The most interesting bird I've had in my yard is a turkey vulture. It was pulling at the carcass of pigeon that I think was killed by a little Cooper's hawk (it came back later to finish the meal). My favorites, though, are the blue jays -- big, pretty, and noisy.

I lived in apartments most of my life, but bought a house a few years ago and have slowly gone from one tiny feeder to about ten. The squirrels, of course, were the bane of my existence until I finally just gave up and started putting peanuts out for them. The peanuts, now, have attracted crows -- who are worse than the squirrels. They come in gangs, keep other birds away, and knock down feeders. I'd love to find something that squirrels like, but crows aren't interested in.

I adopted a full grown but young and rambunctious German Shepherd a couple of months ago. My bird feeding season is just starting, so the crows are in for a little surprise this year....