Your yard is a dream. I can perfectly imagine your vision of a meadow, a clearing in the forest! I think the shed/cottage should go exactly where the hutch is- not straight back in the middle. Maybe even on a diagonal, out toward the center of the yard just a tad bit more. This is one of those rare situations where I believe chemical warfare is called for. I would spray those berries this spring like crazy and then dig a two-foot deep trench across the back of the yard next to the fence and either leave it open, so the berries have trouble crossing it, or even better, put Bamboo Guard in the trench and fill it back in. Then you can plant tall native shrubs across the back of your property in a sweeping arc from your shed to the other side. No more maintenance! Mikey and I buried bamboo guard last year and it was a pain in the butt, but it has the added benefit of keeping the gophers out of our yard. Renee

Donna, they're definetely dark eyed juncos, I have many in my back yard, they eat more off the ground under the feeders and yes, they chase each other around all the time, at least mine do. They are very pretty birds, funny, I didn't have any last year but this year they arrived at the beginning of November, along with the white throated sparrows and have been here since. They should be getting ready to go north soon. The white throated sparrows left a while ago. ~Linda

Pat, the only adjustments I've made over the years is switching to safflower seed for a few summer months when the sparrow fledglings out number the dandelions. Otherwise, I use a good blend, very light on millet, for the rest of the year and buy suet by the case in the fall when it goes on sale at Agway. I have just the one seed feeder, one suet cage and one hummer feeder. What I did do was plant extensively with native plants that attract everybody. Plus, we live in a somewhat wooded area. Feeding birds is all about me. They will continue on long after I'm gone. They are my entertainment as I photograph them mostly through my office windows. What I have learned even more so from observing them is that NONE of this is my design. Mother Nature never consulted Jane and we all know she doesn't give a tinker's dam what I think. So whoever, whatever, comes because I put food out, is all on me. If a hawk steals a mourning dove in my yard, I feel bad for the dove, good for the hawk. He will live another day. Many hawks do not reach maturity due to starvation. I've learned that birds do not have the greed gene. They take what they can eat, store what they can if that is their habit - like BC Chickadees - but nothing goes to waste. When the birds fool around on the feeder and seed goes to the ground, the chipmunks, et al, eat well. I have a wonderful neighbor who buys only shelled sunflower seeds, pricey stuff, and uses a feeder that is weight balanced to exclude blue jays, grackles and all the guys she doesn't want to feed. She likes little birds. She won't even look up when I say, "Oh, look! A red tail hawk!". She can't stand hawks. But she is a great, kind woman who gives and gives of herself - just not to big birds.But she too feeds all year long and is concerned when her regulars disappear. Long answer here, but yes, I keep the same feeders year round filled and have a ton of birds that are happy and fight among themselves - just the way Mother Nature designed it. Any bird here is okay by me. Pat, I say do what makes you feel good in your birding area because, to me, it's all about us watching them; not them depending on us. (I know that is a debatable subject in the current ranks of ornithology, but that's not where I am.) Life is easier if I don't hate anything. I have to work on the sn*ke thing, lol, that's fear. Maybe a trip to New Hampshire would help. :) Birds pay me back ten fold just for being themselves. This little guy is worth all the sugar I can give him: Link to Buddy being Buddy - - - Buddy Jane

Peter Jackson Quotes New Zealander - Director Born: October 31, 1961 The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself. Peter Jackson Filmmaking for me is always aiming for the imaginary movie and never achieving it. Peter Jackson In every house, when the curtains are drawn, there's a story going on, and you never get to hear... You get the public side of things, the happy, smiling, social activities. Peter Jackson As a filmmaker, you want nothing more than to have people say, 'I love your movie.' Peter Jackson One of the best things about growing up in New Zealand is that if you are prepared to work hard and have faith in yourself, truly anything is possible. Peter Jackson I've always tried to make movies that pull the audience out of their seats... I want audiences to be transported. Peter Jackson If justice is supposed to be fair, than any justice system you would hope is based on fairness. Peter Jackson As a filmmaker, I believe in trying to make movies that invite the audience