Early November in my backyard.
My oak tree is holding onto its leaves, dark-eyed juncos are back at the feeder, and I planted some amaryllis bulbs for the upcoming holidays.

I’ve started a monthly newsletter called The Chirp, all about simple luxuries and seasonal joys, with tips for home, garden, and backyard birds. I’m inviting you to read the November issue, and if you like it, sign up for future issues.
Both links are in my bio. 🍁🧡🍂☀️

#november #darkeyedjunco #amaryllis #backyardbirds #newsletter

🚨New feeder alert! 🚨
I was gifted a 2-pack solar bird feeder from Birdream.

This pagoda-style feeder was super easy to snap together, and it’s just as easy to fill and clean. Size is 8.2 x 8.2 x 9.8 inches. Holds about 2 to 2.5 pounds of seed. I didn’t fill mine to the tippy-top.

My favorite part? The small perches. They help deter the bigger, bossier birds, so the little ones finally get a peaceful spot of their own to eat. They love it! The mourning doves? Not so much. Now that they don’t have to share with the big guys, they’ve got a little attitude about it. 😎🎶

It has a solar-powered LED light with the loveliest glow, and I appreciate it more every evening now that it’s getting dark earlier.

Flock tested, Beakfluencer approved. ✨

Two Wings Up for this beauty from @birdreamofficial_ 🐦

If your little birds need someone to have their back, the link is in my bio. ❤️

#Beakscore #TwoWingsUp #qtbird #birdfeeder #backyardbirds

Blue jay loving his Halloween snack o’lantern. 🎃
Thank you @peakbeakwild for making Flocktober even more special!

#backyardbirds #halloween #flocktober

Mid-October already? 😮🍁🍂
Did I miss anything? 😁🫖
Photos from my yard this past week.

Pro trick: Go with different friends each time so nobody notices you’ve already been there. 🎃😂🐦

Happy birds! ❤️
@peakbeakwild

#backyardbirds #trickortreating
#birdfeeder #bsfl #birdseed

I make Beak Treats a few times a year, and fall migration is always one of those times.

Migration takes an incredible amount of energy. By October, colder temperatures mean fewer active insects are available, just as migrating birds are using enormous amounts of energy to rest, refuel and continue their journey. I like offering nutrient-rich supplemental foods that are easy to find and quick to grab.

Fall brings all kinds of movement to the backyard. I’ve already noticed an uptick in American Goldfinches at my feeders, which fits their seasonal movement and tendency to gather in flocks this time of year.

Some birds are simply passing through the Great Lakes Bay Region, and using the area as a stopover to rest and refuel. Others may linger longer before continuing south. I was still seeing Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at my feeders into mid-October last year. And then there are fall arrivals like my beloved Dark-eyed Juncos that come south to spend the winter in Michigan.

When Peak Beak Wild sent me their black soldier fly larvae, I couldn’t have been happier with the timing! @peakbeakwild

I used them in my Beak Treats, along with sweet potato, birdseed, suet, peanut butter, mealworms and native flower seeds. These cookie-inspired treats provide a combination of fat and protein along with familiar foods my backyard birds already enjoy.

I also made a suet mix for my cages and a seed cylinder with Peak Beak Wild BSFL, and I’m planning to use them in my annual Snack-o-Lantern too. 🎃

I finally made the pumpkin chili I mentioned last week.
I love it! Sharing my recipe. It’s my regular chili recipe adjusted for the added pumpkin puree.

Chili is one of those foods that everyone adjusts to their own taste. I grew up on a very basic chili and worked on different ingredients that I liked versus the 3-alarm type of my youth. 😁 This chili is medium spicy, forwardly sweet. Very easy recipe to adjust to your own liking.

Whenever I make chili, I make a big batch. My crock-pot died recently after many years of heavy use. I was trying to decide if I wanted a multi-pot or just a slow cooker. I decided to buy another 10-quart crock-pot. Harder to find!

You can see how I crazily chopped my sweet potato. I cut it raw to build character and done is better than pretty.

The chili in half-gallon mason jars is not pressure-canned. Typically, I leave one jar in the fridge and I freeze the remaining. No, I’ve never had one break in the freezer. And Yes, I know the straight-jar is the standard and is recommended for freezing.

Yes, you have peeped that my jars are not the straight jars. 😇 Don’t stress for me. 😂 It’s fine. I’ve frozen soups and spaghetti sauce the same way. If you don’t like living on the edge, then simply don’t do this. 😂

I spoon the chili into the jars using a funnel. I let them cool a bit, and then I put them in the fridge overnight. Then I put them in the freezer. I leave headspace, so there’s room for expansion.

When I want some, I pull a frozen jar and thaw it in the fridge. I have thawed it in a cold water bath in the sink too.

One might question why I don’t pressure can or use plastic containers or Ziploc bags.

Just because!

I love mason jars and have many in various sizes. They’re handy. I prefer glass over plastic. And I don’t stress. I can always make something else if it doesn’t thaw fast enough.

Obviously make and store whatever way works for you!

If you want some recipe suggestions, I can share some easy ways to adjust this recipe and make it your own.

#pumpkinchili #autumnchili #bigbatchchili #chili

Today’s lunch: sunflower seeds with a side of sad leftover sunflower seeds and hulls. 😂

New QTBird series. 👩‍🍳
Beakfluencer™
Bird seed, treats & backyard bird essentials, tested by pecky eaters. ❤️

Pro sneaky tip: To expand a juvenile bird’s food palate, serve tiny, low-pressure portions and pair new foods with familiar favorites. 😂😜

Return as I expand the flock’s palate and explore more backyard bird essentials to keep them coming back.❤️

#whatmytoddlereats #backyardbirds #beakfluencer #birdfeeder