along with this season’s migrations, the Cornel Lab of Ornithology produces a bird migration forecast. You’ll learn what species you should expect to see traveling in different regions of the United States. Migrations are heavily dependent upon weather conditions. The best times to see large flocks are directly after a cold front passes and very early in the morning. That’s why birdwatching groups always meet at the crack of dawn, if you wake up early, head to the nearest native habitats with lots of water.
Bats are also on the move this month. As fall approaches big brown bats are looking for a place to hibernate. Cool nights with fewer insects are the primary force that starts the migration to hibernation. Some of these migrations may be very short, only a few miles from their summer homes. At this time of year, big brown bats are plump, healthy and ready for a long sleep. Unheated attics are actually ideal hibernation places for bats so keep an eye out in case some make their way into your home. You’ll want to have them removed before they hibernate or else you shouldn’t disturb them until spring!