DID YOU KNOW

Did you know that birds can see colors? They have excellent color vision and use it to find food. Female birds are attracted to and prefer male birds who have the most colorful feathers.

DID YOU KNOW

Nesting birds such as wrens, chickadees, and finches prefer to be secluded when raising their young. By providing bridhouses that are away from busy spots in your yard such as bird feeders, foot traffic, and bird baths; these birds will thrive in your yard and feel safe to build a nest, mate and raise their young.

DID YOU KNOW

Black-eyed Susans are not only a beautiful flower but a flower that birds enjoy. The black seed heads in the center of these flowers are a great source of seed-eating for house finches, chickadees, and goldfinches.

DID YOU KNOW

There are over 30 different species of birds that will nest in a birdhouse? These include many that frequent your back yard. Some of these types of birds are the house wren, chickadee, tufted titmice, nuthatches, bluebirds, purple martins, wood duck and screech owls. With a little research one can set up multiple birdhouses of different types to attract many of these birds. House wrens can fit into a birdhouse with a 1 1/8" hole, whereas chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice can fit into a birdhouse with a 1 1/4" hole (http://birdhouseaccents.etsy.com). The blue bird needs a 1 1/2" hole birdhouse, the purple martin a 2" entry hole, wood ducks and screech owls need a 3" to 4" oval entry hole.

With a little knowledge as to the dimensions of a birdhouse, how high to place one, what types of species enjoy what types of food and when the nesting season begins, one can make their yard a popular place for all types of birds.

Don't Forget To Feed The Birds

Winter can be very hard on the birds because snow covers up much of their food resources and ice can make it impossible for them to get nourishment from tree buds and wild fruit plants. Making sure your feeders are well stocked with high quality bird seed is pertinent and can mean the difference between life and death to birds.

There are many new suet cakes and birdseed that can provide the birds in your yard with high fat nutrients to give them the energy they need to survive. Check out your local garden centers and home improvement centers for the different types of varieties they offer, many at reasonable prices.

DID YOU KNOW

The finch species is one of the smallest birds on Earth? Yet it belongs to the largest bird family and is classified as a passerine bird. A passerine bird means one that perches.

DID YOU KNOW

Baby songbirds actually learn how to sing from their parents. By listening closely they are able to mimic the song until it becomes their own.

DID YOU KNOW

Here is an interesting fact:

Birds walk on their toes with their heels in the air. Next time you are bird watching, check it out.

Flowers Attract Songbirds

Did you know that planting certain types of flowers in your yard will attract songbirds? Now is the time to be thinking about buying new plants and where to put them. The following types of plants attract sparrows, finches, chickadees, tufted titmouse and red eyed vireo just to name a few. Your local nursery can help you find alpha wedding phlox, cloth of gold, summer sun heliopsis, belladonna delphinium, purple liatris (attracts butterflies too) and little miss muffet daisy (a favorite of purple finches). All these types of flowers are easy to care for and will come back year after year.

DID YOU KNOW

Many birds become more sociable to improve their chances of survival during cold weather. By flocking together, they improve their chances of locating food. By huddling together during the night, they conserve their body heat. Such the adage......birds of a feather flock together.

Do Bird's Feet Stick To Metal Perches or Feeders

I get asked this question all the time when it starts to get below freezing at night. "Won't the bird's feet stick to the metal perch on birdhouses or feeder parts." I figured that this would be as good of a time as any time to answer this question, especially since we received 12" of snow the past two days and its been extremely cold at night.

As you may know, our fingers may stick to metal ice cube trays because moisture freezes on contact with frigid metal. So, will birds stick to metal feeder parts and metal perches during subfreezing temperatures?

Well bird's feet are covered with dry scales, so there is no surface moisture, making it just about impossible for them to freeze to metal perches. A bird's legs and feet lack fleshy muscle and are made up mostly of tough tendons. Their eyes, tongues, and beaks are usually safe from exposure to metal feeder parts as well. Rapid reflexes prevent the eye from coming in contact with foreign metal surfaces and bird's beaks are toughened, calloused and dry. During cold weather little blood flows to a bird's extremities.

But, has this ever happened? This is an extremely rare event. We have read only one report of a bird's feet sticking. If you observe this unfortunate circumstance don't panic, a bird can be freed from this rare predicament by pouring warm water over the contact point.

Winterberry Holly

Did you know that winterberry holly will attract songbirds to your yard? Songbirds use it as an emergency food source. It is the native plant for December.

Winterberry holly is native to eastern Canada and the eastern half of the U.S. If you have places in your yard that are plagued by wetness, this is the shrub to plant. It prefers acidic soil and can be grown in partial shade or sun.

Although the plant is common in the wild, you can go to your local nursery and purchase it. Buy one male plant and surround it with female plants which will bear the plant's red beautiful berries. The plants at the nursery should be labeled male and female making it easy to purchase them.

As the plant sheds it's green leaves in winter, it displays red berries, the perfect winter food for attracting songbirds.

If you are not interested in attracting songbirds, you can always use the winterberry holly stems for arts and crafts projects. Just make sure you cut them in November before the songbirds start to enjoy them.

