Braselton, Georgia –
Lori Grizzle has always loved birds, but over the past year, backyard birdwatching has become part of her everyday life.
A hummingbird feeder was one of the first things she added to the yard after she and her husband bought their home. She hung it where she could watch the hummingbirds from the kitchen or while sitting outside on the patio.
Last fall, she began paying even closer attention to the birds around her backyard and was amazed by just how many different species were visiting.
“I was noticing birds that I’d never seen before, and I was hooked instantly!”
Today, Lori has a camera feeder, two tube feeders, a hopper feeder, a suet feeder and her hummingbird feeder. Her backyard visitors include cardinals, downy woodpeckers, chickadees, goldfinches, Carolina wrens, bluebirds, tufted titmice, hummingbirds, nuthatches, brown thrashers, robins, and yellow-rumped warblers.
A Backyard Made for Watching
Lori has created plenty of reasons for both birds and people to spend time outside.
Around the fire pit, she has flower pots filled with blueberry bushes, blackberry and raspberry bushes, vegetables and flowers. Nearby, a shepherd’s hook holds several feeders, with a birdbath and even more flowers close by.
Her hummingbird feeder sits near the patio, and the hummingbirds don’t seem particularly bothered by Lori’s dogs.
She even managed to photograph a rare sight: two hummingbirds sharing the feeder at the same time.
The Goldfinches Finally Found Her
Goldfinches had always been one of Lori’s favorite birds. She would see and hear them around the yard, but they weren’t coming to her feeder.
Then she added a tube feeder and filled it with our Finch & Bunting Blend.
They found it almost immediately.
Now goldfinches are some of her most frequent visitors. In fact, Lori says they visit so often that she sometimes has to refill the feeder every day.
Lori is also a fan of our Hot Pepper Blend, which she says does a great job of keeping the squirrels away.
Chickadees, Cardinals and New Discoveries
Chickadees hold an especially important place in Lori’s heart. She gets excited whenever she sees or hears one and loves them so much that she even has a chickadee tattooed on her arm.
But feeding the birds has also introduced her to things she never noticed before.
One surprise was discovering that cardinals molt. You can see one of her “bald” cardinals in the photo below, during its molt.
Three pairs of cardinals regularly visit Lori’s backyard, and she has loved watching their progress, including seeing them raise their babies and eventually bring the young cardinals to her feeders.
Her Favorite Way to Unwind
For Lori, the best part of her backyard may simply be having a place where she can slow down and watch.
On weekend mornings, she loves sitting on the patio with coffee and a book while the birds come and go. It has also become one of her favorite ways to relax after work.
“It’s so nice to just sit out back, unwind, and listen to the birds.”
Because Lori works from home, she admits that she also spends plenty of time throughout the day looking out the porch doors to see who is visiting.
And Lori isn’t the only one who knows the bird-feeding routine.
Her dog Stormy gets excited when she reaches for the bags of Happy Birdwatcher seed because he knows they’re about to head outside together.
In less than a year, Lori’s backyard has become her own birdwatching retreat, filled with favorite birds, new discoveries and plenty of reasons to stop and look outside.
Lori’s Backyard at a Glance
| 📍 Location | Braselton, Georgia |
| 🌿 Setting | A patio backyard with flowers, fruiting plants, feeders and a birdbath |
| 💗 Favorite Thing to Watch | Chickadees and goldfinches, plus the cardinal families that visit her feeders |
| 🐦 Regular Visitors | Cardinals and goldfinches are frequent visitors, along with chickadees, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, wrens and many more. |
| 🌻 Favorite Happy Birdwatcher Products | Finch & Bunting Blend and Hot Pepper Blend |
| 🎉 Special Backyard Success | Attracting goldfinches to her feeder with Finch & Bunting Blend after previously only seeing and hearing them around the yard |
Thank you, Lori, for sharing your Happy Backyard with us!
Could Your Backyard Be Next?
Every Happy Backyard has a story, and we’d love to hear yours.
Send us your backyard photos and tell us a little about the birds you love watching. If your backyard is selected for a Happy Backyard Spotlight, you’ll receive a $50 Happy Birdwatcher gift card and be entered for our annual grand prize: a year of free birdseed!