Watching Birds

 National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition

Watching Birds Can Become An Important Activity For An Elderly Loved One

Especially when Mom was on hospice care in my living room, watching birds became our #1 activity.

In order to make this senior activity more interesting, I put out a few nice bird feeders and some bird houses which helped keep the birds around.

And, my then boyfriend (now, husband…) set up a little camera on the bird feeder and linked it to the big screen tv for easier viewing!

I can’t remember how many times a day my Mom would exclaim, “Oh look! A red bird!” She would always get so excited to see the Cardinals at the feeder, and I would get so exasperated hearing her proclamation AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN.

I will say now though that I’m so very glad I have this memory of her, and, yes, every time I see a cardinal, I utter, “Oh look! A red bird!” It brings a smile to my face.

A small word of caution: If you feed the birds in Fall, you need to keep feeding them all Winter as they stay around specifically because they’ve found food. If you choose not to feed the birds all Winter, stop feeding them in late Summer when there is still plenty of natural food around for them to eat.

Bird Identification Books Makes Watching Birds A Learning Activity – Stimulating the Brain!

I gave Mom a beginner’s birding guide so she could easily identify the birds and learn just a little about their habits. Learning what foods certain birds like and where to put the feeders greatly increased our quantity of backyard birds.

 Bird Watchers Digest 345 An Identification Guide to Common Backyard Birds Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 6th Edition (Peterson Field Guides) Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Birds: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guide Series) The Backyard Bird-Lover’s Guide: Attracting, Nesting, Feeding National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Birds of North America, 2nd Edition

The Best Bird Feeders For Watching Backyard Birds

Squirrels will also be attracted to the bird feeders – after all, they need to eat too. I didn’t really mind feeding them until they emptied the whole bird feeder in one day; the poor birds didn’t have a chance. That’s when I decided to fight back with the Squirrel Buster bird feeder you see in the first image below. This thing works beautifully! The squirrels don’t have a chance….don’t worry though – they have their own feeding station. No one goes hungry around my house!

 Brome 1015 Squirrel Buster Classic Twinkle Star Wild Bird Feeder Hanging for Garden Yard Outside Decoration, Hexagon Shaped with Roof Premium Bird Feeding Station with 2 Bird Feeders Included for Outside – Multi Feeder Pole Stand Kit with 4 Hangers, Bird Bath and 5 Prong Base for Attracting Wild Birds – 22 Inch Wide x 92 Inch Tall Funpeny Hanging Wild Bird Feeder, Red Roof House Bird Feeders and Garden Decoration for Bird Watchers and Children

Watching Birds Gets Easier (And Closer!) With Window Bird Feeders

I used one of these until they drew mice into my old home! So, beware – the seed will drop to the ground and attract other animals so, if your home is not air tight, you might not want to use one of these window bird feeders. It sure would be great on a bedroom window though.

 Kovot Acrylic Window Bird Feeder and Perch – View Birds Close-Up from Inside Your Home (1) Go Simply Amazing Window Bird Feeder – Strong Suction Cups – Clear Weatherproof Acrylic, Extra Large Lock in Place Seed Tray, Drain Holes – Wild/Bluebird/Finch/Cardinal/Bird Feeder Kit Foxup Window Bird Feeders with Sliding Feed Tray for Outside, Never Falling Off, Large Outside Bird Feeder for Wild Birds, Hanging Birdhouse Kit, Drain Holes, Super Strong Hooks Window Bird Feeder – Large Bird House for Outside. Removable Sliding Tray with Drain Holes. Best for Wild Birds. 100% Clear Acrylic. Easy to Clean. Great Gift. Guaranteed For All Weather

Window Hummingbird Bird Feeders

Hummingbird feeders need to be thoroughly cleaned a few times a week or the birds can get ill from the bacteria in the sugar water. Please do not give a hummingbird feeder to an elderly loved one unless there is someone to help them clean it.

 ShinyArt Hummingbird Feeder for Outdoors, 38 Ounces, Blue Phoenix, Including Ant Moat, S Hook, Hemp Rope, Brush, Cleaning Rag and Service Card Perky-Pet 8 oz Window Mount Hummingbird Feeder 217 Garden Song 455-3 Window Mounted 14-Ounce Glass Hummingbird Feeder WOSIBO Hummingbird Feeder for Outdoors Patio 36 Ounces Colorful Hand Blown Glass Hummingbird Feeder with Ant Moat, Hanging Hook, Rope, Brush and Service Card(RED)

Create A Homey Environment With Some Beautiful Bird Houses

I hung up three bird houses and, lucky for us, all three were occupied almost immediately. Mom loved to detail for me the comings and goings of the birds as they built their nests. And, when the little ones appeared for their first flight, Mom and I were both glued to the window.

 Gifts & Decor Thatch Roof Wood Cottage Chimney Bird House Gingerbread Style Birdhouse Avian Bird House Condo Perky-Pet 50301 Wren Home Cedar Birdhouse Victorian Cottage Birdhouse, Yellow Heath PH12 Plastic 12 Room Purple Martin House

Bird Seed and Nectar (for Hummingbirds)

The birds around my house here in Maryland seem to prefer just the black oil sunflower seeds instead of the mixed bird food. And, they just love the suet I put out during the winter. Try a few different types of bird seed to see what birds are attracted to the feeder:

 Wagner’s 76026 Four Season Oil Sunflower Seed, 20-Pound Bag Wagner’s 13008 Deluxe Wild Bird Food, 10-Pound Bag Audubon Park 10300 Premium Cardinal Songbird Blend, 4-Pound Bag Morning Song Nut and Fruit Blend Wild Bird Food, 7-Pound Kaytee Waste Free, 10-Pound Bag Heath Outdoor Products DD-24 Woodpecker Suet Cake, Case of 12 Heath Outdoor Products DD-20 Fancy Suet Cake, Case of 16 First Nature 3054 Red Hummingbird Nectar, 32-ounce Concentrate