Admist my bird feeder research (while my birdhouse sits empty) I found this disclaimer about feeding the birds straight from Wikipedia.
“Despite a widespread belief to the contrary, the use of bird feeders does not have a positive impact on bird populations and biodiversity. For example, depending on the feeder design and the type of feed used, species such as the House Sparrow can dominate the use of the feeder. As a result, House Sparrow numbers can become inflated locally where feeders are used.”
My interpretation is- yes, still feed the birds but get specie specific food, the U.S. does not need(or want) any more House Sparrows(or Starlings)
I still think my new mantra Build a bird feeder…Save a bird -rings true!!
Here are some things to think about when you are getting ready to feed the birds. An FYI: most of my information came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Selecting a bird feeder:
Do you want to buy a feeder or make one- this can be as simple as throwing bread crumbs out
on your back patio to actually busting out the circular saw and making one that can hang from your maple tree to laying out some cash for the super duper squirrel zapping feeder =) Just kidding about the zapping part. It is better to use a feeder since food left on the ground is subject to mold and bacteria and other unseen things.
When you are picking a feeder its best to consider placement 1st. Where can you watch the birds easiest? Where would you most likely refill the feeder? Where are you ok with a mess? Is the area mostly squirrel proof?
Now that you know where you will put the feeder the next step is buying or making.
**Ask these questions before getting your bird feeder: Is it durable? Will it keep seeds dry? Is it easy to clean(my most important qualifier)? How much food will it hold(meaning how long before I have to get off my butt to refill it)? How many birds can it hold? And is species specific?
Durability: You can buy “disposable” plastic bag feeders; feeders made of cloth, nylon, vinyl and metal netting; clear, lexan, colored and PVC plastic tubes; ceramic and terra cotta; redwood, western cedar, birch, pine and plywood; sheet metal and aluminized steel; glass tubes and bottles. There seems to be no end to the type of materials used to make feeders. Pick one you like and that is safe for the birds!!
Keeping seeds dry: water gets into almost all feeders. Remember seed will spoil so check your feeder after rainstorms. You can improve the likelyhood of keeping your seed dry by adding a plastic dome to your feeder(which can also help deter those pesky squirrels). Also look for feeders that have drainage holes.
Cleaning the feeder: Remember with a bird feeder come birds that leave behind feathers and droppings!! A thistle feeder for goldfinches should be cleaned about once a month. Hummingbirds feeders requires cleaning two or three times a week. Sunflower and suet feeders may need to be cleaned only once a month. Use hot soapy water and let it sit if its plastic, ceramic or glass. Wood feeders need to be cleaned too. Otherwise use your eyes, if you wouldn’t give it to your pet bird it’s probably time to clean it out. I like easy!!
Food capacity: This is important to me(I can be somewhat lazy in the refill arena). The bigger the better exceptbeware that large volume feeders can lead to a waste of seed if it rains alot.
Number of birds & species: This is in your control. You can put out small amounts of seed, put out specialized seed or use restrictive feeders. If you use more than one type of seed, put them in separate feeders. Most birds prefer black oil sunflower. If you want to feed only cardinals, doves and white-throated sparrows, switch to safflower. If you want only finches, doves and white-throated sparrows, try niger thistle. If you want only jays, titmice and white-throated sparrows, try peanuts. The most non-selective feeders are the tray, platform or house feeders. Tube feeders with wire mesh are good for small birds. Remove the perches and only birds that can cling will feed.
So now that you are armed with the basics of choosing a bird feeder now we can temporarily change my slogan to Build a bird feeder… Save a bird =)
The California quail is a prized game bird and it is found along the coastal western U.S. It is also called the Valley Quail.
This quail lives in a flock of 20-100 birds (called a covey) until mating season when they pair off. Like most quail species they spend time on the ground but easily scare into flight.
It is short and plump. The male has a gray chest with a brown back and wings. Its black throat has white stripes and it has a brown cap on its head. A white stripe crosses its eyes and forehead and it has comma shaped crown feathers that are larger than the females’. The female has a grayish brown head and back with a speckled chest.
These birds prefer grasslands with lots of brush. They mostly eat seeds with an occasional insect or plant bud. They feed in flocks.
The quail pair are monogomous and can raise 1-2 broods a season. The female lays 1-28 eggs in a hollow on the ground. The eggs are incubated for 3 weeks, both parents sharing this duty. After the eggs hatch the chicks leave the nest immediately. They try flying after they are 10 days old. Once they can fly they roost in the trees with the flock.
The California quail became the state bird in 1931.
Here is a printable color sheet .
I knew I would eventually talk about bird feeding, first because my birdhouse is empty(nothing to watch there) and second food is a great bribe. I think everyone ramps up their bird feeding efforts in the winter. We don’t want our cute feathery friends to starve.
I also like thinking strategically- if I can get the birds to show up at my house (because of the yummy tasty bird food) then maybe they will fly around and see my spiffy new birdhouse I so lovingly built =)
So please enjoy my series of articles on bird feeders, food and more =)
Feed the birds and they will come!!!
Staring up at my empty birdhouse I listened to the bluejay and cardinal calls and wondered who the super smart people were that figured how to sound out a bird call in English. I mean did people submit their phoenemic guess and then everyone vote for the best. Do you really think the American Robin says “cherrio.” I think the person that came up with that call was hungry or possibly even staring at their child eating cherrios. Couldn’t it have been any number of things “cheers”, ”sherry”,or “charlie”? Are these people only experts found in Departments of Ornithology or just well-known field guide authors?
