Tag: birdseeds
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DON’T FORGET THE WATER!
If you’re thinking of setting up your yard for birds who stay for the winter months, don’t forget about the water. Searching for water sources uses a lot of energy and takes birds further away from the food sources you’re already offering. You can do this by adding a heated bird bath, a bird bath…
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Seed Cylinders: A Simple and Inexpensive Option For Feeding Birds
Seed cylinders are one of the simplest and least expensive ways to feed backyard birds. Made with a wide variety of seed combinations, there’s a seed cylinder available to attract almost any species of bird to your yard. If you are unfamiliar with seed cylinders, they are simply bird seed held together with a bird-friendly…
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On the Move
Fall migration is underway. Shorebirds down from Arctic breeding grounds are topping up their energy tanks along mudflats, beaches and lagoons for the long trip to the tropics. Some swallows have already departed while others are gathering on power lines and feeding on flying insects over open water. Then there are the songbirds, notably warblers,…
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How Do Birds Find A Feeder
Birds find a bird feeder primarily through a combination of visual cues, memory, and exploration. Here’s how the process generally works: Visual Attraction: Bird feeders are usually designed with bright colors or have reflective surfaces, making them more noticeable to birds from a distance. The sight of other birds actively feeding at the feeder can…
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Goldfinch Nesting – Last call
For months, birds have been actively involved in breeding and now some are getting ready to hit the road. In a few weeks, swallows, warblers, flycatchers and others will be on the move but one bird is only starting the cycle. The American Goldfinch, that striking male that some call wild canary, has been biding…
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COMING SOON TO A FEEDER NEAR YOU – ORIOLES AND HUMMINGBIRDS!
These beauties are on their way back from their wintering grounds and will be arriving over the next couple of weeks and into the first week of May. Here are some steps you can take to get ready for their arrival: I hope these tips help you prepare for the return of orioles and hummingbirds…
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The Winds of Change
We are in a time of transition when the weather doesn’t seem to know what it wantsto do. We still have lingering winter visitors but spring birds are slowly advancing,anxious to begin the annual breeding season. If we haven’t seen them already, mostof us will soon have Song Sparrows in our yards and hear their…
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Are You Ready for Spring?
Depending on where you live, the landscape may already look like spring. Some regions have minimal snow cover while others still have a heavy blanket of white. Whichever applies to your area, it is important to keep your feeders stocked until insects are present in increasing abundance. For those that don’t feed in the warmer…
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A Dole of Mourning Doves
Since the beginning of February I have had larger than normal flocks of mourning doves congregating at my bird feeders. This morning I counted, or tried to count, just over 40 of them. Various names for these large flocks include a cote, dole, bevy, flight or piteousness of doves. Mourning doves enjoy feeding from platform,…
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Will it be an Early Spring?
It may be hard to believe but spring is on the way. Of course, there will be cold snaps and snowstorms in the weeks ahead but some birds can’t wait and are excited for what is to come. Backyard birders will be the first to notice the change and it will be in the form…