Fun with Birds and Seeds!

My decision to use birdseed in place of confetti in my cascarones got me to thinking.  I knew, of course, that the birds would help me clean up the seeds that fall to the ground, but different birds are attracted to different seeds, as well as different feeding areas.  Which birds, I wondered, would be helping clean up the colored seeds that I'll be leaving behind?

I had the perfect excuse to go to River Bend Nature Center in Faribault, MN.  Well, ok... I had several excuses, but that just made my decision to go there even more exciting!



My daughter and I drove to the nature center, staring out the windows at the wildlife all around us.  We watched the wind blow across a pond to the left of the car, we viewed the grasslands, and we took glimpses into the dense tree line, hoping to see some animals at play.  I was so overwhelmed with excitement by the time we got there, that I completely forgot to ask about which types of birds I could expect after our Easter morning fun with cascarones!

Oops.

That's ok, though, because I did pick up enough pamphlets and fliers to fill a binder, and fortunately, one of those pamphlets was entitled Better Birdfeeding.  It listed several types of bird, the seed that they gravitate toward, and the best feeder to place the seeds in.

I gravitated toward the feeder types and zeroed in on ground feeders, since my seeds would all be lying on the ground.  Some of the birds I have the chance of viewing in my yard after our Easter celebration are:

Cardinal (I have no doubt about this one - I see them quite often)
Junco
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove (Not my favorite bird... I always had a steady supply in my yard in the Southwest)

This isn't a complete list, of course, but it is a list of the most common birds to feed in this area.

As an additional bonus, any egg shells that are left in the yard will have the opportunity to be beneficial, as well.  Birds need to consume grit in order to aid in digestion.  Egg shell is a great source of this! 

Ok, yeah... it feels kind of cruel... feeding egg shell to a bird... but it works!

Easter is getting closer, and I'm becoming more and more excited.  We'll have so much fun!!!