Feeding Wild Birds
If you want to bring some color and entertainment into your winter days, put up a bird feeder. Nuthatches, chickadees, blue jays, woodpeckers, cardinals and goldfinches are all often attracted by an outdoor bird feeder. The sight of a bright red cardinal or a goldfinch outside your window enlivens many a breakfast.
Tips
Set the feeder out of the wind and fairly close to trees and shrubs. If you also provide water you will get the greatest variety of birds. Birds need to drink and bathe, just as we do. If you are really serious about bird watching, you can landscape your yard with the birds in mind. Choose plants that produce seeds and nectar. Trees and shrubs with thick growth will give shelter for birds.
Dealing with Squirrels
One of the entertaining aspects of having a bird feeder is dealing with the squirrels. They will try to eat the birdseed. Some people say that if you give them a little of the food, on the ground and away from the bird feeder area, they'll be content. Not a chance. They'll eat the pile of seed, then figure out how to get at the bird feeder.
You must remember not to put the feeder too close to a tree trunk or limb. Squirrels can jump a long way when sunflower seeds are just sitting there waiting for them. Many bird feeders come on long thin poles. The idea is that the squirrels can't climb these, because they are metal and slippery. Don't bet on it. You can put a bit of cooking oil on the pole. This will indeed make the pole slippery. And then you can watch the squirrel start to climb and suddenly start slipping back down the pole. He'll look pretty startled. That can be fun. But eventually, the oil comes off and the squirrel is back on the feeder. The best way to save your birdseed for the birds is to buy a baffle. This is a shallow bowl that goes on the pole. The squirrels can't jump around it. They can't climb over it, either, because it is sloped. It will baffle your rodent neighbors.
Select the correct answer.
What is the narrator's attitude toward the squirrels?
A.
She dislikes them because they are real pests.
B.
She enjoys outsmarting them.
C.
She worries that they will scare away the birds.
