an 'active' backyard Life-long bird lovers Gene and Virginia VanHouten took their hobby to a new level following Gene's retirement in the 1990s. "We have a very active backyard," Gene said of the 12 acres he and his wife own. Part of the activity in the VanHouten's backyard revolves around Gene's teepee. "I always wanted a teepee and a couple of years ago I decided to do something about it," he said. That "something" involved setting up the branches to begin a teepee, placing a bench inside for relaxing and surrounding the structure with bittersweet. The bittersweet was planted in May 2003 around the barren teepee branches and by August (less than three months later) the branches of the bittersweet had twined themselves around the teepee covering it in lush leaves and bright berries. "I knew the bittersweet would grow and take off but it got a bit out of hand," Gene said, adding that it has taken off so well that it is close to 30 feet tall. "Our yard has always been something of a bird sanctuary," he said. "My wife and I plant shrubbery with the birds in mind - we have Washington Hawthorne and Crabapples - we really cater to the birds." At any given time, the VanHoutens can catch glimpses of cardinals, Downy and several other variety of woodpeckers, finches, flickers, wrens, hummingbirds, robins and turkey vultures. Chickadees are also in abundance and they flock to Gene when he goes out into the yard with a jar full of black walnut meats. "The chickadees will fly down and land on my hand and look me in the eye before they stick their heads inside the bottle to get a walnut meat," he said. "I tell them 'you better not take the biggest piece' but they just stare back at me before ducking their heads inside to pick one of the nuts out." In the winter time, the yard becomes home to a small herd of deer and flock of turkeys, he said. Gene also makes birdhouses for his feathered friends. "When a birch tree dies, I cut it up, hollow it out, put on a roof and hang it up for the birds," he said. "We have about half a dozen feeders in the yard and we go through an awful lot of suet every week." Visitors to the VanHoutens' are thrilled with the idea of being able to go out and have a bird eat from their hands, Gene said. "My wife and I have always been avid bird watchers and now we don't even have to leave our house to do it," he said. |
