Alan Crawford

The leaves are just beginning to change color and drop. Outdoor chores are changing up from mowing the grass to raking leaves and getting ready for winter. Lawn furniture and decorations will soon be stored, to be ready for spring. And, for many of us, we’ll be setting up bird feeders for the winter months.

I’ve always enjoyed a cup of coffee in the morning, watching these fascinating winged creatures stop by for a bite to eat. Their colors are majestic and stand out, especially once snow is on the ground.

Cardinals and blue jays seem to dominate my location, though I’ve sometimes seen blue birds and yellow chickadees with the occasional red headed wood pecker. I’ve never gone as far as setting up a camera type feeder for closer observation, but know they’re available. I just enjoy being there and having the time to relax.
The hawks sometimes swoop down and grab a smaller bird which is a bit distressful, more so to the small bird than me, which is simply part of nature. I’ve also had bears take down the feeders.

Squirrels have the most creative critter initiatives to steal from the birds. They’ll climb poles, leap astounding distances to land on a feeder, and make you begin thinking you’re Wile E Coyote battling a herd of road runners while trying to outsmart them.

My solution has been to convert to a squirrel proof bird feeder which has an outer shell which slides down, covering the seed trays, when weight is applied. I’ve also gone so far as placing an eyelet up on a tree branch, threading a rope through the eye, and raising the feeder high off the ground to keep out of Boo Boo’s reach! I lower it to refill the feeder as needed.

I was wondering about the history of these little eateries for our feathered friends and decided to do a bit of research. Though there are minor references here and there about leaving bread crumbs and other small morsels out, the practice really didn’t come into vogue until the 1800’s and into the 1900’s, from what I read, so far. Some attribute the practice to Henry David Thoreau who, he wrote in 1854, of leaving a bushel of unripe corn outside his cabin and observing the animals who feasted upon it. Okay, I thought, let me see what

I can find searching for photos and other images of antique bird feeders. There are very few out there! Virtually none! Why? I have no clue.

I remember as a toddler a bird once built a nest in Granny’s mail box and laid eggs. The mail carrier, rather than disturb the nest and eggs, walked the mail up to the front porch each day. Granny would put out stale bread to feed the little mother until the eggs hatched and the brood left the nest.

I perused other old photos and only discovered one which displayed some of the bird houses we had on our farm. There are two bird houses atop the lower section of the barn. This photo would be from the spring of 1943, when my father, Woody Crawford, was on leave from the military and was plowing up the gardens for his mother, though the birdhouses were probably much older.

Today, we have beautiful and very ornate bird houses adorning our yards, some handcrafted by skilled craftsman in our area. But, I’m wondering and asking if any of you have a photo of an old birdhouse from, let’s say, over 100 years ago? The Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and Hudson Highlands has a scan-a-thon coming up and perhaps you have photos such as these, and others, documenting our community which can be archived for future generations.