Jane, if you only have one feeder out, you might try a good mixture with black oil sunflower seeds stirred into it. Don't get the cheapie kind with those little reddish-brown "BB's" in it. I have never seen ANYTHING actually eat those. I get mine at PetSmart, and I really love the Stokes mixture that has no hulls in it. I feed it, black oiler sunflowers and safflower seed. Safflower seed goes into a feeder that doesn't have squirrel protection, because they don't really like it, but cardinals and titmice do. HOWEVER, no matter what you are feeding, there will be times when birds are not around for various reasons. I have hardly any right now, mostly due to a pair of hawks hanging about our neighborhood. And even without the hawks, birds often disappear for a few weeks now and then. One more thing...don't forget that WATER is probably even more important than seed in luring birds to your yard. You'll notice that most of Maureen's pictures feature her great birdbath. Be sure to provide several "baths" around the yard. They can be anything from decorative features to trashcan lids on the ground with 2" of water in them. I often turn clay pots upside down and put a clay saucer on top for water. Keep the water CLEAN and shallow, maybe even adding a rock in the center for birds to stand on. Good luck! Marcia

It looks like a Little Green Heron.

Jeanne, your bird pictures are beautiful. Snow pictures always look so pretty, but I know what a hassle it can be to have to shovel it. So good that you feed the birds, poor things, everything is all covered up! I have Berber carpeting too, Jeanne, we put it in when we moved here about eleven years ago. Mine is showing wear in the traffic areas like in front of the couch and love seat, and I found it harder to clean with my steam vac because it was so "textured"--but I loved the look and it was really the "in" thing at that time. Now I need to see about replacing mine too, probably with more carpet unless the flooring guys think they could "blend" new wood in with what's already in my entry and hallway. Wish I would have just put wood in there to start, but we thought it would feel too "cold". Now I realize we could have used an area rug! Live and learn, right? LOL On your new vinyl flooring--make sure you follow the directions for cleaning. Just a slightly damp mop and don't use any other products unless it's something reccommended by the mfg. I used one of those Swiffer wet pads on mine and it left a "film" so it doesn't shine like when new now. And remember, liquids are it's enemy! Other than that, it is almost indestrucible and easy to clean. Enjoy! Luvs

Great photos Joan. I'm envious. Both shots are great. I haven't quite gotten the sharpness consistently I'd like with my latest gear. Don't know if I'm just not in the lenses' comfort zones too often, or out of the photog's competency zone! Probably more often the latter.