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From Fall of 2009… |
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 What
kind of affect do you think this cool, wet summer will have
on the birds? This
could take a whole page, but in short I think most birds
fared very well this summer. I know most of my bluebird
people reported 4 successful nestings where they generally
are lucky to raise many young ones in te third attempt. Much
like last year, there is a bountiful supply of berries and
acorns this year and that also bodes well for many birds
this winter. On the negative side, I always worry about
ground nesting birds like quail and prairie chickens. It is
tough for the little ones to survive when it is so wet.Can
I use an extension cord with my bird bath de-icer?Yes,
I have been using an extension cord (generally a 50 ft one)
with my de-icers for 15 years and have never had a problem
with them. I do have to get a little creative with my lawn
chair placement to keep my chew happy Black Lab from getting
to it. The most important safety precaution is to make sure
it is plugged into a ground fault outlet.Will
my birds freeze to something metal if they bathe in the
winter?In
the 25 years of working with birds on a professional and
personal level, I have never seen or even read any
documentation of a bird becoming stuck to any surface
because of water on its feet freezing. If you look at a
bird's feet closely, you will notice they are covered in
scales which shed water very rapidly. Birds must bathe, even
in winter, to maintain healthy feathers.My
dad is convinced the cheap bag of bird seed he gets at the
grocery store is perfectly fine for his birds. He is on a
limited budget, what can I tell him?Plain
and simple, it really is expectations. The "cheap" birdseed
blends are filled with fillers like milo, cracked corn,
wheat, sticks, stems, rocks and who knows what else. If he
is OK with feeding hordes of House Sparrows, grackle and
Mourning Doves then the cheap mixes are probably fine. If he
wants to attract cardinals, chickadees, flickers and other
beautiful birds when he will do far better with quality
seed. A 50lb bag of Black Oil Sunflower (the favorite seed
of more birds than any other is $15.99. I cant imagine a bag
of the "cheap" seed costing much less. If he does want tot
feed the sparrow and doves, he is better just buying a bag
of White Proso Millet ($13.99 for 50lbs) and spreading in on
the ground and leaving the feeders for the sunflower and
better birds. The proof is in the results. Give this a try
and see what happens. |
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From Summer of 2009…
How
do I keep the deer out of my feeder?In
a word, height. Because deer can reach about six feet up
when they want to, you need to get the bottom of your
feeders at least six feet up in the air. If you are
feeding from a deck arm that usually isn't a problem,
but from a pole system or tree limb it can be hard to
reach your feeders. As usual, we have items that can
help. Erva Pole extensions of up to 28" can get your
feeders high enough in the air and their SkyHook fit
into a piece of PVC or hollow pipe to help you lift your
feeder on and off the higher hooks.I
have been seeing a cardinal with no feathers on his
head. Is he going to be ok?The
short answer is yes. While experts aren't exactly sure
why this happens, they do believe it is rarely harmful.
Most believe that it is a part of the natural molting
process that for some reason in a few individuals goes a
little wrong and they lose all their head feathers at
once instead of the typical "few at a time" pattern.
Because it occurs in late summer and early fall, weather
is not a factor. In some cases, the feather loss can be
caused by a lice or mite infestation. In both cases,
feather growth is seen rather quickly and the birds seem
to do just fine.Could
I have seen an albino sparrow at my feeder?As
the photo here shows, we do see albino birds of various
species from time to time in our area. Because albinism
is a rare genetic trick that happens in wildlife (and
humans) we tend to see it in the more common species.
The greater the number of birds, the greater the chance
for rarities to show up. I have seen albino robins,
grackles, House Sparrows and much to my surprise one
day, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Even more frequently
than pure albinos, we often see partial albinos.
Albinism can be limited to just a couple of feathers or
large patches like the entire head or wing. The first
time I saw this was in college when our class saw a
Boat-tailed Grackle with one white wing. Unfortunately,
albinism isn't a successful path to a long life for
birds. Predators often find these individuals more
easily as they do tend to stick out in a crowd.
I
love the little Red-breasted Nuthatches. Will we be
seeing them this year?
I
sure hope so. As a "trend, we usually see good numbers
of these little guys every other year. Last year there
were very few in the area so this year should be good.
We have already had a report of one in Kansas so make
sure you have peanuts in your peanut feeders! |
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From Winter of 2009…
The
plastic Purple Martin house I had last year has fallen apart
but the pole is still good. What can I do?You
can't imagine the number of times we have heard this
questions. I am sorry, but a plastic bird house is just not
going to hold up well with our sun, wind, hail and other
conditions. I know they cheap but you really do get what you
pay for. i have customers that have had the light weight
aluminum boxes that we sell for close to 30 years. With a
drill, a nut and bold and a little effort you can make a
good box work with just about any pole (even triangular
ones).
I
am hearing a lot of birds singing right now. Who sings, the
males or females?While
some female birds sing occasionally, you can bet it is the
males you are hearing sing at almost anytime. Males sing to
attract their mates and proclaim their territory to other
males. Cardinal females are know to regularly sing duets
with males.
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