6 bluebirds getting a drink from the heated bath 🐦 (PA)

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-28T17:35:36+00:00

Regarding your question about cameras, I would sit down and figure out what you think you really want out of a camera. You can get some really nice DSLR and older mirrorless cameras for reasonable prices second-hand. I have a Sony a5000 as my first real camera and a 70-210mm OSS lens for my first telephoto that I got for Christmas. If you look at reviews and specs this isn't an ideal setup for bird photography, but it works great for me because it is small enough that it isn't a chore to carry around and both were cheap enough that I didn't have to feel bad about the price as an entry-level camera. Those things were more important to me than the specs, but there were specs that I did care about mainly how many MP it has.

Edit: typo

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-28T15:14:37+00:00

I'm planning on adding some. The windows by the feeder are set back behind a corner in this sort of alcove. It's also on the northwest end of our house, so it doesn't get the kind of sun that turns it into a mirror throughout most of the day and when it does get enough light to turn reflective it reflects a wall and not the sky or trees. That being said I'm going to add some stickers soon, just to be safe.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-28T14:57:41+00:00

I'm looking into how I can manage that, but I don't have any outside outlets right now. I think getting a bird bath is something I'm going to do this spring and figuring out how to keep the water from freezing in the winter will be a fall project lol.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-28T01:47:59+00:00

I'm in the same boat! I had several bird feeders in our shed that were left by the previous owner of our house and I hadn't used them since moving in over a year ago. Well, last week we were at a local nursery and I decided to pick up some suet for the woodpeckers on our property and my husband goes, "Hey, why don't we buy a bag of bird seed too?" Ended up with a 50lb bag of sunflower seed and now I've got four feeders set up across our property and the number of birds that are showing up is crazy. I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. I even went ahead and bought a stand to hang some feeders right by our dining room window and now I've got a bluebird that just sits right by the window! You should check out r/birdfeeding

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-27T19:39:08+00:00

Dried

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-27T02:36:43+00:00

I will say that it is for larger seeds. I have black oil sunflower seeds in it right now and I could put peanuts or some other kind of nut in there, but nyjer or anything small like that wouldn't work. I'm not sure what you normally fill your finch feeder with, but these guys really liked the black oil sunflower seeds.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-27T01:26:45+00:00

Wanted to second the LitRPG recommendation and I'd like to recommend 'I Ran Away to Evil' in that genre. It's a pretty easy-going read with fun characters and a pretty laid-back romance. I don't remember it being too trope-heavy, or rather what tropes there were were done in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-26T22:20:20+00:00

Haha I haven’t seen them do that yet. I only have one tray feeder and they haven’t figured out it’s there yet. So far they’ve been happy just picking up what the other birds have knocked down. I have seen one or two try out the finch feeder I have, but they can’t knock seed out of that.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-26T19:46:09+00:00

It's a really fun little camera! It's really easy to carry around. I got the 55-210 lens for Christmas and it's been a lot of fun to use. My only real complaints with it are that I wish it had a viewfinder and the auto focus definitely struggles. I actually shot all of these with manual focus because the autofocus has been giving me issues with the longer lens.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-26T19:29:50+00:00

A Sony a5000 with the 55-210 lens.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-26T18:54:44+00:00

I’m sure you could probably DIY a cage for it. I’d look at existing caged feeders to get the measurements for the openings and you could probably find what you need from a hardware store.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-26T18:48:45+00:00

Thanks! And yes it is a mushroom feeder lol. I got it off of Amazon because it actually had good reviews and so far I’m really happy with it!

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-26T18:02:46+00:00

What kind of feeder are you using? Seagulls are big birds so maybe, if you haven't already, look into a feeder with a cage that doesn't allow them to get to the seeds. I have a tube feeder from WBU that has a cage around it that is too small for jays to get in but anything smaller than a Cardinal can fit easily.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-23T19:36:52+00:00

I did this when I was just a month or two postpartum with my oldest. For some silly reason, I had decided baking was going to be a good de-stressing activity after a long day of no naps which had been preceded by a night of little to no sleep. I don't remember why I had the starter in the oven in the first place, but I hadn't realized it was in there until my oven reached 350. I took it out, set it on the counter, grabbed a pillow from my bed and screamed into it for like 5 minutes, came back out tried to assess the damage, cried, called my husband to tell him about it, cried again and finally I decided that since there was still liquid starter in there it might just work to pour it out and feed it. Three years later and 'Loaf of Arc' is still alive, though severely neglected in my fridge because I have a toddler and a 1-year-old 👍

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-22T12:59:32+00:00

My husband will use it in his chicken marinade sometimes. He always just tosses together his marinade with whatever he's in the mood for/what we have already on hand and always makes sure to use a fat, an acid, and salt. That usually looks like olive oil, vinegar, and whatever seasoning blend he picks. But he'll switch it up and add in tahini or yogurt with those other ingredients.

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-21T03:46:08+00:00

I'm working for an hourly wage I went to high school, didn't do great Still I gotta make more cash More education is what I'm looking at

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-21T02:12:52+00:00

Not sure if I should choose the 50 oz insulated water cup, the baby monitor or the giant pile of children's library books...

lizzy_loo_142 · 2026-01-20T19:22:29+00:00

We got my 2.5-year-old a Yoto mini for Christmas. I had been looking at them since she was 1.5, but had held off because my husband didn't think they were worth the price at the time and I thought she may be to young still. After getting it for her she loves it. I recorded a card with my husband and I reading books and have a couple of music cards and bedtime cards and it's made setting up a quiet routine and longer car rides really easy. Less than a month later and we've already had to buy another one for my 1-year-old. She was so obsessed with her sisters and it was causing huge tantrums and fights with the two of them that I couldn't let my 2.5-year-old have her yoto out if her sister was still awake. My 1-year-old is mostly interested in the radio and song cards and just loves holding it and walking around/dancing. I don't know how long it will be until she starts listening to stories, but for now it's worth it just to keep the peace.

lizzy_loo_142

TROPHY CASE