Hi Kate, I seem to have the same problem as you with ants. I'm in a definitely suburban area and don't really know how the previous owner treated the land (we've been here about 5 years). Our situation is very similar in terms of what we are doing with native plants and microhabitats. And yes, I'm an organic gardener who doesn't use pesticides and feeds the soil with compost and lots of organic matter, but the ant populations seem to really be out of balance. Our soil tends to be very well draining, so if they like dry, they have found the right place. With each year, the ant colonies expand themselves and also pop up in new places. Seems there is hardly a place in the "tended" part of our 1 acre that doesn't have an expanding ant colony. We have put in more vegetables this year and ants are causing a more direct problem there (they have swarmed and taken down two potato plants - I've made sure that they just weren't tending other culprits - and have moved into other beds and made short work of a few squash seedlings). I just can't figure out if the population is out of balance (as it seems) or if this is the natural state and I need to adapt (or fight back with coffee - yum!) I agree - bring on the flickers! Good luck!

Claire, I am not sure I've ever heard the term cute associated with starlings . . . ;>) Jane, that series of robin photos is absolutely stunning. I am always interested in the content of photos, but this month there have been a bunch of really lovely photos as far as composition and clarity. I'll submit some photos which are a bit more basic than artistic. I'm not sure how Claire gets such stunning turkey photos. Ours are very wily, and if I open a window or door to take a photo, they jog off in the opposite direction to the nearest shelter. So mine are taken from inside the house, and often through a combination of screen and glass. During the recent snowstorm, our local flock scooted across the road and down into the cornfield. I managed to catch a couple of photos before they disappeared into the evergreens to find shelter. They were moving much faster than usual; definitely looked unhappy about the weather. Arriving down the access drive into the field: From Turkeys in the snow December 27, 2012 And halfway across, scuttling rapidly towards shelter: From Turkeys in the snow December 27, 2012

As someone said much earlier in this post, insect-eating birds don't go for birdseed, except for the chickadees. For insect-eating birds, you want a birdbath, and suet. Many more birds will use the birdbath than either suet or birdseed. You will want a shallow birdbath with a rough inner surface, your classic concrete birdbath. Birds won't go in water that's more than a couple inches deep, and they want a rough surface so they don't slip. These are not the easiest to maintain - I've seen birdbaths on the market that are deep and smooth and people think they're better because they won't have to fill them so often, and they'll be easier to clean, but the birds won't touch them. I get birds at my birdbath year round, even when it's been raining for weeks. Robins, jays, towhees, finches, sparrows, warblers, chickadees, bushtits, juncos, you name it. Place it a few feet from shrubbery or a tree, so they can see any cats coming and dive for cover. I love watching them, especially in late summer when the new fledgling birds are learning how to use the birdbath. For suet feeding I have what's called a 'crow cage' from Wild Birds Unlimited. It only allows smaller birds to get to the suet. Means the towhees and woodpeckers can't get it either, but it's necessary to keep the crows and starlings off. I have the suet cage itself suspended about an inch from the bottom of the cage so the flickers can hang from the bottom and reach the suet. The starlings can just barely do that too, but it's hard enough for them that they rarely do so. Ask to see their suet cage setups that keep the starlings off, and you'll see what I mean. I also take down the suet when the starlings are nesting, usually April, and don't put it back up again until they're done in summer. To minimize seed waste I buy straight black oil sunflower seed. It's more expensive than the mixes, but the birds toss out much of what's in the mixes.

Same dilemma as to what these are. Took this pix last month, dark beaks and the top one looks like the legs are reddish. I took this a month ago so don't remember how large the birds were, far away up in a tree. Follow up: Bob Carlton Rossmoor Nature Ass'n Prez identified these as European Starlings in fall plummage. More bird images in that gallery. Here is a link that might be useful: Birds congregating...Starlings This post was edited by Cowgirl_in_the_Sand on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 13:03