All summer I had planned to clean the bird feeders so they would be ready to hang in November. Of course, that never happened. I mean, sometimes I do stay on top of things, but this summer was filled with other stuff. However, the bird feeders are now clean.
We have had a stretch of warm days, with temperatures in the 60s and even one day in the 70s. It has been pleasant indeed. That made it easier to grab a bucket and scrub brush and turn on the hose and wash out some old crusty bird seed.
The feeders are all tube feeders at this point. Over the years we have had other kinds. We got one as a wedding present that looked like a cozy house. I patched and repaired and repainted it until it finally fell apart. That is what happens when you leave something made of wood out in the weather. Bird seed and other detritus gets jammed into the bottom of the tubes on our current feeders. Plus they just get dirty. It is better for the birds’ health if their food is not contaminated by rotting seed or, let’s be honest, by bird poop that may have gotten into the works. This means taking the things apart with a screwdriver and washing each bit, letting them dry, and reassembling them.
So the stretch of warm days was a bonus after putting off the task when the days were all warm. I scrubbed all the parts and left them to dry in the sun. By the time the sun was low, they were dry, and I put them back together. The next day the hardware store had a few dollars more and we had some bags of birdseed. I filled two out of four of the feeders and hung them out back, within the fenced area. I usually hang two in the front but the bears are still about. I will hang those in a few weeks.
Goldfinches and Bluebirds and House Finches have already discovered this new bounty. Others will come as the days get cold and the word gets out within the avian population. The Project Feederwatch season has begun and I look forward to recording what we see. Once I drain the hose and store it, we will be ready for winter. Well, I do still need to plant that garlic…
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