It seems that even here in my humble home that there are bird song decipherers waiting to be released. Looking back at my early birding days I know from experience you usually hear a bird before you see a bird. I have successfully learned most of the suburbian bird calls- Bluejay, Cardinal, Sparrow, Grackle, Ravens, and Chickadees. And it seems that this is a great track to be on- learn the common before the exotic. Go me! I loved this article on how to increase your bird call vocabulary.
So it’s not just me that wants to know what that bird is saying. Our 3 year old is a sponge in the knowledge department. We just found this site you can play a bird sound game and then look up the answer. Today she and I played with Bird Songs from Around the World
Aren’t birds awesome! If you haven’t done it already Build a birdhouse…Save a bird =)
I just read an interesting article in the National Geographic News by Robert Winkler. It spouts some interesting facts about where we are spending some of our money.
In a 2001 survey, 1/3 of Americans 16 years and older(that’s 66 million people) fed and photographed wildlife and spent 40 million dollars doing it!!!
Over the past 5 years wildlife watchers (aka birders) grew by 5% and spending on binoculars and birdhouses(ha I knew it) went up by 33%.
Vermont had the highest wildlife participation rate at 60%, Minnesota was 2nd at 54% and Alaska and Wisconsin tied for 3rd place with 53%
Among the 60+ million people who enjoy watching wildlife around their homes, bird feeding was the most popular activity. Americans spent $2.6 billion dollars on bird food and $730 million dollars on birdhouses, feeders and baths. WOW!
So why do we like birds so much? Paul Green the executive director of the American Birding Association says “birds are by far the easiest wild animals to find and watch. They’re also the most appealing, with colors and behavior that make them aesthetically pleasing and fascinating.”
This survey is conducted every 5 years by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was based on telephone interviews given by the Census Bureau. I can’t wait for the newest stats! If you don’t want to build a birdhouse you can buy one =) Happy Birding!
Here are several savvy charities that do what they do best with birdhouses!!
On May 5th 2007, 21 Fox Run Elementary 4th graders participated in the 5th annual birdhouse building and decorating contest!! These birdhouses were auctioned off and all of the proceeds were given to SAMMinistries in San Antonio Texas, a non-profit ministry providing shelter and services to the homeless. This was the third year for these students to participate in the community wide event.
On September 27th, 2007 the Albany Charity for the Arts in Education held its 4th annual birdhouse auction. These birdhouses were made by vocational students out of raw wood and then local artists painted their visions onto these birdhouses. The proceeds went to ACAE’s mission of supporting art eduction in Albany NY. They had over 60 artisits participate.
On September 30th, 2007 Princeton Community Housing celebrated their 40th anniversary with a birdhouse auction. PCH advocates affordable housing for families and seniors. 124 birdhouses built by architects and artists were auctioned off. The event was successful financially and socially and brought together community supporters.
Check out the above link for some creative ideas for your own birdhouses.
Build a birdhouse and save so much more!!!!!
The Mockingbird is known for its imitation of other bird calls. It can have 25-30 songs that it sings all year and even into the night.
It’s back is gray with a white underbelly. It’s wings and tail are darker gray with patches of white. The male and female look alike.
They are found in the suburbs through all of the United States into Northern Mexico. It eats insects and fruit.
The female lays 2-6 eggs and incubates them for 12-13 days. The chicks fledge at 12 days. The parents fiercly protect the nest by swooping down on people and animals.
In 1927 both Florida and Texas made the Mockingbird its state bird. The Women’s clubs voted it in Arkansas in 1929. It’s growing popularity led Tennessee to adopt it in 1933 and Mississippi in 1944.
Here is a printable color sheet.
This is a synopsis of a story I read about in the October 2007 issue of Guideposts, Where Bluebirds Sing Again, written by Frank Newell from Warrenton, North Carolina.
For many years he and his wife enjoyed watching the bluebirds return to their farm to nest in mid-February, usually in the wood posts of their fence. Over the years as Frank returned home for vacation from the military he noticed les
s and less bluebird songs. Where bluebirds used to be out collecting bugs for their new chicks, now there was clear cutting of the forests and more famers using metal fence posts instead of wood.
Starting to feel empty with retirement around the corner and no more of the bluebirds ”velvet soft warbling” he headed to his workshop. For the next week he put together bluebird house after house. Before he returned to work almost every birdhouse had a bluebird couple nesting. It was from that point on that Frank spent every vacation moment building bluebird houses. Other people also began to get involved.
One day they put together several different models to let the bluebirds examine. The differences were subtle- a smaller entrance hole or a different baffle tacked around it-the bluebirds could tell the difference and they picked the same house every time. He still builds slightly different models every once in a while to see if the birds tastes change.
His birdhouses started going up all over Warrenton and requests came in from all over North Carolina. In 1998, two years after he officially retired he set up a birdhouse factory outside Warrenton. Today he has shipped over 75,000 houses to almost every state in the country and he now works as a wildlife rehabilitator.
Awesome!! Build a birdhouse, save a bird!!!
Nest-box cameras- This is something that totally fascinates me!! I want to own one now!!!
The cameras fit inside a birdhouse and give you a fantastic view of its inhabitants. They use infrared optics and usually brodcast in black and white so that the birds can live in darkness.
These cameras then can be hooked up to your TV, VCR, or computer and you can record the nesting activity to watch later or you can watch it live. Cornell University has several nest box cams and they are so much fun to watch.
You can also set up a camera in front of your bird feeder or bird bath and get some great pictures. This is a great activity if you are a birder or if you have kids and you want them to learn about bird behavior.
Here is a link to a bluebird nest box camera from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
