Winter Bird Watching!

Jamie had been wanting a new bird feeder since last summer, so this past Christmas I found an excellent one at Peaceful Valley Furniture, just west of Intercourse on Rt. 340.  We hung it in our winterberry bushes, for easy viewing from our kitchen, family room, and dining room, and filled it with wild bird seed and black oil sunflower seeds, as well as suet cakes on the sides.

While it's easy for B&B innkeepers to fill their days with inn-related activities (even on days when there are no guests at the inn), we've been taking some time to watch our feathered friends with a lot more interest this winter.  We bought a book called "Feeder Birds of Eastern North America" (one of the Peterson Field Guides), and also got a laminated card to keep near the window, called "Backyard Birds of the Mid-Atlantic" by Sibley's.  At this point we're not necessarily interested in knowing their Latin names or their mating habits, but trying to identify the many birds that frequent our feeder has been truly fascinating.  We even dusted off our old sports binoculars, and use them for an even closer view of each bird's details.  One type of bird food that we're looking forward to trying in the spring is crushed egg shells... not only are they plentiful at a B&B, but they reportedly attract Purple Martins, who help keep the mosquito population in check during warm months.

In the past few days our feeder has been a hotbed of activity, now that word has apparently spread among the local bird population.  We often have 10-15 birds of different varieties congregating around the feeder at any given time.  Some patiently wait their turn as others eat their fill, some hop in the snow below the feeder pecking at dropped seeds, and some hang around the branches of the winterberry bushes eating berries.

A few of the varieties we've identified so far are Black-Capped Chickadees, Cardinals, House Finches, Tufted Titmouses, Blue Jays, Song Sparrows, and Eastern Phoebes.  Being new to bird watching, we'll no doubt learn to better identify our winged visitors as we go.  Come spring, we anticipate adding a variety of new feeders around our property.  We can't wait! 

By the way, our two cats, Jessie and Buddy, are delighted that we are finally learning to appreciate a hobby that they have been enjoying for years!

Peaceful Valley Furniture - Rt. 340, Intercourse, PA