I'll take a guess that the black and orange bird is an oriole? not sure.

I had a Pilated Woodpecker come to my suet feeder - first time ever in the 36yrs. I've been here. I walked into the kitchen and just froze when I saw him, but by the time I creeped across the hall to get my camera and back he was gone.

I think your black and orange bird is a towhee. I love those. An oriole has orange on the bottom side of the tail and I can't tell from your picture if this one has that. The towhee would have some white on its breast, too, which I also can't see. No matter, it is fun and a treat to see either of those two birds! We have a towhee that I see in fall and spring. It may not be the same one every year, but I like to think it is! Congrats on getting the birds to your home! Aren't they fun?!

A pileated woodpecker! I would love to see one of those, schoolhouse! I have heard what might be one in the woods behind our house, but have never seen one, alas.

That is so terrific the birds have found you! And what a gorgeous spot you have.

Bird watching is such a great winter activity. We have about four feet of snow on the ground now and I'm not really sure when I'll see the garden again, but the birds are helping to make the snowy, bitterly cold winter bearable. We have a heated birdbath and yesterday there were 9 mourning doves circled around it. Then there were another 12 doves on the back deck feeding where I've shoveled out an area for the birds. I have a habit of watching and enjoying the birds and then later saying "gee, I really should have gotten a picture of that!" LOL!

Schoolhouse! A pileated on a suet feeder? That's phenomenal! I hope you get to see that again!

Nice pix.
Agree that is an Eastern Towhee.

tj

Thanks for id'ing my bird ! I googles it and they are usually heard and not seen much as they enjoy rummaging in brush . So neat to see a new bird! Also I googled the pileated woodpecker ! What a large bird ! I'll keep my eye out for sure. I'd love to see one. We saw a bald eagle circling the pond a week ago , that was magnificent .

I wish I had stocked up on suet for this winter storm. But the bag of sunflower seed is making them happy !

Great pics Lilyfinch, I have a couple of pics of birds that visit our
feeders but they aren't very good. We get a few woodpeckers at our suet
feeders, Downy, Hairy and the Pileated, Flickers too. They make short
work of the suet, especially when they're feeding babies. My favorites
are the Chickadees and Bush Tits and of course the hummers we get the
Rufous and Anna's, the Anna's stay all winter and are nesting right now. If Percy only knew what we did with the fur brushed out of her, the hummers love it to line their nests :).

Annette

And it's just one of those small square wire suet feeders, have it hanging against a lower tree limb opposite the seed feeder. When I saw his head appear from behind the limb to grab some suet I was awestruck. I made a note of the date beside its picture in my Peterson's book. You are right lilyfinch, they are big - nearly like a crow. Mom has had one at her suet feeder on several occasions over the years, there is a woods not far from her house. There is also a large wood behind my house beyond the corn field.

Horrible picture but the only one I have of a Pileated Woodpecker, taken the beginning of March last year

Annette , what do you do with the fur to give it to the hummers?

We also get a handful of hummingbirds. There was one who spent all his time chasing the others away , I really don't know when he ate ! I'm looking forward to them coming back .

That's so neat you both saw one ! I didn't even know they existed.

lilyfinch, take the loose hair and put it near the humming bird feeder, use a clothes pin if needed to attach it to anything near by. It's fun watching them pull bits out and fly off with mouthfuls to add to their nests.

i never thought about swapping photos before, let me see what i can do. between the waterfall to the koi pond, the thick jasmine vine and the bird food out back. i could open an aviary. but no starlings or grackles allowed.

I'm a lurker, but here's a Baltimore Oriole, immature male.

This is a first for my garden here in Augusta, GA.

Jeff, I'm not seeing your photo ? Bummer. I never grew winter jasmine but it must be popular!

Junco , thanks for sharing the oriole pic ! And don't be a lurker!! We love pics here . I am thinking of making a fruit holder to maybe attract orioles and the like. I received a saw for Christmas and some books with patterns for bird projects . It was a project in there to try .

