February 2012
Fellow
Backyard Nature Lovers:
I hope to see all of you down on Main
Street for the Chili Cook-off today
from 1-5PM. We’ve got about 60 entries, four bands and 96 Rock is doing a
‘remote’. Plus - the seafood boil by the Tucker Masonic Lodge AND face painting
in our classroom. Limited
edition t-shirts will be available, too. Bring cash – no credit cards or checks
accepted for this event. Remember
$5 lets you taste all of the contestant’s entries and a vote in the people’s
choice category. This is a
rain or shine event – so even if there are some showers come down and support
all the people who entered and will be there with lots of chili to share.
Special
sales
to day in the store just for the big event include: receive a free K-feeder ($20 value) with #10
or Greater Cole Purchase and 20% Off All Pottery.
Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) – NOW IN
PROGRESS – JOIN IN
The 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
is held February 17-20, 2012. The
GBBC is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in
counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are across the
U.S. and Canada. The checklists submitted for this event help researchers at
Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society learn more about how
birds are doing - and how to protect the environment we share. Last year,
participants turned in over 92,000 checklists, creating the continent's largest
instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded. Taking part in the
Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a great way to get more familiar with
Atlanta's winter birds from the convenience of your own
home/yard/"patch" You can team with family and friends, have fun, and
help birds—all at the same time. Anyone who can identify even a few species can
provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how
the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.
Visit the official GBBC website at www.birdcount.org for more information.
What's
New in the Store?
Cricket Forge – the makers
of the wonderful butterfly bench – we have several new products including
tables, birdbaths, large butterflies and plant/bird feeder hangers.
SEEDS! – The seeds
came in and left and we reordered so we still have a supply and can get more.
Even though the Birdie Bell
isn’t a new product, Jane found a new use for it. Fill it with all of your
scrap lettuce, broccoli, carrots, etc. and hang it up for your chickens. They
love it!
New Kitras balls including
new ones called “Blossoms’.
Birdhouses, wall décor, fountains…
more to come.
Don’t forget we now have “Wish
Lists” available (fill yours out now so your family and friends will know what
to get you for that special occasion), gift certificates and will soon have a
special order section so you can thumb through some catalogs and order
products.
Olde
Town Tucker Update
Dee’s
Sweet Bake Shop opening mid-March (hopefully!).
The
Cruise-Ins start in April and will run through September on the 2nd
Saturday. If you haven’t been to one of these, you need to come out. More info
on these later.
The Tucker
Masonic Lodge is hoping to have a Child Identification program available on May
12th. Watch for more information on this.
The Olde
Town Tucker Merchant’s Association recently held elections. We’re growing and
working on additional events for the year. Check out our website at www.oldetowntucker.com.
Classes
(Note: preregistration is requested
– class size is limited – call 404-474-7072
to register or for more information)
Saturday, March 10th,
1:30 -2:30PM: Hydroponics Made Easy (Scott Scheivelhud)
Saturday – March 24th
& 31st, 9:30am – 12 Noon: Introduction to Landscaping (Paul
Bradford, ASLA)
These two classes will cover basic design elements such as
rhythm, balance, harmony, shapes, contrasting forms, etc…, creating outdoor
rooms, popular and available plant material, sustainable gardening, and use of
garden ornaments. Cost $75
Saturday, April 14th, 10:30 – 11:30am: Beginners
Guide to Bird Identification (Pam Higginbotham)
Birding is more than a
hobby. Not only does birding open the door to the natural
world but it is also big business. This talk covers field guides, tools,
and equipment used in the pursuit of "bird
happiness." Other topics include where to find birds
and how to ID them by silhouette, field marks, posture, size, habitat, behavior
and vocalization.
Saturday, April 21st,
10am – Noon: Basic Digital Photography for Flower Lovers (Chuck Holmes)
Learn to use all of the
features of your digital camera to capture the beauty of your plants and
flowers. This two-hour course
demystifies terms like lens aperture, shutter speed, selective focus, depth of
field, stop action, and ISO, and helps you learn how to use them for better and
more satisfying pictures. Get your
camera off of auto and on to better photographs. Bring your camera and your user’s manual for
hands-on practice. Cost: $25
Saturday,
April 28th, 10am – 12 Noon: Intermediate Photography for Flower
Lovers (Chuck Holmes)
Take your
pictures from the purely representational to the expressive through the
manipulation of lighting, creative framing in the camera, and effects. The course also touches on the use of
programs such as Photoshop Elements to enhance the pictures that you’ve
taken. Bring your camera and your user’s
manual for hands-on practice. Cost: $25
Bird of the Month
Eastern Bluebird 
·
Eastern
Bluebirds eat mostly insects, wild fruit and berries. They have been seen
capturing and eating larger prey like shrews, salamanders, snakes, lizards, and
tree frogs. Mealworms - live and dried - are a treat! They like suet too.
·
Eastern
Bluebirds typically have more than one successful brood per year (as most of
you see here). Early nests usually leave their parents in summer, but young
form later nests frequently stay with their parents over the winter.
·
The
oldest recorded Eastern
·
The
Eastern Bluebird clutch size is 2-7 eggs. They have 1-3 broods. Incubation
period is11-19 days. Nesting period is 17-21 days. Egg description is pale blue
or white.
·
The
key to attracting Bluebirds to nest in your yard is having plenty of potential
nesting locations, food and water. Bluebirds do prefer “open areas”.
Come in to Win a Free Feeder
Brome will be giving away 120
Squirrel Buster Mini’s, 18 Squirrel Buster Peanut+ and 12 Squirrel Buster Plus
Customers who visit The Garden Enthusiast – Backyard Nature
Station will receive our unique store code starting February 18th.
The first draw will be on Tuesday February 21st.The final draw for
10 Squirrel Buster Plus will be held on Saturday March 31st.
Visit our store and get the unique store code that we
provide you and then enter the code via email, phone.
3 Squirrel Buster Mini’s are drawn each day starting Monday
February 20th; 3 Squirrel Buster Peanut+ are drawn each Saturday
starting February 25th; 10 Squirrel Buster Plus will be drawn on
Saturday March 31st.
Brome will contact us with the customer’s contact
information and then we get in touch with the winners. Brome Bird Care will
follow up with the winner to make sure everything went well.
The feeder is shipped to or store for you and we arrange
with you to pick it up.
Once the Free feeder draw is over on March 31st, Brome will
delete and destroy all of the customer information.
Linda, Brittany, Jessica &
Jeremy
The Garden Enthusiast - Backyard Nature Station
2316 D Main Street
Tucker, GA 30084
Hours: Tuesday –
Saturday 10am – 6PM
Sunday 12 -
5PM
Monday Closed
