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Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! Get ready for fall this month with tips for caring for Autumn Glory Hawthorns and advice on hummingbird feeders. Plus, you‘ll find humorous stories from readers about some quirky bird behavior.

Remember to share this newsletter with your friends who enjoy birding and gardening. If this newsletter was sent to you, sign up today and receive your own monthly Birds & Blooms e-mail.

• READ ON TO DISCOVER...
• Autumn Glory
• Inviting Bouquet
• Fall Feeders
• Frying Pan Birdbath
• Picture This
• First “Kiss”
• Watch for Seeds
• Feathers and Fur
• Under the Evergreens
• Tough Nut to Crack

Autumn Glory

IF YOUR AUTUMN glory hawthorns are no longer producing beautiful bright-red berries—although they are still blossoming—as they used to, a lack of pollination could be the problem. This may be the result of a late spring frost that damaged the shrub’s blossoms before pollination; a cool wet spring that reduced the number of bees available to pollinate; or insecticides applied during bloom.

Although you can’t change the weather, you can encourage bees and other pollinators to visit your landscape by filling it with plenty of flowers.
Also, avoid using insecticides on blooming plants. These chemicals not only kill bees and other pollinators, but they interfere with the plants’ fruit formation and development.

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Inviting Bouquet

ONE LOVELY day last fall, I was gathering fragrant nasturtiums to display on our table. As I picked, I heard the familiar hum of a ruby-throated hummingbird—it hovered just a few feet from me.

The iridescent bird darted from the cosmos to the lavatera, drinking nectar from each bloom. Then it tried to get to the nasturtiums, only to be stopped by the thick canopy of green leaves covering the flowers.

This gave me an idea—perhaps the bird would enjoy a few sips from the flowers I had collected. So, standing still as a statue, I held out the bouquet.

Surprisingly, the tiny creature accepted my invitation. It visited nearly every bloom, and I got a remarkably close look at this tiny miracle. —Nancy Omernick, Stevens Point, Wisconsin

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Fall Feeders

DON’T WORRY about feeding hummingbirds, orioles or other birds too late into autumn. Leaving sugar-water feeders up for hummingbirds in the fall will not interfere with their migration. It’s not food that determines when birds migrate, it’s the amount of sunlight.

In fact, it’s a good idea to feed these birds as late as possible to give them a good nutritional start on their journey. Plus, the feeders may benefit migrating hummingbirds that pass through.

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Frying Pan Birdbath

IF YOU HAVE a frying pan that’s seen better days, why not give it to the birds?

I’ve retired several of my old pans and transformed them into birdbaths and tray feeders.

I simply remove the handles (be sure to file down any sharp edges), and they’re ready to go.

My husband, Paul, dug 18-inch-deep holes with a post-hole digger and sunk 4-foot pressure-treated fence posts into the ground to support these recycled pans. To secure them, he drilled a 1/4-inch hole in the center of each pan and screwed it to the top of the fence post.

If you’re going to use the pans as birdbaths, use rubber washers or waterproof caulk to seal the holes. Also place small rocks in the bottoms to improve footing.

If you choose to make them into feeders, drill tiny drain holes in the bottoms of the pans to keep the birdseed from getting soggy.  —Jo Morton, Satellite Beach, Florida

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Picture This

HERE’S ONE instance when squirrels can’t be blamed for stealing bird seed.

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First “Kiss”

WHILE DRIVING from Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon Territory to our summer place in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, I had to pull over for a lengthy road-construction delay.

There was lots of repair work along Highway 37 that summer, so I became quite used to it. I simply rolled down the window, opened an ice-cold can of pop and began reading a book.

I’d only read a few paragraphs when a hummingbird interrupted me by hovering outside my open window. It flew around the car and disappeared, so I got back to my reading.

Moments later, it returned. The tiny bird darted through the window and hovered again, this time less than an inch from my face. Suddenly, it reached out and touched my lips with its long tongue before quickly flying away.

I was mesmerized that this tiny creature would be bold enough to kiss me!

The only logical explanation is that it was attracted to the moisture on my red lips. But forget logic. My heart was aflutter thanks to that pint-size Romeo. —Petra Hankinson, Prince Rupert, British Columbia

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Watch for Seeds

A FEW YEARS BACK, most of the flying jewels in our backyard had departed for their winter homes by Labor Day—all but a few stragglers.
What’s unusual is that these birds barely fed on the sugar-water in my feeders. They were too interested in the watermelon rinds I threw to the ground for the butterflies to enjoy.

At first, I thought they were just investigating the red color. But as I watched, they’d actually stick their bills into the fruit. On occasion, they’d even land on the rind and perch as they fed.

The feeders and a stand of penta blooms in my garden were visited on occasion, but the clear treat of choice was watermelon. —Carol Carter, Marshall, Texas

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Feathers and Fur

AS ODD AS it sounds, our dog, “Samantha,” has become friends with a pair of barn swallows. They play for most of the day, especially when it’s sunny, and Samantha can chase their shadows.

To me, it appears like they’re playing a game of tag. The birds fly really low and tease her into a chase. If the dog loses interest, the swallows start to circle above her and then dive until she’s up and running.

Samantha doesn’t seem to mind the extra attention from her feathered playmates. And I love to hear her happy barks as she runs after the birds’ criss-crossing shadows. —Jeri Watkins, Field Editor, Wabasso, Minnesota

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Under the Evergreens

HAVE BARE AREAS underneath evergreens in your yard? Try planting a few shade-tolerant groundcovers under the tree. Spotted deadnettle (Lamium), moneywort (Lysimachia), wild ginger, ferns and hostas are some plants that will tolerate these shady conditions.

However, don’t add additional soil or dig extensively under the trees. This can stress and even kill your evergreens. You may also want to leave the fallen pine needles because they make a great mulch.

When planting under trees, dig a hole slightly larger than the roots of your transplants. This minimizes damage to the tree’s root system. Then fill the hole and brush the pine needle mulch back around the new plants.

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Tough Nut to Crack

I’LL NEVER forget the blue jay that used to visit the pecan tree in my neighbor’s front yard. The tree partially hung over the street, so this cunning bird would feast on the nuts that were crushed by passing cars.
But the bird wasn’t satisfied with eating some of the tree’s nuts. It would actually carry the pecans from the side that overhung the yard to a branch over the road. Then it would drop them and wait for cars to pass so it could devour the tasty meats. Now that’s a well-developed birdbrain. —Bill Bendorf, Chester, Illinois

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