Pinkie Bird!

The month of February is National Bird Feeding Month. Most of you know how much I love feeding the birds and squirrels. We've even been visited by bears, deer, and raccoons, who all seem to enjoy sunflower seeds just as much as the birds and squirrels. However, it's been a quiet winter here. The squirrels and deer are out everyday, but I haven't seen as many birds. I see them all over -- just not at my feeders, which seems odd. The most common ones I've seen at the house lately have been woodpeckers. I took this picture a few years ago. It's a dark-eyed junco, also known as pinkie birds by my boys because they have little pink beaks. Cute little birds. They're usually around in the winter, but again, I haven't seen any at my house this year. If you click on the link above, you'll read how and why National Bird Feeding Month came into place through an act of Congress.

I've been feeding birds for years. It's funny though, because at my old house in California, I could buy any kind of birdseed and the birds would eat it like there was no tomorrow. Here in Montana I've found the only seed the birds will eat are black-oiled sunflower seeds. I've heard it might be due to their beaks and the oiled seeds are easier to open. I don't know about that though because we had a lot of tiny birds in California who would eat anything. And, I see regular birdseed in other people's feeders around town. I think the birds at my house are just messing with me so I buy the good stuff. Regardless, right now it doesn't seem to matter because we haven't seen many birds around, but the squirrels are really enjoying themselves.