Spring 2008 • The Incredible Egg
There are many things in life we take for granted. Before I started studying birds, eggs certainly fell into that category. Eggs were for either eating, dying and hunting or occasionally throwing. These wonders of nature are incredibly strong, diverse in shape and color and enable birds to nest successfully from the driest deserts to the coldest conditions on the planet…
Spring 2008 • Winning the Ant Wars
Don’t you hate it when you go out to your hummingbird or oriole feeder and find it full of ants? Most of the ants are dead and the nectar has spoiled and smells bad. Then back in the house, you always end up with a couple of live ants crawling around the sink as you try to clean the feeders…
Spring 2008 • Species Profile: Orchard Orioles
Early in one’s birding career, “mystery birds” are often encountered. What is it? A warbler? A tanager? Some kind of new species never before encountered?… |
Winter 2008 • Something Just Went "Click"
What got you interested in birds? For a lot of people it was a parent or grandparent who fed birds, or a great Aunt who used to point out the birds on a walk around the neighborhood. For me, it was one bird…
Winter 2008 • Made in the USA
Each year when I go to Birdwatch America I really make an effort to take into account the country of origin of the products I look at purchasing. I know it is important to myself and my customers…
Winter 2008 • Species Profile: Red Crossbill
One of the greatest examples of adaptation in the bird world has to be the crossbills. At first glance, these robust finches make you think their bills are deformed due to some birth defect or injury… |
Fall 2007 • It's Good to be Brown
A few years ago I wrote an article for the Missouri Conservation magazine about sparrows. I chose to write about the “little brown birds” because I have always felt they never get the respect they deserve. They are the Rodney Dangerfields of the bird world…
Fall 2007 • Species Profile: Black-capped Chickadee
I’ve always marveled at the bundle of energy we call the Black-capped Chickadee. Named for its famed chic-a-dee-dee-dee call, the Latin translation for the scientific name, Parus atricapillus, means a titmouse with black hair on its head… |
Summer 2007 • What A Spring
One Monday morning this spring it started. John and I had to laugh as we heard one another repeatedly say “Those are called Rose-breasted Grosbeaks” each time we answered the phone. I wish I had kept a count of how many folks called in but I know it was dozens…
Summer 2007 • A Home Near Shopping
On a recent trip to the Metro North Mall recycling center, I was surprised to see a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) sitting on a speed limit sign very near one of the Mall’s entrances. I pulled over and parked to watch for a while as he fluttered around chasing (and catching) flying insects…
Summer 2007 • 50 State Birds
Summer 2007 • Species Profile: Turkey Vulture
This article is probably better suited for the younger boys in the audience. I can just hear them going, “Ooooooo cool!” Most of you will say, “That’s gross!”.… |
Spring 2007 • The Other Red BIrds
Every so often I get a call from someone who has the other “red bird” at their feeder. There are very few people who do not know what a cardinal looks like, but when a Summer Tanager shows up at their feeder or in their backyard, it quite often causes confusion…
Spring 2007 • Maximizing Your Birding Time
Once you’re into this “birding thing”, it is only natural to want to see as many different birds as you can. When you combine this desire with the limited number of peak migration days and busy work schedules, you can easily see where the concept of “Big Days” comes from…
Spring 2007 • Big Day Supplies
As my friend John Burwell always says “The right tool for the right job”. This is so true for birding. If you want to maximize your birding pleasure, you need the proper equipment…
Spring 2007 • Species Profile: Gray Catbird
The Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) is entertaining to watch as it works its way through the tangled web of brush and vines. Usually found in damp areas, it is picking through leaf litter for insects and berries.… |
Winter 2007 • The Amazing "Wild Canary"
Few birds are as popular with people as the American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis). For a bird that is so well known by bird watchers, surprisingly few know that these birds live a double life…
Winter 2007 • Bird Islands
We know that habitat loss is the single greatest threat to bird populations. There have been lots of studies involving habitat fragmentation and its effect on breeding bird populations and all of them show that for many species large patches of good quality habitat are far more beneficial to birds. Does this mean we should just give up on all small patches of habitat?…
Winter 2007 • Species Profile: Hooded Mergansers
Whenever we spot ducks with white plumage visible, we naturally wish to take a closer look. Winter ducks make for great sightings, especially those that stand out from the crowd, such as the Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus).… |
Fall 2006 • The Comeback Kids
Far too often we hear only of the negatives and perils that our natural world faces. This article is dedicated to some of the great success stories in conservation and will hopefully make you feel good about the support you have given to conservation groups…
Fall 2006 • Fine Feathered Knowledge
Winter can be a time when we don’t get out nearly as much as we would like. We can use this time to build our knowledge of birds and birding. As I always tell my kids, reading is knowledge…
Fall 2006 • Species Profile: Bald Eagle
