Birds DunRite

Bluebird houses may be nailed or screwed to the top or side of a wooden post, or they may be wired or bolted to the top or side of a metal post.  A smooth metal post such as a galvanized pipe is preferred to a wooden post since it offers better protection against predators such as cats, snakes and raccoons.  A 3/4″ galvanized pipe threaded at one end can be neatly and firmly attached to the bottom of the house by means of a pipe flange which may be obtained at any hardware store.  A bluebird house on a wooden post may be protected from predators by means of a sheet metal collar or conical guard 18 or more inches wide attached just below the house.  If predators are not a problem, bluebird houses may be mounted conveniently on posts of existing fences or on the trunks of isolated trees.  If posts of pasture fences are used, the houses should be on the side away from the animals or placed high enough so the animals will not use them as back scratchers. 

Bluebird houses should be mounted at a height of from 5 to 7 feet, measured from the ground to the floor of the house.  Set them out by February 15!!

Bluebirds are one of our best loved and most useful birds but unfortunately, have been disappearing because natural cavities acceptable to bluebirds have become increasingly scarce and those that do exist are usually occupied by house sparrows or starlings.  Bluebirds are unable to compete with them for nesting sites.  Fortunately, suitable bluebird houses, when properly located are usually eagerly accepted by any bluebirds in the area. 

Selecting a suitable location for the bluebird house is of utmost importance.  Unfortunately, bluebirds rarely nest in cities, large towns, or close-in suburban areas.  Thus, success should only be expected where competition from English sparrows and European starlings is low.  

Bluebird houses should be placed in reasonably open areas since the birds will not nest in the woods and rarely in the deep shade. An open area with scattered trees and a considerable distance from buildings is best.  Some satisfactory locations are fields, pastures, open waste lands, golf courses, lawns and cemeteries.

Ideally, the bluebird house should face an open area with a shrub, fence or tree from 25 to 100 feet in front of the house.  The young birds then have a good chance of reaching this on their first flight and have a better chance of surviving the first critical hours out of the nest.  The house should face south or southeast.

Do not place bluebird houses near any area where insecticides or herbicides aee used.  Many of these substances will destroy the birds’ food supply or even kill the birds. 

When locating more than one house, space them 100 yards apart and have a screen of shrubs or trees between the houses if possible.

Suet is readily eaten by titmice, chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers.  In addition to the regular suet-feeder visitors, wrens, creepers and warblers occasionally pick at these mixes.  You can also make your own suet pudding and feeder.  Suet puddings are made by grinding and melting suet and adding seeds.  Pack peanut butter-cornmeal blends (one part peanut butter, four parts cornmeal, and one part vegetable shortening; good for winter and summer feeding) and suet pudding into the crevices of large pinecones or into one-inch-diameter holes drilled into logs.  Hang the pinecones and the logs from poles near other feeders, from trees, or from a wire stretched between trees.  Avoid feeding suet when temperatures climb into the 80-degree range; it turns rancid and drippy and may damage feathers.

To make your suet pudding, melt suet in your microwave and pour it into an ice-cube tray to harden.  Before it solidifies, add peanut bits, raisins, apple bits, or other bird foods.  Put the tray in your freezer to harden.  Once it does, you’ve got cubed bird treats to put in your suet bird feeders. Easy to make and easy to use!

The greatest challenge for non-migrating birds is staying warm.  In order to keep warm, birds must consume large amounts of calories, which are then metabolized to provide energy and body heat.  Small song birds eat continuously during the short daylight hours of winter to maintain their body temperature.  At night, birds lower their body temperature to conserve energy.  Most birds fill their crops with food before nightfall to keep up their caloric intake during the night.  The availability of food has a lot to do with a bird’s chances of survival during winter when their natural foods are in short supply.

We can help birds endure long, cold winters by providing high quality foods in your bird feeders that contain lots of oils and fats for birds to quickly convert to energy and heat.

It is hard to beat the Trumpet Vine as a beautiful garden plant for people and the wild birds love it.Use it to cover a fence, climb a trellis, or grow along a deck or porch.  When the trumpet vine first starts growing, tie it to the object that you want it to climb so that it will grow in the right direction.  Eventually the stem becomes woody with age and puts out rootlets so that it then holds itself up and you no longer need to tie it.

