That is very innovative and bird friendly. My feeders are filled all winter, the robins have been back for about five weeks. I am waiting for some of our unusual visitors. DD #2 lives on Lake Huron, and has been very interested in feeding her birds. I will show her your photo to inspire her.

Theresa

Theresa, I feed the birds year round too! These gourds are actually nesting homes for the Martins. Each gourd will host one mated pair and their eggs and chicks. Each pair will produce anywhere from four to eight eggs.

My front yard white spruce tree, on the other side of the yard, holds three suet cake cage feeders, one suet/peanut nugget wood feeder, a thistle feeder, and two or three black oil sunflower seed feeders depending on the time of year. Soon I’ll add the nectar and jelly feeders for the orioles, Baltimore and Orchard, and hummingbirds.

I can’t wait!

The Purple Martins eat only live, flying insects and have no interest in being near the feeder tree. They drink “on the wing” also by dipping their beaks down into streams and lakes. They will eat crushed eggshells I sprinkle along the driveway for extra calcium. The barn swallows love the shells too.

The Martins only need housing, and I love providing it. I also have Bluebird type nest boxes up in the side, back, and neighbor’s yard for tree swallows, chickadees, wrens, and hopefully, someday, actual bluebirds.

I didn't know that Purple Martins could make such and impact on the insect population! I only put out black oil sunflower seed. We get a steady visitation of dark-eyed juncos, black capped chickadees, downy & hairy woodpeckers, a variety of sparrows, cardinals, jays, doves, nuthatch, and now robins, and when I put the hummingbird feeders out, they attract the orioles as well. During the summer, grosbeak, goldfinch, bluebird, we even get the occational scarlet tanager(very impressive). I'm sure there are many others I can't identify. We live in the woods on a small lake where geese, mallards, heron, red tail hawk and bald eagles make their homes as well. I feel like I should pay more attention now, I kind of take the variety of winged friends for granted.

That is super Caroline, a very interesting and fun annual event!

Caroline, on our drive to DD#2 today, we passed a home on one country road that had two poles in the yard with four or five of these " gourds" . Now I know what they are.

Theresa

My PMs returned on April 28! I have beautiful songs and long swooping flights all over the place.

The 16 gourds will provide safe housing/nesting areas for up to 16 pairs of birds.

There is usually one or two males that will claim more than one gourd. His female will nest in their main one, but he won’t allow other martins in “his” empty gourd.

I think I had 12 successful pairs last year. I’ll have to check my records.

Spring migration is spotty this year. The Northern “Baltimore” orioles and Rose-breasted grosbeaks are back. I have several warblers, red-polls, and Harris’ sparrows passing through, too. The tree swallows are back, but no barn swallows yet. I sprinkle dried, crushed eggshells on the edge of the driveway for all the birds. All the swallows love them.

I also have a gorgeous red-headed woodpecker hanging around the suet feeders with the Downey and Hairy WPs.

The goldfinches are just starting to show a bit of their summer yellow color.

Do you 'wash' the egg shells when you collect them in the winter?

I keep the used shells in an open egg carton; they’re not smashed together or closed up until it is full. DH eats a lot of eggs.

I don’t rinse or wash the shells, but once the carton is full, I spread them on an old baking sheet and bake at 350° until they are dry and crispy. It only takes a few minutes.

Once cooled I cover the shells with a paper towel and mash or roll them with a tin can until they are reduced to little 1/4” +/- pieces. I store them in a large plastic container and sprinkle them in a couple areas of the driveway as needed.

So many other bird species enjoy the calcium-rich grit, too.

My mom raised canaries for many years and she would make the crushed egg shells available to them, too.

Sharon, I have always wanted to have a couple canaries! My house is old and drafty; winters are brutal even with a new furnace. I know they could not have the optimum health and happiness here. I have fostered a coupe of canaries for a few weeks.

In my younger days I had both pet parakeets and at one time 16 pair of breeding parakeets. I believe in good fresh food, greens, fruits, veggies, boiled crushed eggs w/shells, a pelleted base diet and limited seeds as a treat, along with huge horizontal cages to allow a lot of exercise.

My breeders lived in a 6x8x16 ft. outdoor aviary.

When I lived in Spain I had a pair of Green Singing Finches. They were the original “canary” stock and such delightful birds on their own merit. They lived in my office through the week; I took them home with me for the weekends. Hardy little songsters.

All birds bring me such joy.

My quilting buddy has a blue/green bird (of some species I do not know) in a cage that she leaves open in between her dining area & living room. Whenever I'm there & we break from sewing for lunch, that bird wants to perch on my head while we are eating. Kinda freaks me out!

Caroline, Mom would have hundreds at a time and they each had a number around their leg so she could keep track of their lineage......no moms and sons together. lol She would breed for a certain look/color and also various songs. She had quite a system going and dad would make flight cages for her. Ask me if I ever want to clean another bird cage! NOT! But, she enjoyed them and it was her spending money.