Lisa, thanks. I agree. We haven't seen snakey since the day I posted this. I have no problem encouraging him to wind around my walking stick, then carry him out to the deeper woods about 5 acres away. The babies fledged this morning! All five are now out of the nest, happened for four between 9 & 10am, and the fifth one flew about 11:30am. So far you're right - when we saw last they were all up in low trees near their little enclave of nest-box & "worm-hut" (plexi hanging dome). Mama is still providing worms, and we'll continue to do so, but we're gonna back down to twice a day. Next task is to clean the box, and keep an eye out for snakey. Neighbors said today that the neighborhood red fox has at least one kit, and other neighbors say they've seen a bobcat (!!!). TONS of bird activity in the yard - today was a fun day. Having fun, but keeping our eye out for danger. Thanks for all good advice. - Les.

I love to do birdwatching in my holidays. Most of the time I rent a holiday home for me and my family, last year I stayed here and I was pretty satisfied when the children were playing in the backyard and I could sit in peace in the front of the house and listen to the birds. Birdsong is something peaceful. I agree in this point with alishekarfroush. It is nourishing for the soul to listen to the sound of nature - and only this sound. No cars, no planes, no neighbours shouting at each other. That moment during our holiday, when I sat in front of the holiday home, is my peronal perfect moment of the year 2010. I also had the chance to see some special birds, for instance a hazel grouse - and since my favourites are the predator birds - I was especially excited when I saw a black kite. What are your favourite birds to watch, by the way? I simply like the keen look of the predator birds, the way they are focused on their prey and their amazing energy when they attempt to get a catch. They are not the best singers, but BEAUTIFUL. Not in the same way as peacocks or flamingos of course. They have an elegance of their own. However, the song of the nightingale is much more thrilling. Did someone already manage to see one?

Okay great! Wheres the cheapest place to buy these in bulk? Costco also had a filler seed with their sunflower. I have to steralize ir in the oven now so it doesnt sprout anymore.

Binoculars are not a standard across-the-board fit for all people. It's very important that you choose them according to your own criteria. My first suggestion is if you are a bird watcher, you want a pair designed to work as well as possible in low light. That has been my biggest frustration over the years, because many species will be most active foraging around dusk and dawn, and nothing is worse than seeing something with a different silhouette sitting on a tree branch and it's merely a dark blob through the lenses. LOL. The second criteria is how serious a birder you are. Ye, by all means spend as much as you feel comfortable with to get the best set you can for your level of use. You also want to consider if you will be using them from a set location, or having to pack them and want them more portable. I own maybe five or six sets, some of which were inherited from my father, a professional photographer who ran several photographic laboratores and had a good background in optics. Believe it or not, my fav set is not any of the above. Comfort counts as well. I use daily a Nikon Team Real Tree compact unit. They are relatively inexpensive for the quality and in your price range, depending on the magnification you desire. They fold up easily and well to fit a pocket, are easily adjusted too, important if you need to do it on the fly. My mate had problems with it initially because he wears glasses, and I don't. That's another issue to consider. Just google some sites about choosing binocs and they'll walk you through it, but again of all my sets, I use the little Nikon most.