My Grandfather liked to birdwatch. Any Christmas or birthday I knew I could give him a card or drawing of birds and he would like it. When I watch the birds now I always think of him.

It's a peaceful hobby, birdwatching. You don't have to go out on a nature hike to find birds to watch. Instead you can bring them right to your back door, assuming you have one. Bird feeders are pretty easy to come by. See if you can find one that squirrels can't access too easily. Those pesky rodents will climb up or jump on top of just about any feeder and happily munch away. Chipmunks and other small rodents are the same.

Another creature that will bother your birdwatching are cats. Even if you keep your cat locked away while the birds are around that cat smell will still be there, alerting birds to danger. They won't come around as much when there is the scent of danger (cat) in the air. I've found we have lots more birds around now than we did a few years ago when I still had a cat. It does take awhile for the cat area to be neutralized, don't expect instant birds just cause you found a new home for Fluffy.

Stick your feeder on a pole at least a few feet off the ground. Also, keep the bottom clear of bushes or tall grassy type stuff. This way the birds can watch for predators while they peck around on the ground. Feeders set in trees give protection from flying predators like hawks. But, the squirrels will feast on the seeds and you will have to replace seed frequently. Of course, some people like squirrel watching too.

Mixed seed will give you quite a bit of waste, birds are messy, picky eaters. Different birds like different seeds and they will toss seeds around while they hunt and peck for favourites. If you have the birdfeeder on your lawn you can also expect some of those seeds to sprout and grow in your grass.

But, if you really want to get into the birdwatching in your own backyard get a few birdfeeders and stick to one type of seed in each. Black oil sunflower seeds are a good choice. The shells are relatively thin and the seeds pack a lot of nutritional value. Plus, if they grow in your lawn they will be pretty growing or easy to spot and pull out.

If all this bird feeder stuff sounds too complicated and messy try some bushes, trees and assorted other plant life birds eat in the wild. Think of plants that have seeds, berries and nuts during the Summer, not just in the Fall. You can always ask at a garden store or just take a hike and see what the birds are eating in a woodsy area near you. But, don't plant anything from the wild in your garden until you find out more about it. Some of those wildflowers that look so pretty and nice in nature will become an army in your garden and completely take over. Spreading by seed, root, leaf, you won't ever get rid of them without mass destruction to your garden space.

Back to the birds. One other thing you can do is put water out for them. Birds will come just to drink and wash in a bird bath. They also wash themselves in dust (dry, fine dirt) so you know they aren't really fussy bathers. Still, keep the water fresh and clear to avoid mosquitos laying their eggs in any standing water.

Happy birding.