On March 11, 1967, the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus luecocephalus) was placed on the endangered species list in the lower 48 states. Their habitat was being destroyed and they were also shot, trapped, or poisoned. Perhaps most damaging was the effects of the widespread use of the pesticide DDT… |
Summer 2006 • Shooo Bully, Go Away…
Ruth and I were doing one of our Breeding Bird Survey Routes last week and had the chance to watch two Eastern Kingbirds (see page 4) and a male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher “chasing” an adult Coopers Hawk. I use the term chasing lightly here because the hawk wasn’t really flying away from them, he was just passing through their territories and they wanted to make sure he didn’t stick around. The behavior is known as mobbing and it is pretty widespread in the bird world…
Summer 2006 • A Few of My Favorite Things
I never get tired of talking to people. While I do get to answer certain questions over and over again, it is a rare day that I don’t get a question that I have never heard before. The question we all get here probably more than any other is “what is your favorite…?” Or, “which feeder do you use?” This is a tough question because I believe in all of the products that I sell. But, if you’re interested…
Summer 2006 • Parliment of Owls
We often see groups of birds and tend to call them flocks. But there are legitimate and authentic “collective” terms for many species that are available but seldom used…
Summer 2006 • Species Profile: Eastern Kingbird
From the family of Tyrant flycatchers comes one of our most common and easily observed songbirds of suburban and rural settings. Aptly classified Tyrannus tyrannus, the aggressive and pugnacious Eastern Kingbird vigorously defends its nest and territory and regularly confronts other birds or intruders regardless of their size… |
Spring 2006 • Are They Done Yet?
Eggs are fascinating structures and the variety of shapes and colors have intrigued people for years. One of the most commonly asked questions this time of year is “How long does it take for an egg to hatch?”…
Spring 2006 • Keep It Moving, Keep It Moving!
Birds are attracted to water, especially moving water. At no time of the year is this more true than during migration…
Spring 2006 • Species Profile: Indigo Bunting
Some birds just take your breath away! The Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) is a bird that definitely takes my breath away. If you see the male in the shadows, he’s just a little black bird, but if you see him singing in the top of the tree in the sunshine, he’s a brilliant, metallic blue… |
Winter 2006 • Mild Is The Word
I know I’m weird but I love cold weather. Growing up in eastern North Carolina (where it rarely snows) I would watch shows with snow in them and get jealous…
Winter 2006 • Digiscoping
As an amateur photographer and avid birder I’ve wanted to capture some of those great images we have all seen through our binoculars! Digiscoping offers us a great and affordable way to do just that…
Winter 2006 • Species Profile: Eastern Bluebird
I had seen Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) before, but not in my yard, so when I looked out my window and saw a male and female in our Redbud tree, I was really excited… |
Fall 2005 • Magic Seed
Is there really a difference in bird seed? What is the “magic” seed?
First and foremost, there is a difference in bird seed. Differences are found both in the “taste” preferences of birds as well as the quality and nutritional value for wildlife…
Fall 2005 • Cats and Birds
If we love our cats as much as we love our birds, we will decide to keep our cats indoors.
It is best for the cat and best for our feathered friends! Because of their predatory instinct, cats are one of the biggest threats to the birds we love to see at our feeders…
Fall 2005 • Species Profile: Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers
The most common woodpecker at my feeders is the Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens. I love the way they hitch up and down and around the trees and feeders! Downys love sunflower seed (especially in the chip form), peanuts, and suet… |
Summer 2005 • Meet the Flockers
Birds of a feather, flock together. Late summer and fall is the time that we really begin to notice large groups of birds (flocks). I know that I was taught at a young age, that the birds are gathering up to head south. The truth is that birds “flock” for many reason and each has its advantages…
Summer 2005 • Listing
Do you keep a Life List? Do you know what a Life List is? While many people who love birds aren’t familiar with the term life list, they often, unknowingly, have one…
Summer 2005 • Species Profile: Common Nighthawk
When I was little I read the Peter Cottontail books and in one, Peter was terrified by a bird that swooped down and made a booming noise right over his head. At first he thought it was a hawk trying to eat him. Later he learned that he didn’t need to be afraid, because the bird was not a real hawk, it was a nighthawk… |
Spring 2005 • Let Warbler Mania Get You
What is a warbler? To some, it may be someone who doesn’t know when to stop talking, but if you’re a birder, it is a group of small, beautiful birds that you look forward to seeing each spring…
Spring 2005 • The Perfect Field Guide
What is the perfect bird field guide? Different people have different needs and preferences so it is all but impossible to say that there is a “perfect” field guide…
Spring 2005 • Species Profile: Rose-breasted Grosbeak
There is a pretty famous story in the bird world about a concerned citizen in Texas who called the authorities to report that someone in her neighborhood was shooting her birds… |
WINTER 2005 • No Tall Tail?