The trumpet vine produces pretty compound leaves and tubular orangey-red flowers that look great almost until frost.  These flowers are a favorite of Hummingbirds who will hang around all summer long for their nectar.  To give the hummingbirds an extra treat, hang a hummingbird feeder in the vicinity.  In winter, American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Tufted Titmice and Gray Squirrels eat the seeds.

It is not only a lovely showy plant but is also a very productive plant for the wild birds so what an addition to your bird sanctuary!

Habitat loss is a major cause of population declines in many bird species, planting native vegetation is a great way you can help.  Start landscaping your yard by choosing the type of birds you would like to attract and learn about the vegetation they prefer.  A variety of plants attracts the greatest diversity of bird species.  Choosing plants that bloom at different times will provide food throughout the year as well as having a colorful bird sanctuary for yourself.

Bird houses can also provide winter shelter but should be cleaned out each fall.  Another shelter for the birds in winter can be made out of cut branches piled into a brush pile.  Evergreens are only one example that provides year-round cover from the weather in addition to providing feed seeds.

Give the birds a treat with some variety of food like popped popcorn, raisins, pieces of fruit, fruit seeds, grapes, grape jelly, cooked potatoes, leftover oatmeal or mealworms.  Do not feed birds any foods that contain chocolate.  Theobromine is an ingredient of chocolate that is toxic to birds.  Suet can be purchased or handmade and include seeds, berries, and other ingredients.  

Grit is used by birds to aid in the grinding of food.  During prolonged periods of ice or snow cover, you can provide grit (course sand, oyster shells or ground eggshells) in a separate pan from your bird feeders.  If you provide eggshells you must kill Salmonella bacteria by heating them for 20 minutes at 250 degrees.   When the eggshells cool, crush them into pieces about the size of sunflower seeds.

Backyard birding can be a very educational and enriching experience but we must ensure that wild birds benefit and that their health and safety are a priority.  Of first importance is to keep the bird feeders clean.  To clean, remove all seed and separate all removable parts.  To properly disinfect first remove all dirt, then soak in a 10% solution of chlorine bleach in warm water for 10-15 minutes before rinsing.  Rinse several times to remove all disinfectant residue.  Birdbaths and hummingbird feeders should be cleaned in the same manner.

Rake spilled seeds from the ground at least once a week.  A tray placed under your bird feeders will catch spilled seed and make cleaning easier.  Some birdseed blends contain fillers and less desirable seeds such as flax, rice, oats, wheat and canary seed that birds often throw to the ground in choosing the more desirable seed.  To minimize waste and ground cleaning choose seed blends that do not have these “fillers”.

Provide more than one feeder and allow space between them to prevent over-crowding at the feeders.  Make sure the feeders have no sharp edges.  They should protect the seed from moisture and should have drainage holes.  Feeders that empty quicker are better because there is less chance of the seed spoiling.

Use good quality birdseed.  Do not use seed that is wet, moldy or has rodent feces in it.  Store seed in a dry place and in a container that is rodent proof.

Keep your beautiful little feathered friends healthy and happy!

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.  Plant natural, native foods such as berry-producing trees, shrubs and vines.  This will enhance your bird sanctuary and give the wild birds preferred natural foods as well as cover.  This will also attract a variety of birds for your enjoyment.

Minimize window collisions by altering the glass appearance.  Placing silhouettes on the windows with something like Window Alerts and leaving your screens in all year are some ways of altering the appearance of glass.  There is a difference of opinion as to how far a feeder should be from windows so regardless of how close to windows you place your bird feeders, these tips will help reduce window collisions.

Birdbaths are one of the easiest ways to bring birds up close where you can get a really good look at them.  You can attract even more species of birds with water than with bird feeders.  Birds that eat insects or fruit usually don’t find anything at bird feeders to interest them.  But birdbaths entice all kinds of birds — not only for drinking but also for bathing.

What is the best kind of birdbath?  No deeper than three inches at the center.  It should be even more shallow at the edge, so that a bird can ease its way in.  If you already own a deep birdbath, you can put rocks in it to raise the bottom.  Birds don’t want to lose their footing and they will hesitate to use a bath with a glazed, slippery bottom.  If you already have a slick birdbath, you can apply the non-skid stickers that are sold for people-baths.

Birds love the splash of moving water.  It dramatically increases the number of species that visit birdbaths.  A water- wiggler™ is an effective method of keeping water moving and it also is a great help in controlling mosquitos.

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.