Watch the Birdies

[Jerrymac]

I didn't know those little suckers could eat so much. Little birds, sparrows, were mooching off the chicken food. Seemed to have to buy more and more food all the time. So I finally made me a scarecrow, or scarebirdie, and named him Clem Kadiddlehopper. Sowed some old shoes to the bottom of old jeans and safety pinned the jeans to the bottom of a shirt and stuffed it full of plastic shopping bags. Stuffed a pillow half full of bags and tied a knot in it and put it on for a head. Drew a face with black marker and placed a ball cap on top. A clothes hanger in the shirt served as the means to keeps Clem's head straight and hang him in the coop.

Not so much food disappearing everyday.

[Brian D. Bray]

I have 4 seed feeders plus a suet block hanginf from the eves of my porch.  The birds are all over them.  With the snow and temps at below 32 F for the daily highs they are constantly fighting for a place at the feeders.  The fighting is as much fun to watch as the other antics.  Since the current cold snap is being reported as maybe lasting until the new year, snow included, I fully expect to have to buy another 40 lbs of bird feed for the critters.
Just had a Flicker (aka wood pigeon, pigeon woodpecker) come in, chase most of the birds away and dine on a feeder until it tipped, it then moved to the suet block and made a pig of itself.  It sure is interesting how may other types of birds you get to see the worse the weather gets so birds become more dependant on the feeders.

[Cindi]

Jerry, wow your scarebirdie, Clem Kadiddlehopper, sounds like a very ominous looking dude, you have spent alot of time constructing him, I can tell that.  Do you have a camera that you can take us to this part of your world and show us him, I would love to meet him, hee, hee.  Good job!!!

I have 4 seed feeders plus a suet block hangin from the eves of my porch.  The birds are all over them.  With the snow and temps at below 32 F for the daily highs they are constantly fighting for a place at the feeders.  The fighting is as much fun to watch as the other antics.  Since the current cold snap is being reported as maybe lasting until the new year, snow included, I fully expect to have to buy another 40 lbs of bird feed for the critters.
Just had a Flicker (aka wood pigeon, pigeon woodpecker) come in, chase most of the birds away and dine on a feeder until it tipped, it then moved to the suet block and made a pig of itself.  It sure is interesting how may other types of birds you get to see the worse the weather gets so birds become more dependent on the feeders.

When we were at Brian's place for our bee barbeque the end of August last, I could not believe the amount of birds that were feeding on his porch.  I can remember looking out the kitchen window while I was doing the dishes and I was astounded at how many birds there were.  When you exited his house to go out to the driveway, it seemed to me like hundreds of birds all flew off that porch.  I exaggerate not.

I can picture all these different species of birds that are now forthcoming, with the cold weather, knowing all the food treats that await Brian's birds, it is a wonderful thing....have that great and most awesome day.  Cindi

The Northern Flickers are one of the prettiest birds around here, I love the red feathers that show up under the wings in flight....Beauties.....I love the call of the Towhees, the call that sounds like a cat meowing.

[Jerrymac]

You do know who Clem Kadiddlehopper is don't you? Ever heard of Red Skelton?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-jeIdQwKY

[Cindi]

Jerry, well, of course...now that you mention it!!!  When I read you speaking about Clem, I knew that that name rang a bell, but I couldn't bring it from the cobwebs of my mind, now oh yep, yep, good ol' Red, loved that dude!!!  Beautiful, day, great life and health.  Cindi

[Brian D. Bray]

You do know who Clem Kadiddlehopper is don't you? Ever heard of Red Skelton?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-jeIdQwKY

I'm old enough to remember seeing that when it first aired on the Red Skelton Hour.  For years after that I wanted to be a Comedian and began writing jokes etc, but everytime I tried to do an "Act" my parents riddiculed the idea of a comedian being a worthwhile occupation, so I switched to wanting to become a cartoonist with the same result.  Finally I became a cop, the way most cops talk I think they're all frustrated comedians anyway.

[Jerrymac]

Here he is by popular demand (Cindi) Clem Kadiddlehopper.

The name Longfellow just didn't suit him.

You must forgive him. He didn't know it was photo day. He didn't straighten his cap.

[Cindi]

Jerry, now that is what I wanted to see, yeah!!!  Clem Kaddidlehopper in the flesh and blood.  Nice job you did there.  It looks to me like Clem was just about ready to do some shovelling of some kind of junk in that shed, did he get it all cleaned up before he was sent outside to do his day job?  Smiling.  Thanks for that picture, loved it!!!

I remember one time about 14 years ago I made a scarecrow.  It definitely was not as elaborate as ol' Clem there, but it did have a semblence of a human being.  I placed it out in my strawberry patch.  The dogs barked so much at this dude I had to take it down and dismantle.  Nothing worse than three rottwhiellers all thinking there was a predator just standing out side their yard (had that breed then).  Beautiful day in this great life, health.  Cindi

[Jerrymac]

There are temporary walls in the shed making part of it the chicken coop until I finally finish the actual chicken coop. Some of the coop I am building got blown down by 65+ mph winds right after Thanksgiving... Do you have thanksgiving?... That is a shovel for shoveling sh..tuff. Clem is a bit of a procrastinator. Says he'll get to it after scaring all the birdies off.

[Cindi]

Clem is a bit of a procrastinator. Says he'll get to it after scaring all the birdies off.

Eeks!!!  I recall you talking about the strong winds that you always have at your place, what a bummer about the shed walls being blown down.

Yes, we have Thanksgiving, but it is long before the American one.  Ours was on October 16, weird eh?

I don't blame Clem for procrastinating.  Today I have to hit the crap in my chickenhouse.  I have 10 ducks (yep, sold a bunch to people for Christmas dinners, that was some good payoffs for all the work), about 45 chickens (holy smokin' cadoodalhopperies).  I haven't been able to do any poop clean up for over 3 weeks, it has been frozen solid.  It has been snow bound for about 10 days, the chickens, ducks and turkeys have only been able to hang out in their houses and the boardwalks infront of their houses, so the poop has piled up. What goes in, must come out.  I think there has been about 8 bags of food consumed since the beginning of the cold weather.  Maybe a little more, a little less, lost count, hee, hee.

This is what the boardwalks look like infront of the houses.  Picture all these birds on there, hee, hee, not a pretty site these days. The snow is melting fast.  I think in about 4 days they will be able to get out to bare ground again.  Just yesterday the water thawed and we don't have to pack water anymore, that was alot of work.  Have a wonderful and awesome day, love our lives we all live,share and live, health.  Cindi

Picture was taken December 23, we have had about 12 more inches since that day.

[johnnybigfish]

Mannn, Jerry.....Thats really CREEPY!!!
 Looks like something from a scary movie!!!
 And,...Clem, 'eh?


Youre showin your age now!!!

your friend,
john

[reinbeau]

Cindi, we're down to bare ground again after the 20-30" we got.  But it rained, and the ground is frozen, so there's water everywhere!  However, today it was as high as 60°F, so the girls had a good time sloshing around.  They even found a couple worms, which surprised me, I didn't think they'd be moving around in such cold soil. .  It'll freeze up solid in a day or two, I guess, it's going to get cold again, as it does in late December/January in New England!