Ever wonder why a Mockingbird’s tail is long while a Meadowlark’s is short and stubby? Nature is full of wonderful adaptations and birds have more than their fair share…
WINTER 2005 • Project Feeder Watch
Here at the store we get asked many questions…If you have 30 minutes per day, two days in a row, just two times per month, then Project Feeder Watch is a great way for you to help birds…
WINTER 2005 • Creature Feature: Southern Flying Squirrel
While most of my customers spend a lot of time and effort trying to keep squirrels out of their feeders, there are a few exceptions out there…
WINTER 2005 • Species Profile: Nuthatches
I was filling my feeder when out of the corner of my eye I caught a flash of blue. The nuthatch was back again… |
FALL 2004 • Hawk Gawking
One of the coolest sights for me as a young lad was seeing a hawk perched on a pole or wire as we drove along a country road. I guess you can say I have been a Hawk Gawker my whole life…
FALL 2004 • Feeder Station Stewardship
Are your birds safe in your yard? By placing a feeder or bird bath in our yard, we take on a certain degree of responsibility to protect them as well…
FALL 2004 • Species Profile: Cedar Waxwings
About the size of a robin, waxwings are most often misidentified as female cardinals. They are primarily tan and gray in color with a black mask and a tail that looks like someone dipped it in yellow paint… |
SUMMER 2004 • The Teenage Years
The summer months don’t give us the greatest diversity of birds at our feeders but it can be very entertaining none the less…
SUMMER 2004 • Hummingbird Feeder Care
There is a great deal of misunderstanding about hummingbird and oriole feeders. I think a lot of it has to do with the fill it and leave it nature of most other types of feeders…
SUMMER 2004 • Species Profile: Late Summer Hummers
This is the question that has been asked more this spring and summer than any other. Most of you have been waiting and watching your feeders to no avail… |
SPRING 2004 • How To Attract A Mate (Avian Style)
What was your secret for attracting members of the opposite sex? Perhaps you have/had a favorite cologne or perfume that just drives the “ladies or gents” crazy…
SPRING 2004 • Baffling Squirrels
Baffling our furry friends can difficult but we are up to the challenge…
SPRING 2004 • Species Profile: Great Crested Flycatcher
One of my favorite activities is to sit on my back deck early in the morning during spring migration to see what is going through the yard… |
WINTER 2004 • How Do Birds Survive Winter?
It is easy to understand why people rush out and by bird seed when it snows. How can something so small and fragile possibly survive such brutally cold conditions?…
WINTER 2004 • News From Birdwatch America
Each January, I try to attend the largest trade show in our industry, Birdwatch America. This year the show was 25% larger than ever before and I was really impressed with some of the new products…
WINTER 2004 • Species Profile: Carolina Wren
Birds have many fascinating traits that make them unique. Some have outstanding plumage, interesting courtship displays, nesting habits, and rearing techniques… |
FALL 2003 • If You Fill Them, They Will Come
Early Autumn is one of the slowest times at your bird feeders each year. This is the time when nature's bounty is at its peak and wild animals have to take advantage of this natural windfall. Have no fear faithful bird feeders…
FALL 2003 • Building the Perfect Pole System
Are you trying to build the perfect bird feeder station? The place to start is with the way you mount or display them…
FALL 2003 • Species Profile: Dark-eyed Juncos
A flash of bright white outer tail feathers on a small dark gray bird lets us know that our most famous "snow birds" have returned… |
SPRING 2003 • Species Profile: Baltimore Orioles
I have always thought of the Baltimore Oriole as a bird of surprising contrast. The male's beautiful colors suggest a relationship with other beautiful birds such as warblers or tanagers…
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