The price of bird seed!

Has anyone else noticed the price of bird seed going up?!? I generally just purchase our seed at Lowe's, Sams or Walmart, but lately I've started to think, "What are my other options?!? Can I make some from scratch?!?" I think this week we may try to make our own suet...I wonder if Mikey will like it!

I get a newsletter from Bird Watcher Supply Company, and their last newsletter mentioned an apology to their customers for having to raise the prices on bird food more than twice in the last year! They mentioned that farmers are getting government subsidies to grow corn for the Ethanol craze instead of their regular sunflower crops, so there has been much less sunflower, safflower, etc. to go around. And another super-duper, interesting tidbit: Frito Lay is using more sunflower in an effort to make their snack foods healthier. Hmmm! The newsletter went on to say that the while the birding industry has never seen such high prices, we have been in this cycle before, so prices should come back down. Supply and demand at its finest!

I found all of this so interesting! Especially the part about Frito Lay! Who knew?!? And I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but I've noticed that the bird feeders themselves have been more plentiful and less expensive lately...hmmm...supply and demand, I guess! The stores can't sell you on buying birdseed due to its high cost, but they can certainly sell you a feeder on sale! "Now that I've sold you this lovely bird feeder, what may I sell you to put in it?!?"

Speaking of bird feeders being on sale...we do have bird feeders all around our yard, but this last one that we just bought has been my favorite! It's simple but fun! It's a hanging feeder with a tray in it that can be left in to collect water for a birdbath or removed to allow the tray under it with holes to just hold the bird seed. We have it hanging outside one of the living room windows; so for the last couple of days we've been watching several "couples" hangin' out in it! We've nick-named it the "jacuzzi" feeder...the females generally get down inside it, and the fellas hang out on the edge keeping watch of everything going on around them! One can almost hear them communicating with one another!

Now if I can just get the dern squirrels to get off of my feeders! I put out plenty of food for them on the ground....I think I'm going out there right now to 'vasoline' the poles that they seem to effortlessly climb to get to my new feeders! Those squirrels will also climb the window screens to get to the feeders that are suction-cupped to the windows...that just annoys all of us...especially the dog! "Go get'em, boy!"

God's boundless creation is amazing, and I'm so thankful that we have the opportunity to watch it...even if it is for the expensive feed and the annoying squirrels that steal someone else's food!