After midnight I will try that for sure ! Thanks for the idea !

Eastern Towhee... agreed, good for you!!
Lots of simple, DIY's to attract more birds to your place!

Water: Even in winter with snow cover, fresh water is crucial. Birds will flock to a heated bath. It doesn't have to be fancy, a shallow pan of water works great, adding a bath heater ensures a consistent fresh water source. You can prolong freezing for a little while by adding some sugar to the water - but heated baths do rock! Sure, birds can eat snow, but it takes energy (calories) to convert the snow to water. These extra calories help them endure frigid nights.

Suet: Make your own! It can be formed into cakes for standard suet cages, or crumbles for a platform or dish-type feeder. The extra fat and calories serve birds well in frigid weather. Whip up a larger batch and place it in the fridge for future use. The recipe below is popular with many species and it's easy to make, a batch of this can last about 2 weeks. Feed it straight up or mix with seed.

Peanut Butter: When temps really dip and the bird crowd is larger than normal, smear some peanut butter right on a tree trunk! Woodpeckers, warblers, nuthatches and others really go for it!

Nesting Materials: Pet hair is perfect! Titmice, chickadees and wrens will grab some to line their nests. If your pet is treated with flea/tick medication, you may want to opt for some other materials instead. Feathers and decorative mosses like Spanish, sphagnum, and coco fiber are ideal too. Steer clear of dryer lint because it's not natural for birds. Suet cages work great for offering the materials, as do the mesh produce bags from the grocery store (like the kind apples come in). The trick is having the materials out before nesting season begins.

Come on spring!!

Easy Suet Recipe

Lillyfinch...just as soon as I can figure out how my phone camera works, I'll send pictures of insane birds landing on ice then taking a bath when it's 15degrees. I don't know from winter jasmine. The stuff I have here seems to bloom anytime it gets above 35_40degrees. Odd to smell jasmine in February.

Oh Lillyfinch, when I say jasmine, I mean enough jasmine to cover per a pergola 13x13x3'deep. I've had deer camp out there . I think they had kegger:-)

I would love to see pics of the jasmine !!

I wish I could get pics of my dog , trying to chase birds but sliding on ice. It's funny , and he's so relentless about it !

Thanks for the advice , birdhouse chick ! I have an extra cage I can use for fur. :)

I have two huge furry dogs and a mesh bag with only one orange left in it. I think the dogs will be getting brushed today. I've also used those nylon shower puffs to hang suet. If you take the puffs apart, they are made with a long tube of stretchy mesh that would be perfect for offering suet or nesting materials to the birds. Thanks for the suggestion about the animal fur.

Martha

Excellent and thanks for helping the birds :)

Thanks for picture. Some reason not able to post picture lately. But So many hungry birds. They have gone through so much suet and seed. Make winter go by faster.

Birdhouse chick , actually the whole feeder is red , and I use the same recipe you shared too ! I prob should have taken the feeder down for the winter. Come spring there will be two feeders for the hummers and I'll move the white gazebo feeder somewhere else. When we purchased this house last year , the lady was most pleased when I said I loved the hummingbirds and would keep up her feeders . The handful we get are so pretty and get comfortable with us outside on the deck . I want to grow some vines on the deck for them as well . Do you know if they get nectar from mandavilla vines?

I have a few honeysuckles in the garden but I'd like something for the deck to make an impact and attract them.

I see you have snow on your feeder , was that a late spring surprise ? How neat and I'm sure the hummer was grateful to have some food !

Lilyfinch,

Great that you make your own nectar! You probably made the previous homeowner ecstatic with her knowing you'd care for the birds :) It's one of the hardest parts of moving!!

I do keep one feeder out in winter (Atlanta) as a few hummers have been seen/banded from time to time.

They do seem to like mandavilla vine, have seen them flitting about feeding from the flowers. Salvia and petunias are good annuals for nectar too.

Come on Spring!!!