Birds DunRite

Backyard birding can be better with the fall migration than the spring migration because we get more birds in the fall, mainly because juveniles that hatched out in spring and summer are now heading south for the first time.  There could also be more unusual birds.  One reason is that hurricanes and tropical storms in the fall may blow many birds far afield.

Even though many migratory songbirds are here for only four or five months in spring and summer before heading south again in the fall, we think of them as “our birds”.  But in the birds’ winter grounds in the Caribbean and Latin America, folks there regard them as their birds.

During the next few weeks, many of the migratory birds should be stopping at backyard bird feeders and birdbaths so be sure to keep them full to help these wonderful creatures on their long and arduous journey.

Feeding the birds throughout the summer will not make them “dependent” or “lazy” and once they are accustomed to a reliable source of food, they will faithfully be at your bird feeders and you can enjoy their activity year-round.

When you are first getting started it sometimes seems to take forever for the birds to find a feeder — it may take more time for then to find window bird feeders than hanging bird feeders. If you’re impatient, start with a birdfeeder full of hulled sunflower seeds. If that doesn’t get their attention, wrap aluminum foil around the top of the feeder hanger. Sometimes all it takes is the reflection of light on the foil to catch their attention.

Once the birds discover your yard, you can add different types of bird feeders to accommodate a variety of seeds for different birds. Placement of bird feeders also plays an important roll in good bird health. Birds are more likely to eat at bird feeders that are located among vegetation that offers ample cover for safe perching and provides quick escape from predators. Minimize window collisions by altering the glass appearance. Some ways to alter the appearance include leaving in your screens year-round and placing silhouettes in the window. Window bird feeders can also help break up the reflections.  The addition of window silouettes can help deter bird strikes on window glass.

• 4 cups yellow corn meal
  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup lard or melted suet
  
• 1 teaspoon corn oil
  
• Plus sunflower hearts, peanut hearts, chopped, soaked raisins.
  

DIRECTIONS:Melt lard, add flour, corn meal and corn oil.  Spike with peanut hearts, sunflower hearts,  or chopped soaked raisins, as desired.  Let set, cut into chunks, feed as suet in some bluebird feeders.

Although petroleum jelly on your feeder poles may temporarily keep squirrels, predators or other unwanted critters off, it can create problems for the birds if it gets on their feathers.  Gooey substances that get on bird’s feathers is very hard to remove and can result in loss of insulation and create problems in flight. 

Mounted predator guards or baffles should be used to prevent squirrels or predators from reaching the feeders.  Ant guards filled with water also minimizes ants from reaching the bird feeders.  Predator guardians mounted over the hole of the bird house keep larger birds and other predators from reaching eggs or nestlings in bird houses.

Enjoy these living wonders of nature in their natural world and at the same time minimize human impact by providing a safe feeding environment.

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.