Birds DunRite

Chickadees are insect eating birds and are very valuable for controlling insects.  They turn to eating seeds in winter when the supply of insects is greatly decreased.  Therefore, it is especially important to have black oil seeds and nyjer seeds available for them, and as for all the birds, always have suet feeders for them to peck at.

Black-capped chickadees hide food under tree bark and in patches of lichen.  They can remember the locations of multiple hiding places and return later when food is scarce.  These food stashes are probably vitally important in winter during times of heavy snowfall.  You can give them a hand by tucking bits of peanut butter in tree bark.  Peanut butter is a special treat!

One of the lesser known ways to attract birds is by putting out eggshells.  Female birds, drained of calcium by egg-laying, eagerly consume them.  Blue Jays appear to be the most common and certainly the most conspicuous species to take eggshells.  Blue Jays monopolize eggshell resources year-round but most birds come to the eggshells.

After laying eggs in the spring, female songbirds often lack calcium. You can help them replenish this important nutrient by providing your leftover eggshells. Simply rinse the eggshells in plain water, dry them, and then bake on a cookie sheet at 250F for about 30 minutes.  After cooling, crush the eggshells into small pieces. These little tidbits of calcium are then ready to be placed in platform bird feeders, along a deck railing, or scattered on the ground. Many songbird species, including insect eaters that normally don’t visit bird feeders, may be drawn to your yard by eggshell offerings. In fact, your backyard may become so popular that you will have to beg eggshells from your favorite diner.

What a great way to recycle your eggshells!

This suet recipe attracts a variety of birds such as chickadees, blue jays, cardinals, woodpeckers and many more.

1 cup lard

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar1 cup birdseed

Melt lard and peanut butter.  Add sugar to the melted mix.                                        Combine remaining ingredients.  Form blocks and freeze.

Here is a recycling tip.  Save the center cardboard pieces from your toilet paper and paper towel rolls.  Then fill them with your suet.  Cover one end of the roll with duct tape and then freeze.  These are the perfect size to fill suet logs.  Just peel the cardboard off and fill the holes.

Fall is the perfect time of year to make a peanut tree.  Take a dead cedar log or another piece of untreated wood, drill a bunch of 3/8″ holes from top to bottom allowing for an ample supply of peanuts, (you can also put peanut butter in these holes), then sink it into the ground like you would do for a fence post.  Stabilize it with quick-setting cement.

Now just sit back and enjoy watching a variety of birds from red-bellied woodpeckers to blue jays have fun grabbing the peanuts from this unique bird feeder.

Cardinals are one of the most commonly seen birds in backyards in the Eastern half of the United States.  With its red plumage, it has been named after the Cardinals of the Catholic Church who wear red robes.

Cardinals mate for life and their most preferred breeding habitat includes shrubby areas, thickets or areas with a very dense under growth.  It also shows preference for the edges of woods, hedgerows and vegetation around houses.  Regular man-made birdhouses which are enclosed are not attractive to this specie.  A birdhouse variation known as the platform is a better alternative to offer.  The platform is open on all four sides and has corner posts that support the roof, which would in turn offer protection to the nesting birds.  Mounting, usually near the ground, is done on walls behind shrubbery, under eaves and on fence lines covered with vines.  Generally the height should not go over four feet above the ground.

One of the most effective ways of luring Cardinals to one’s backyard is to plant bushes.  They are especially fond of multi-flora rose.  They are also excellent birdfeeder guests.  In the wild they have a varied diet of fruits, seeds and insects.  Backyard feeders, specifically platform feeders will attract them when sunflower seeds or cracked corn are offered.  Sunflower seeds are like filet mignon to a cardinal.  They  will sift through the entire mixture of bird seeds to get to every sunflower seed.

Cardinals are not migratory but rather year-round residents throughout their range.  The specie has benefited much from human habitation and supplemental food made available at bird feeders.  Humans also benefit from them as they facilitate the dispersal of seeds and perform an important function on controlling pest population.  But the most obvious is to have the chance to see for oneself, the beauty of this particular bird specie. 

In 1999, Home Bazaar set out to create the world’s most spectacular line of bird houses and bird feeders. In their workshop, they have combined their love of birds and nature along with technical and design abilities.

