create a backyard habitat for wildlife

This is a goldfinch on the thistle feeder outside of my…our…the kitchen window. He likes whats been done so far.

we put our bird feeders out again. Over winter the wind and ice got so bad, they were almost torn down a few times. We kept the water bath out, but as a surprise, P put the feeder back out. For now its only sparrows and squirrels. Saw a chickadee this morning which made me smile. It will take a few weeks. They are used to not stopping here anymore. Just heard a cardinal! Slow but sure. We have good food and great atmosphere. Who could pass that up?

I love bats. Did I ever tell you that? LOVE bats. I know people are afraid of them and other than movies, which shame on you for thinking bats will turn into vampires or fly into your hair (!), bats are actually creatures you want near your home. Especially if you garden or have vegetables or spend a lot of time outside because they eat bugs. I received a Nature Conservancy magazine yesterday and one of the articles is regarding White Nose Syndrome. It is a disease that is killing THOUSANDS of bats. Apparently it is a form of mold that attacks while bats are hibernating. Some bats leave and fly in winter, which kills them because of the cold, others grow thin and weak, then die. No one knows why bats get it or where it even comes from, but recent studies who it might be coming from humans. I’m glad there are some people taking it seriously.
Trust me, once you look at them, they are NOT that scary and, you DONT want a world without bats.
This is the poor doomed little creatures with their white noses. Damn.

We are getting the compost bin so we can make our own fertilizer for a small garden we want to grow. I don’t think the landlord will mind, but we will ask to be sure. We are going to have to fence off in the beginning because we have bunnies EVERYWHERE. We can throw out some of the veggies that are too small or not looking too great, but I plan on planting certain herbs and some flowers that attract bees. We will also put our feeders out again with safflower seed only so that pigeons, starlings and other annoying birds wont eat us out of house and home.
I am doing the planning. Can’t wait.
Here is a chickadee at a feeder. Its my favorite bird.

The deer is back. Poor thing, we took the feeders down because the weather has been so bad and of course the rats are out. But I looked outside the other day before the inches turned into feet and there they were, deer tracks. So, in true Calvin and Hobbes fashion, I yelled out the front door “YOU BETTER BE CAREFUL”. I really hate that humans have taken over everything. We are so selfish. Not to mention destructive.

I love bats. LOVE bats. I don’t know why. Probably because I grew up in the country and they were everywhere. I had a batman experience once and still remember it. My step father asked me for my tennis racket (I was 15) so I gave it to him. Next thing I know he is hitting the floor over and over and over again. I can’t see what he is doing and when it is over, there on the floor and my tennis racket, is a bat. I was so upset. I told him its against the law to kill a bat in NY. He told me it was against the law for him to kill me too, but he could do it. Great dad. Anyway, ever since then, I have always wanted my own bat house in my yard so they have a safe place to go, instead of the local houses. Plus, they would keep the neighborhood clean of bugs. Bats are amazing creatures with a bad vampire wrap. You should check them out. See how truly extraordinary they really are. Hopefully one day, they’ll be my neighbors.

I want a backyard with tomatoes. And squash. They are so easy to grow. I want to get our bird feeders out again. Last year, even though we rent, we had a deer that would eat grass on our front lawn. She would make her way around to the side and drink from the bird bath and eat some of the seed that had fallen. Let me just say that I live in the city. IN THE CITY. There are woods behind our building so I think that is where she came from. But I haven’t seen her in 6 or 7 months. A few months ago, while driving home, I saw wild turkey running down the sidewalk of our main road. This road is crazy busy. Once we get a house, we can set up permanent residence and they can hang out instead of leaving and risking life and limb.

We watch that show on Animal Planet. We love it. We love it so much we want to be certified by the National Wildlife Federation. We LOVE birds; herons, woodpeckers, chickadees are my favorite. My partner is obsessed with woodchucks. We have feeders out, but when you rent, its just not the same. So, hopefully when the buying a house goal falls into place, we can make a home for any creature, large and small. Everyone is welcome.