to be part of the film; in other words, there are some films where I'm just a spectator and am simply observing from the front seat. What I try to do is draw the audience into the film and have them participate in what's happening onscreen. Peter Jackson Over 55% of all shots using animals in 'The Hobbit' are in fact computer generated; this includes horses, ponies, rabbits, hedgehogs, birds, deer, elk, mice, wild boars and wolves. Peter Jackson 100 years ago, movies were black-and-white, silent, and 16 frames a second. So 100 years from now, what are they going to be? Peter Jackson New Zealand is not a small country but a large village. Peter Jackson To get an Oscar would be an incredible moment in my career, there is no doubt about that. But the 'Lord of the Rings' films are not made for Oscars, they are made for the audience. Peter Jackson We've all forgotten how to be original. Peter Jackson Rivalry doesn't help anybody. Peter Jackson There's a very go-to kind of attitude in New Zealand that stems from that psyche of being quite isolated and not being able to rely on the rest of the world's infrastructure. Peter Jackson I've always been happy to take a gamble on myself. Peter Jackson There's a generation of children who don't like black and white movies. There's a level of impatience or intolerance now. Peter Jackson People regard CGI as a gimmick; they almost blame CGI for a bad story or a bad script. They talk about CGI as if it's responsible for a drop in standards. Peter Jackson Film is such a powerful medium. It's like a weapon and I think you have a duty to self-censor. Peter Jackson Obviously, with a CGI character, you're building a character in much the same way as a real creature is built. You build the bones, the skeletons, the muscles. You put layers of fat on. You put a layer of skin on which has to have a translucency, depending on what the character is. Peter Jackson Once upon a time, sound was new technology. Peter Jackson I just got tired of being overweight and unfit, so I changed my diet from hamburgers to yogurt and muesli, and it seems to work. Peter Jackson I think that George Lucas' 'Star Wars' films are fantastic. What he's done, which I admire, is he has taken all the money and profit from those films and poured it into developing digital sound and surround sound, which we are using today. Peter Jackson Everybody's life has these moments, where one thing leads to another. Some are big and obvious and some are small and seemingly insignificant. Peter Jackson I think we're going to enter a phase where there's less interest in the CGI and there's a demand for story again. I think we've dropped the ball a little bit on stories for the sake of the amazing toys that we've played with. Peter Jackson Anything you can imagine, you can put on film. Peter Jackson Every time you do something, people are going to like it, people are going to hate it. You tend to make the movies on the basis you are making them for the people who are going to like them and not worrying too much about people who don't like them. Peter Jackson What I don't like are pompous, pretentious movies. Peter Jackson Continuing advances in stem cell medicine will change all of our lives for the better. Peter Jackson I was bullied and regarded as little bit of an oddball myself. Peter Jackson We had to get past the mechanical film age to be able to explore other things, but it will be interesting. Peter Jackson Stem cell therapy has the potential to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses, which up until now have been labelled 'incurable.' Peter Jackson I fell in love with stories watching a British television puppet show called 'Thunderbirds' when it first came out on TV, about 1965, so I would have been 4 or 5 years old. I went out into the garden at my mom and dad's house, and I used to play with my little dinky toys, little cars and trucks and things. Peter Jackson If you make a trilogy, the whole point is to get to that third chapter, and the third chapter is what justifies what's come before. Peter Jackson It's almost like an optical illusion, 'The Hobbit.' You look at the book, and it is really thin, and you could make a relatively thin film as well. What I mean by that is that you could race through the story at the speed that Tolkien does. Peter Jackson Once you go down a road, you take it through to the end. Peter Jackson Critics in particular treat CGI as a virus that's infecting film. Peter Jackson I don't have an anti-Hollywood feeling. It's just I'm a New Zealander. I was born in New Zealand, and it's where my house is, and my family goes to school there. My interest is to remain in my homeland and make films. I don't really want to relocate myself to other countries in the world to work. Peter Jackson 'Bad Taste' was - it was, in many respects, my sort of, my, I guess, my single-minded desire to want to break into the film industry when New Zealand didn't really have a film industry to break into. Peter Jackson I never wanted to do 'The Hobbit' in the first place. Peter Jackson I don't like directing that much to want a career as a director for hire. I like to have as much creative control as possible. Peter Jackson 48 frames per second is something you have to get used to. I've got absolute belief and faith in 48 frames... it's something that could have ramifications for the entire industry. 