Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Preparing for migratory birds
The monarch and the birds are beginning their migration very soon if they haven’t already. I’ve had plenty of finches at my rain garden and munching on the seeds of the sunflowers I grew this year.
Now’s the time to clean out those bird feeders, get rid of the old bird seed and refresh them. Bonni, the bird expert, does not recommend anything but vinegar water to clean them. Do not use bleach or soaps due to residue from those chemicals that COULD harm them.
With baby season over, it’s also time to clean out the houses. Again, it’s not recommended to use any chemicals.
So you’ve cleaned out the feeders, now how do you deter those squirrels. Talking with Bonni, she says don’t use hot pepper. It may deter the squirrels for a while but not forever. They’ll get used to it. Information from Cornell Ornithology says it can affect bird’s eyes.
However, there is a bird feeder she highly recommends called the Droll Yankee Whipper designed to assist cardinals as well as other birds to eat.
To keep the squirrels out of our containers now filled with mums, Bonni recommends “Squirrel Repellent” from a place called “I Must Garden” and it’s a completely safe way to keep them out.
Also, this time of year, it’s time to think about leaving up roosting houses. These are transitory homes where, when it’s bitterly cold, those little chickadees or whoever is flying through, has a cozy way-stop in a tree to rest.
