Selina: They will come, but it takes some time. You have to think like a bird. Are the feeders out in the open where the birds aren't comfortable going? Birds are smart and are not about to trust a new source of food without watching it for a while. If you think like a bird, you will start to observe many things in your little ecosystem which will help you to make good decisions for your little eco-community (since you too live in that little community, you are also a community member). Just some more things to think about..........while your bird feeders will eventually attract birds, the congregation of birds at the feeders will also attract predators like hawks. The congregation of birds at feeders also helps to spread disease like conjunctivitis. Disease weakens animals making them easy prey. Bird feeders also attract non-native birds that are fierce competitors for the natural foods and nesting places. This results in decreased diversity of species in your yard. Decreased diversity threatens the environmental health of your little eco-community. With all of that in mind, the best thing to do for the long term is to plant a variety of natural foods such as native seed plants and native berrying bushes and trees. These not only provide food, but also lost habitat. They also provide cover for birds to hide from predators. Just my humble opinion. Good luck.

I don't think so. I have mint growing in a large pot close to a feeder on my patio and the ground feeding birds like doves and house sparrows weave in and out of it looking for dropped seeds. I'm a gardener, and I learned the hard way to keep mint in a container, as it is very invasive and difficult to get rid of. But I also enjoy the occasional mint julep and mojito, and one has to have fresh mint.

'Letters to a Poet' by Rilke is an excellent choice - a book I return to often. I would highly recommend Francine Prose's 'Reading like a Writer'. I firmly believe you can't be a writer unless you are an avid reader too. I reviewed the book a couple of months ago on Amazon: Reading Like a Writer, May 29, 2007 By Adam (Adelaide, Australia) "The best books, to my mind, are those which give rise to discussion and thought. Prose provides these in sweeping doses here. Prose superbly evokes in this book, the need for the writer to read, and read widely, slowing down and carefully paying attention to the minutiae of the text. It is the focus on language: "lingering over every word, every phrase, every image, considering how it enhance[s] and contribute[s] to the story as a whole...[and by] reading a masterpiece can inspire us by showing us how a writer does something brilliantly." "Reading Like a Writer" encourages you slow down and absorb every word, sentence and paragraph. It also lets you ponder such things as: Narration, character, dialogue, and the details of text that makes literature dazzle. Towards the end of the book, there is an insightful chapter on Learning from Chekhov, in which Prose suggests that we read his many stories, and by doing so "admit that you know nothing of life, nothing of what you see. Then go out and look at the world." This is sound advice, I think. Finally, Prose details a list of Books to be Read Immediately. These range from Jane Austen, Raymond Carver, Tolstoy, Henry Green, Nabokov and Flaubert among others. These are books to be read and savoured, because we have to keep working at being better readers and writers, for we have an exciting apprenticeship ahead of us. Prose does not talk down to the reader, rather she treats the reader as an intelligent person, who wants to learn a thing or two about how to read more effectively, so that they can aspire to write effectively. Prose is a fantastic and witty communicator; her ideas are explained clearly and with passion. I highly recommend "Reading Like a Writer" to anyone that wants to be a greater reader, and indeed a quality writer." Also, if you can track down an essay by Raymond Carver, I think it's called 'On Writing', then you will be rewarded by his insight. I'm sure it is in his 'Fires' collection. Adam Here is a link that might be useful: Reading like a Writer

Where are you located? Can you describe the sound it makes? When you say "night"......is it completely dark out? What time of night? To start with, check out the sounds that a mockingbird makes. sometimes they sing at night.