'The Hobbit' really is the test of that. Peter Jackson To some degree, I was very dubious of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' idea - taking a theme park ride and turning into a film - even though they seemed to end up being quite fun films. Peter Jackson I like to keep an open mind, but I do think there is some form of energy that exists separate to our flesh and blood. I do think that there's some kind of an energy that leaves the body when it dies, but I certainly don't have religious beliefs particularly. Peter Jackson The big-budget blockbuster is becoming one of the most dependable forms of filmmaking. Peter Jackson The only thing about 3-D is the dullness of the image. Peter Jackson When you look at the original 'Paradise Lost' film, you see three kids who can't defend themselves, being persecuted in a medieval way - witchcraft, satanic worship. It was kind of primitive. Peter Jackson We have lost close friends and relatives to cancer and Parkinson's disease, and the level of personal suffering inflicted on patients and their families by these diseases is horrific. Peter Jackson Learning how to edit movies was a real breakthrough. Peter Jackson It's not going to be too much longer before Xbox Live produces programming. Peter Jackson It's one thing to support your kid, but if you have an interest in what your child is doing, it makes it a whole lot easier. Peter Jackson Pre-preproduction is the tenuous time before a project is greenlit; before the studio commits to spending real money. This is the most vulnerable period for any film because it's the time when your project is most likely to be put into turnaround. That's film-speak for killed off. Peter Jackson No film has captivated my imagination more than 'King Kong.' I'm making movies today because I saw this film when I was 9 years old. Peter Jackson The vast majority of the CGI budget is labor. Peter Jackson You don't want to believe everything you read on the Internet. Peter Jackson Obviously, movies, you're often on location, out in the rain or the sun, in a real place where the trees and the cars are real. But when you're on stage, as an actor you're imagining the environment that you're in. Peter Jackson I love Bilbo Baggins. I relate really well to Bilbo! Peter Jackson In the case of 'The Lovely Bones,' I felt that it was subject matter not often dealt with in film, and with a tone that is also rare. Peter Jackson I think everything that you do, you're learning. I mean, every movie that you make is like a film school; that's one of the things that I enjoy about filmmaking. Peter Jackson Where film is infinitely superior to any other medium is emotion and story and character. Peter Jackson The cameo I did in 'Fellowship of the Ring' was I was in the street of Bree, and I was eating a carrot. Peter Jackson If I'm lucky enough to be involved in the Academy Awards in the future, I'll just let people make up their decision without being involved in any politics. Because it shouldn't involve that. Peter Jackson One of the first movies I ever saw was 'Batman,' based on the TV series with Adam West and Burt Ward. Peter Jackson Prosthetic makeup is always frustrating. Peter Jackson The first day I start shooting, I start having a recurring nightmare that every single night that I am lying in bed, and there is a film crew surrounding the bed, waiting for me to tell them what to do, and I don't quite know what movie I am supposed to be making. Peter Jackson You never make movies for Oscars. Peter Jackson To be an original is probably the hardest quality to find if you're a young filmmaker. Peter Jackson I'm not going to head off and do a Marvel film. So if I don't do a Marvel film, I don't have any other choice - I've got to go make a small New Zealand movie! Peter Jackson Being honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside the names of some of my childhood heroes is slightly surreal and incredibly awesome. Peter Jackson Actors will never be replaced. The thought that somehow a computer version of a character is going to be something people prefer to look at is a ludicrous idea. Peter Jackson I thought that there might be something unsatisfying about directing two Tolkien movies after 'Lord of the Rings.' I'd be trying to compete with myself and deliberately doing things differently. Peter Jackson It is now such a complex society in terms of media. It just comes at us from every direction. You kind of have to push it all