Bats

Did you know that bats are the only true mammal that flies? They like to live near areas of water where insects are prevalent. One species, the brown bat, can eat 600 to 1,000 mosquitoes in just one hours time. Bats fly much higher than birds, some species fly up to 10,000 feet high. All bats are nocturnal.


To discourage bats from entering your home, plug entrance holes or potential entrance holes. If bats have taken up residence in your home, make sure you plug the entrance after they leave at night. Putting up a bat house is a good way to house bats and still keep them in your yard.


Place a bathouse on the east or southeast side of a pole, tree or building and make sure the bathouse is at least 15 feet from the ground. Placing them by a water source is ideal. Bathouses do not have to be cleaned out. Don't get discouraged if you do not get any bats "right off the bat", sometimes it takes a couple of years before bats start to use a bathouse.

Kitchen Scraps

Did you know that leftovers are a great cheap source of bird food? Most kitchen scraps are filled with carbohydrates and fats that help birds build body fat. This body fat is necessary for survival, nesting and migration. Just make sure you put your scraps in scrap baskets or platform feeders. This helps keep scavengers such as rats, raccoons and skunks out of reach.

Some kitchen scraps birds really enjoy are bread crumbs, crusts, broken cookies, stale cake, stale cheese and even donuts. Starchy foods such as baked potato with the skins on, cooked spaghetti and rice help build body fat. Don't leave out bananas, grapes, apples and pears, walnuts, almonds and even fresh coconut.

 A variety of foods will attract a wide range of birds for you to watch and enjoy.

It's Not Too Late To Put Up That Birdhouse

Most of us know that courtship for a songbird begins in late winter and early spring. This is the time when they are scouting out a good birdhouse to raise their young in. However, some species of birds will nest more than once during the spring and summer season.
You can still attract a mating pair of birds now by following these simple guidelines.

--Make your birdhouse inviting by making sure the hot summer sun does not beat down on it during the mid to latter part of the day. Facing the entrance hole to the north or east will help.

--Do not place your birdhouse facing a busy street or in an area with a lot of human contact. You want your birds to gather food and feed their young and not waste their energy feeling like they have to defend their nest.

--Do not place your birdhouse next to feeders. Leave a comfortable distance of at least 25 feet or more between each. Birds will not nest and raise young where they eat because most are territorial.

--Don't give up, sometimes one can attract birds in a few days, sometimes it takes a few years. You can increase your chances by adding feeders and a bird bath to your yard which will make birds feel comfortable in their surroundings to raise their young.

Good Luck.

Birdhouses

We have 24 birdhouses in our yard. Do you think there is a limit on how many birdhouses one should have? I can tell you this, 20 of them are occupied with house wrens, finches and chickadees. We even have a robin nesting in the lilac bush. The male birds are very busy bringing nourishment to the female birds who are nesting and waiting for their young to hatch. This is one of those times where we can view nature at its best.

Black Capped Chickadees

This tiny songbird has to be one of the cutest to watch. For the past week we have enjoyed watching a male and female find that perfect birdhouse. They had their pick of many, including a couple new ones we set up on the back patio railing.

Just for the heck of it I also set up the house they used last year to raise their family in. Lo and behold, after much deliberation, that is the house they chose. The female chickadee has been busy taking out the old (we never cleaned this one out from last year) and bringing in the new to make that perfect nest.

They have been so busy that we were able to get a good look at just how cute they really are. These birds are curious about everything around their surroundings, including us. They have a black cap on top of their head which looks like it covers their eyes making it hard to see their eyes. These birds have white cheeks with gray and white wing feathers and light tan to white undersides. Their necks are short, their heads are large, with a short bill and long tail feathers.

Here is the male chickadee from last year sitting on the same birdhouse they chose this year, at least we think they are the same two that kept us company for a while last year. We will keep you posted.

Song Birds

No matter where one resides, there is always a bountiful selection of songbirds from early spring to fall.

Did you know that songbirds are also called perching birds? This is because they have toes that help them grip their perch, no matter what it is.
Believe it or not, raven and crows fall into this category and are one of the largest song birds. Robins and Blue Jays also fall into this category and are considered medium sized song birds. The birds falling between 5 - 7 inches in length are the ones we would consider smaller songbirds.

Warblers, wrens, chickadees, and goldfinch are frequent visitors of back yards. Now is the time to get those birdhouses out, sit back and watch the activity. You may be quite surprised and please.

Good Luck.

Those Pesky Squirrels

Everyone knows that keeping squirrels out of bird feeders is nearly impossible. Here are a few clever inventions that really do help keep the squirrels away.

Add a metal stovepipe to fit around a feeder pole, squirrels cannot figure out how to climb it.

A 2-liter plastic bottle with the neck cut off can be slipped onto a pole below the feeder making the feeder squirrel proof.

Crisco oil or motor grease can be used to coat feeder poles. It may be messy but the squirrels cannot climb up the pole.