Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes pointers on picturing and feeding feathered friends, a colorful "theme garden" and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> Win a Mantis Tiller!
> Stick Close to Home
> Just Get Me Past April
> Setting the Table
> She's a Theme Player
> Find Answers Fast
> Attract More Wild Birds

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SOMETIMES it pays to stay in your own backyard if you want to get good pictures of birds.

I'm a pretty successful photographer, able to take great shots of stock cars or motorcycles going over 100 miles an hour.

But for some reason when I try to get a few hobby pictures of the local bird population, I come up with blurry birds, half in/half out of the picture.

A particular challenge is a certain great blue heron. Anytime my son and I walk along the creek, we have no problem at all getting close to the bird.

When it's time to snap the picture, though, the heron somehow knows, because he jumps up and flies down the creek just far enough to be out of camera range.

One day after seven close calls and trudging after "old blue" to try again, my son pointed out not too subtly that we were now about 3 miles from home. I decided it was time to give it up, feeling disappointed again as we made our way back.

As we got there, we noticed a big bird in my son's homemade feeder. I snapped a quick picture before it could fly away, but it didn't! We got right next to the feeder, and a beautiful evening grosbeak wasn't bothered at all.

We'd never seen one before, and this friendly bold bird was the perfect antidote to a frustrating afternoon with the blue heron.

I vowed never again to ignore our common bird buddies in my own backyard. I'll let the heron fish...for now.

To view a photo, click here.

T.S. ELIOT must have had gardeners like me in mind when he wrote, "April is the cruelest month, mixing memory with desire."

During the long Pennsylvania winters, I would suffer a cruel exile from my garden, remembering last spring's flowers and feverishly studying plant catalogs. I'd forget that April is not a reliably warm month in this area.

For 3 years, I started seeds inside in February, hurrying spring's arrival, only to watch the new seeds grow and then languish, waiting too long for the earth to warm.

In March, the catalog flowers I couldn't wait to order were delivered, and they had to sit outside in uncomfortably cold and drizzling days.

But this year I'm determined to make things different. I'm trying to shrug off the false promise of those few deceptively warm days in April.

I've slowed down and become more patient--watching and waiting for the signs of spring, not rushing myself or the flowers.

While the early springtime will continue to make a few teasing overtures, and the fair and foul weather will follow one another erratically, I won't care.

When springtime finally settles in, I'll be ready. But May better come pretty soon! 

Setting the Table

WHEN IT COMES to feeding feathered friends, Murry M. of Wilmington, North Carolina says try it--they might like it.

"I bought a box of dog food for my puppy, but she wouldn't touch it," Murry recollects. "So on a hunch, I took a handful outside and put some on the flat bird feeder.

"Well, it wasn't more than a few minutes when red-headed woodpeckers showed up and started carrying off the dog food fast as lightning. I went out and bought three more boxes of that brand."

Murry advises: "If you hear a woodpecker barking in your yard, it's likely been to my feeder!"

Another idea comes from Sarah S. of Birmingham, Alabama.

One day she ran out of suet and needed a substitute.

"I toasted a couple slices of bread, let them cool, covered both sides with peanut butter and jelly, then coated each side with a birdseed combination.

MAYBE YOU can't take your favorite vacation spot back home with you, but you sure can re-create it.

Linda K. was inspired enough to bring a little bit of Mexico all the way up to her patio in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"I'm extremely passionate about birds, flowers and travel," Linda admits. "After several trips to Mexico's warm climate, I was very impressed with certain landscaping.

"So I decided to create my own little Southwestern theme garden in my limited patio space."

In addition to cactus (the obvious choice), Linda discovered that Mexican heather and even bougainvillea do well in her Upper Midwest summer climate.

"Flea markets in Mexico as well as here have been great sources of ceramic masks that I hang on the wooden fence. I've also found unusual flowerpots, figurines and other collectibles to display on painted shelves (the color is "cactus flower", naturally).

"A wonderful birdbath and planter highlight the overall theme," she adds.

This successful venture hasn't replaced Linda's passion for traveling, but it works wonders in highlighting the memories.

To view photos, click here.

Find Answers Fast

TRY the Birds & Blooms on-line Bulletin Board!

This easy-to-use service allows readers with access to the Web to post questions and share information and ideas on-line anytime.

Feel free to ask your question or respond to other readers searching for help on various subjects, such as bird feeding, flower gardening and butterflies. The Bulletin Board gives you a chance to quickly find solutions to your backyard dilemmas. And you'll see for yourself just how friendly our readers are.

To access the Birds & Blooms Bulletin Board, click here.

Here's a recent conversation from our Bulletin Board:

Subject: Feeding Blackbirds

Posted by: YSIAD

Does anyone know if there is a kind of bird food that the blackbirds are not fond of? What will keep the darn things away? I'm sick of them!

RE: Feeding Blackbirds

Posted by: Grandpy_Ma

I think blackbirds will eat anything that other birds eat, only more of it! This is the time of year that starlings and grackles are the worst...I don't have much trouble from the cowbirds or the red wings, though. Now that spring is here, the other birds will not starve if you stop feeding for a while until the blackbirds go away. Good Luck.

RE: Feeding Blackbirds

Posted by: wils_Ont

I find that the grackles and blackbirds empty my feeders when they first come back from the south. Obviously they are hungry after their long trip. I don't begrudge feeding them for a while...then I remove the feeders for a while when other things become available for them to eat, like bugs.

RE: Feeding Blackbirds

Posted by: birdog_NC

You should not stop seeding the birds yet--there aren't enough berries, seeds, insects or worms for them to eat. The Blackbirds will move on soon, so keep your feeders full until the beginning of summer!

RE: Feeding Blackbirds

Posted by: Binski_WY

We have a huge nesting area close by, so I'm stuck with a load of blackbirds. I put one HUGE platform feeder on "their" side of the house and fill it with cheap sunflower seed & corn. Then I put only tube-type finch feeders in my best "viewing" area. The blackbirds don't bother my other birds as much as long as they have an easy supply of their own!

To access the Birds & Blooms Bulletin Board, click here.