away. Peter Jackson If you take a regular animated film, that's being done by animators on computers, so the filmmaking is a fairly technical process. Peter Jackson I never overtly analyse my own movies, I don't think that's my job to do that. I just muddle through and do what I think is best for the movie. Peter Jackson If you're an only child, you spend a lot of time by yourself, and you develop a strong ability to entertain yourself, to conjure up fantasy. Peter Jackson What I think is remarkable about my mum and dad is they had no interest in films, really. None. Peter Jackson I feel very lucky to be able to make movies in New Zealand, and I will always be grateful for the support I have received from so many New Zealanders. Peter Jackson I can't take responsibility for everyone's employment. Peter Jackson We are living in an age where teenagers are not going to the movies. Peter Jackson I didn't want people to sit there and watch 10 minutes of film,and all they write about is 48 frames. Peter Jackson Forty-eight frames per second is a way, way better way to look at 3D. It's so much more comfortable on the eyes. Peter Jackson You can't always look at life as a miserable thing. Peter Jackson I have a million questions about my granddad and no one to talk to. Peter Jackson I hope one day that I'll get to make another horror film; I'd love to. Peter Jackson I'm thinking about doing a First World War film. Peter Jackson I first read 'The Lord of the Rings' as an adolescent. It's a dense novel, a sprawling, complex monster of a book populated with a prolific number of characters caught up in a narrative structure that, frankly, does not lend itself to conventional storytelling. Peter Jackson The Beatles once approached Stanley Kubrick to do 'The Lord Of The Rings.' This was before Tolkien sold the rights. They approached him, and he said, 'No.' Peter Jackson We're human beings, and we want stories. We're always going to be entertained and have our emotions touched by humanity and by things that we recognize in our own lives. So whilst every now and again we'll be happy to watch a bubblegum film, it's never gonna be the only things that get made. Peter Jackson There are a couple of locations in 'The Hobbit' that are shared with 'Lord of the Rings.' Peter Jackson I didn't want my kids having to pass through an airport named after their father. Peter Jackson I mean, I didn't have a huge upbringing with movies, I guess. Peter Jackson For a lot of my childhood, I didn't want to direct movies because I didn't really know what directing was. Peter Jackson I used to send away for eight-minute Super 8 movies of various Ray Harryhausen scenes advertised on the back of 'Famous Monsters of Filmland' magazine. Peter Jackson There was a great magazine in the '80s called 'Cinemagic' for home moviemakers who liked to do monster and special effects movies. It was like a magazine written just for me. Peter Jackson When you're starting out, you know, you have to do something on a very limited budget. You're not going to be able to have great actors, and you're most likely not going to have a great script. Peter Jackson Buster Keaton's 'The General,' from 1927, I think is still one of the great films of all time. Peter Jackson I watch 'Goodfellas,' and suddenly it frees me up entirely; it reminds me of what great film directing is all about. Peter Jackson I think 'Jaws' is a remarkable film. Peter Jackson People sort of accuse Tolkien of not being good with female characters, and I think that Eowyn actually proves that to be wrong to some degree. Eowyn is actually a strong female character, and she's a surprisingly modern character, considering who Tolkien actually was sort of a stuffy English professor in the 1930s and '40s. Peter Jackson In the old days, you cut out a scene that might've been a really great scene, and no one was ever going to see it ever again. Now, with DVD, you can obviously... there's a lot of possibilities for scenes that are good scenes. Peter Jackson I am not anti-media at all. But the media, the news anywhere in the world, is based on drama. Peter Jackson Second movies are great because you can drop into them, and it doesn't really have a beginning on it, particularly in a traditional way. You can just tear into it. Peter Jackson Filmmakers have to commit to making 3-D films properly like Jim Cameron did and not do cheap conversions at the tail end of the process. Peter Jackson When I was about 14, I got a splicing kit, which means you could chop up the film into little pieces and switch the order around and glue it together. Peter Jackson Strategically, horror films are a good way to start your career. You can get a lot of impact with very little. Peter Jackson To direct a genuinely animated film, you're really having meetings and discussing what you want with animators who then go off and produce one shot at a time that you look at and comment on. Peter Jackson