Hi, I also live in Montreal and have a question about wintering bonsai. I just received a little juniper (procumbens nana I believe)as a gift and from what I have read it seems they are not suitable as indoor bonsai. It is six years old, about 6" high and the pot is roughly 6" x 4". I live on a 3rd floor with two balconies, one facing N the other SW. Both are unprotected. One option I considered was putting the bonsai in the space between the outer and inner windows, as there is enough room. Would this be appropriate? Does it need better air circulation? I can't tell you how cold it gets between the windows, but it does get down to -30 outside on a good day. thanks in advance!

Hi, Kids, These are my feeders. As you will see, they are kinda close to the house. That's both good and bad...the birds are easy to see and the feeders are easy to fill but it also limits the type of birds I get. ie: no Ring Tails in my yard ;( These are the two tube feeders that are just off the deck. One Thistle and one Safflower. The squirrels don't bother them. The dome baffles are mostly for protection from the weather. I have a seed try for the Safflower tube but I can not attatch it until the tube is empty. This shows the edge of the deck, the suet feeder on the pine tree, the two tube feeders and the heated bird bath. You can also see the older 'bird condo' in the back. This one shows the tube feeder that is hung from the tree that is just outside the den and kitchen windows. It is for black oil sunflower seeds. This is the one that the squirrels have not yet gotten to. I see them on the tree, reaching...but they can't get to it. I see them on the pole above the feeder but, they are unsure of the larger dome baffle. It's been up since Nov. 18th but I have not seen a single squirrel eating from the feeder. Lot's of squirrels on the ground below, but that is as close as they have gotten...so far. Same feeder taken to show how close it is from the house/deck. Same feeder, looking up from the ground. It's about 15 feet up...another reason the squirrels are unsure ? Last one. This is my view of the same feeder from my desk. This is to show you how close it is to the house...about 12 - 15 feet. Also, Claire, you can see some of the plants that hang/sit in front of the window...from the birds hitting the window question. OK...one more. This is my view from inside the house, through the slider screen. My desk and chair are about 4 feet from the slider. From my chair I can look from the tree feeder to the suet and pole feeders...like watching a tennis match. Sorry about the ugly grill. I hope these come through and I hope they are not too big. Let me know. sooey

Although I have a different feeder, ours is clamped to the deck rail, just outside the patio door. Even in the deepest snow, I can open the door and reach around to fill the feeder without even getting my feet wet. And I can see right through the window whether it is empty or not. The most important thing, though, is the safety of the birds. The deck is high enough off the ground, and cannot be climbed by predators. We do not offer seed feeders which are known to attract opportunistic hawks, etc. And we only offer a handful of mealworms 2 or 3 times a day to minimize "traffic". The bluebirds come and eat the mealworms and then move on, and no other birds are even aware of the offerings (no competition). I've given up on the photography though. Some of the folks here have posted such beautiful pics! They have more time, talent, and equipment than I could ever hope for. And I enjoy them so much! Now you be careful on that ice! It can be treacherous, and it can even be deadly. BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful:

I'm a bad bird Mom. I got up this morning to 29F and went outside to check feeders, found the sugar solution liquid (my experience has been it takes about 2F colder before it begins to get slushy), came back in and started my morning. About 7:45, I noticed birds were landing, not eating, flying off so put on shoes again and went back out. Last evenings rain, then freeze, had formed ice blocks in the feeding ports and the birds couldn't access the food. A mad scramble followed with the first kitchen utensil I could find that would penetrate the ports on three saucer style feeders, followed by my blow dryer for good measure. Boy, did I ever feel guilty for not paying closer attention :( These little birds are DH's project. He isn't working this week and slept in this morning.