Avian Housing reaches new heights with Home Bazaar’s distinctive line of architectural bird houses and bird feeders. Take a bird’s eye view of their Victorian designs enhanced by authentic scroll work and turn-of-the-century, cottage inspired embellishments, giving you and your feathered friends the finest in avian housing. All of Home Bazaar’s birding products are designed for outdoor use in the garden or can be enjoyed in the home as a decorative accessory. 

Their distinctive bird houses and bird feeders can be matched up with an accommodating garden pedestal. These pieces can be easily placed in the backyard or in a garden setting. The cottage design combined with the Victorian scroll work often end up close to the home, on a covered porch, and in many cases, as a decorative feature in the home.

A popular hanging platform bird feeder is the Aspect Vista Dome Feeder.  The attached protective dome keeps seed dry and prevents squirrels from raiding.  They can spend hours trying but they just slip right off the dome as they try to reach the seed.  Total frustration!  We have been able to lower the dome to make a small opening and the small birds still love it–some even get inside under the dome for a private picnic.  The larger birds just leave it alone.

This is also an excellent birdfeeder for mealworms.  If you are feeding live mealworms, the sides are high and straight enough to keep them in.  If you want to give the birds a real treat, mealworms are it!

Plan to refill your bird feeders as early as possible every morning so the birds are greeted with fresh seeds.  Place your feeder in an open area with cover that is only a couple feet away so the birds can dive for cover if threatened.  Choose a site protected from strong winds.  And of course, place your bird feeders for your viewing and enjoyment.

It will soon be fall and then winter and I want to remind you of this unique weatherproof birdfeeder that can guarantee that seed stays 100 percent dry and available to the birds regardless if it is a blizzard or springtime rains.  The bird feeders are constructed of UV-stabilized polycarbonate and available in the original clear and a new “clear green” color.

Birds feed from a lower platform and reach up into a fully-sheltered slot to feed from the feeder.  Cleaning out ice, snow, and rain from the troughs and seed ports of other bird feeders is a messy job.  The birds benefit from seed always being available and from better sanitation due to no wet, moldy or spoiled seed.  The All Weather Feeder® is the most sanitary feeder available on the market.  Other important features include high capacity (4-quart and 6-quart models) and ease of filling.  These are important for our ever growing more mature population who are becoming bird enthusiasts.

This is a birdfeeder that is super for inclimate weather but also a joy to use all year-round.

Fall is a great season to start feeding the birds if you do not feed year around.  Even though natural foods are still available, birds are scouting in advance for winter feeding areas.  Fall is also a good time to attract migrating birds that will use your birdfeeder as a stop off before continuing their journey.  If you wait until the harsh winter weather arrives, birds cannot always afford the luxury of exploring in the harsh weather so start offering provisions early.

Winter weather is hard on birds.  Their calorie requirements increase,  food becomes hard to find, snow covers up the seeds and ice storms seal away the tree buds and wild fruits.  Tiny birds must eat a third to three quarters of its weight each day.  Your bird feeders and yard can be included in their fall inventories and when that first winter storm hits, they will show up, hungry and chirping.

During winter periods of extended ice and snow cover or a harsh storm, your bird feeders may be a temporary lifesaving-feeding source and a valuable contribution to their survival.

There is a three-step training program to help bluebirds become accustomed to eating from bluebird feeders.  The first step is to help them find the bird feeders, the second is for them to go inside to eat, and the third is to have them eating raisins and currants when the dogwood berries are gone.

Training must be done early before sever weather sets in.  It may take as little as a day or as long as a month for the bluebirds to find the feeder, but most find it in less than a week.  This training is important because if the bluebirds know where the bluebird feeders are, they can visit them with no delay and will be able to roost during a cold storm with a full crop.

Place the feeder in the best location to observe.  The south side of some form of windbreak provides an ideal location for bluebird feeders during very cold, windy weather.  Bluebirds primarily eat insects when available and supplement this main diet with various fruits and berries.  Raisins, sunflower chips, nut meats and meal worms are readily eaten by bluebirds.

To encourage them to start taking food,  it is helpful to place two or three temporary flat, open trays on support posts near their regular hunt perch sites.  Feed on these trays will be visible to birds perched above.  Place no feed inside the bluebird feeders to begin with until the birds actually start investigating inside.  It sometimes helps to place a few berries around the bird bath or on the ground below the feeder.  Bluebird feeders should be placed in areas that are visible to the birds.  It is not recommended to place the feeders close to bluebird or other bird houses.

The help you will give the bluebirds during the winter is well worth all the effort to teach them to eat from your bluebird feeders.