Birds Rely on Birdbaths in Winter Too

All birds need a constant supply of water for drinking and for bathing. During the winter months birds need water just as much as they do in the summer months, if not more. Available water keeps their feathers in good condition. This is so important because they rely on their feathers for insulation to keep them warm during the cold bitter winter months.

Many birds will drink more water during the winter months. This is because birds who feast on dry nuts do not get enough to hydrate them. Seed eaters also need plenty of water. Water compensates for the lack of moisture in their diet.

A pond or large water source is ideal for attracting birds and wildlife. Unfortunately, most of us do not have this in our yard. Your water source does not have to be elaborate. A simple birdbath, a shallow indentation lined with plastic in your flower bed or a secured inverted lid all will do the trick. Believe it or not, a simple puddle is just as sufficient for birds to use as a water source.

Just make sure that whatever you use, the birds are able to get in an out easily. And please be diligent about keeping all water sources clean and filled with fresh water. Don't forget to crack the ice that my form during the winter months.

By following these simple steps, you can ensure that the bird population that frequent your yard during the winter and summer months are happy and healthy visitors.

DID YOU KNOW - Birds Body Temperature

A birds normal body temperature is usually 7-8 degrees hotter than a humans. A bird uses up to three quarters of the air it breathes just to cool down because they are unable to sweat.

DID YOU KNOW - Squirrels

Squirrels can jump a distance of up to 2o feet while in the trees and can fall up to 100 feet without hurting themselves. Squirrels can be found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.

DID YOU KNOW - Eastern Screech Owl

The Eastern Screech Owl will start to nest in March. This is because the rodent prey, that the adult owl feeds their young, is plentiful and easy to catch.

Even though this owl is nocturnal, it can see quite well in the daylight.

The ear tufts on their heads can be raised and lowered, at will.

As with all owls, they are more often heard then seen.

DID YOU KNOW- Female Birds

Female birds choose their mates based on how attractive they are and how beautifully they sing.

DID YOU KNOW- A Bird Naps

The average adult bird sleeps a total of three and a half days a year. A bird naps for about 15 seconds at a time.

Look Who's In The Yard

I wonder if you know that an average yard is visited, on a regular basis by 15 to 20 birds.

Across the USA, the most numerous birds that someone can see are cardinals in the southeast, blue jays in the northeast, black capped chickadees in the northwest, and house wrens in the southwest.

DID YOU KNOW

Black Capped Chickadees eat great amounts of seed and are the most common visitors to feeders in their region of the northwest.

BLACK CAPPED CHICKADEE

If you live in the city, you may think that the only birds that visit your neighborhood are the rock doves, house sparrows and starlings. The chances are very good of seeing other birds if there is a vacant lot, a patch of open ground or even a tree around you.

In the suburbs , where it is more rural, the chances of seeing different species of birds increase. There may not be many nesting, but if you have feed out they will certainly visit your feeder. Your opportunity for seeing birds in the winter increase because birds move over a greater area looking for food. Your best bet for seeing a variety of birds comes in the spring and fall when birds are passing through on migration.

Locality does play a major role in what types of birds visit your yard. A visit from certain species of birds depends on whether you have farmland, forest, mountains or desert around you. Lastly it depends on the season, as birds migrate to and from.

Dark-Eyed Junco

DID YOU KNOW

Dark-eyed juncos visit yards across the USA. Their plumage will vary depending on where they are at that specific time in their migration.

Ten Birding Tips

1. Black Oil Sunflower Seed is the most popular seed. Feeding the birds this seed will give you a variety of backyard songbirds.

2. If you would like to attract the beautiful American Goldfinch, try using nyger seed. Many know this as thistle seed. This seed is oil rich and will draw finches to your feeders.

3. One of the best times to view cardinals is early morning or at dusk. Cardinals like to feed on the ground but will come to feeders that have enough room for them to perch. They prefer to nest in bushes and thickets.

4. Birdseed and suet should be stored in a dark, cool, dry space. Both can also be put in the freezer for storage too.

5. Quality birdseed gives you the most feeding value for your money because birds often toss aside less expensive "filler" seeds. Peanuts, tree nuts and sunflower seeds are quality seeds. These seeds will be eaten with little waste.

6. What about those pesky squirrels. There are squirrel proof feeders available and baffles for existing feeders. If you have enough room in your yard, you may want to set up a feeding area just for the squirrels. This can divert them away from bird feeders. You can keep the squirrel area fully stocked with dried ears of corn and wildlife mixes that are sure to please them.

7. You can extend the life of your quality birdseed such as nyger seed by mixing it with black oil sunflower seeds or seed mix.

8. If you are pressed for time on certain days to restock your bird feeders and seed blocks are an excellent idea. Just unwrap a seed block, set it outdoors and go.

9. A clean feeder is a must to keep birds healthy. You can purchase brushes and bird feeding cleaning products to keep them clean. Oriole feeders and hummingbird feeders need to be cleaned two or three times a week in hot weather before adding fresh nectar.

10. Birdhouses can give winter shelter so keep them up during this time. In very early spring you can clean out the nests and get them ready for new families.