Finches & Snowflakes

I hate winter.

Especially ones like this one where we spend more time sinking in mud than dealing with snow.

But, on occasion, my Grinch-ish heart is genuinely touched by the beauty of a fresh, heavy snow.

Part of making my dream home a reality is incorporating our surroundings into our living space. Tim and I are both nature-lovers (by nature? sorry, couldn't resist) and enjoy observing the local wildlife. When it comes to the interior of our home we are always looking for natural accents like wooden fixtures, stone decor, etc. But when it comes to the great outdoors, we are looking for ways to enjoy and experience our beautiful area.

Our new favorite way to bring nature into our daily lives and home? Birds!

Recently, Tim and I splurged on some serious bird feeding equipment. Droll Yankee is the authority company for high quality backyard birding materials. We purchased the tri-feeder stand, two new column feeders (one with peanuts for woodpeckers and one for normal seed), and a domed tray feeder.

We had noticed as soon as we moved in that there was a dense population of song birds in the area. We bought a basic feeder and threw it together with an old Shepard's pole we had found under the deck. Instantly our back yard was invaded by our new feathery friends and we were so happy to see them! Now, several months later, we have at least a dozen different species of birds that visit regularly. We call them our pet birdies... (mostly as an attempt to stave off the temptation to buy actual pet birds for indoors).

Currently our regular guests are titmice, black-capped chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, sparrows, common red-polls, American gold finches, cardinals, mourning doves, eastern blue birds, European starlings, red-bellied woodpeckers, and downy woodpeckers, with the occasional house finch and mocking bird stopping by.

In order to properly appreciate all our new friends, we recently also treated ourselves to these bad boys:

 

These binoculars are perfect for backyard birding. Not too expensive, high quality, and super clear vision. The field of view is 330 feet and the magnification is 8X42. These not only come highly recommended from us, but also by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a major resource for the world of birding.

Our Bushnell binoculars never leave the dining room table and sit right next to our copy of The National Wildlife Federation's Field Guide to Birds of North America. This way, when we have guests during the day, they can easily get a close look if someone interesting pops up at the feeder. Not to mention Tim and I ourselves spend quite a bit of time observing and identifying our "pet birdies."

We also purchased a window feeder, which is my (and our chickadees', finches', and tit mices') new favorite thing!

Getting to see some of my favorites "pets" up close is a real treat. And having this view from the dining room table really adds something to the whole dining area. With the large palm plant, the bird species print, and our feeders, we're thinking the final dining room will probably have a nature/bird/woods theme.

*ding* Ooo! How about an inspiration round up for this theme next week? I like how that sounds... shoot me an email if you've got something along those lines and would like to be featured!

What elements do you bring in from the great outdoors? I'd love to hear/see what you guys think!

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Happy weekend everybody! Cheers!