Home › Archives for April 2010

Can I have a Kestrel House and a Birdfeeder?

I have several bird feeders and 3 bluebird houses in my yard (usually filled with barn swallows), which I really enjoy. I also have kestrels in my area and love watching them...would it be a crazy/stupid idea to also have a kestrel house? Would the kestrels feed on my finches and swallows???The American Kestrel is the...
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Life is a Battlefield

Hi Sarah,Your post today (4/29/10) reminded me to send this photo of a Red-bellied Woodpecker. It was taken a couple of years ago outside our living room window. .What can't be seen is the Blue Jay on top of the feeder antagonizing the woodpecker.Enjoy!.Mike GrimmFowlervi...
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What is the Lifespan of a Red-bellied Woodpecker?

I watch red bellied woodpeckers at my feeder, and in the woods working away at a tree, & wonder how much damage their brain suffers with all that banging? Sometimes when I am having a bad day, I try to remind myself that things could be worse- I could be a woodpecker banging my head against a tree, or I could be a...
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Do Bluebirds Regurgitate their Food for Babies?

I'm wondering if the Bluebird parents pre-digest the mealworms before they give them to the baby blues? Christina ~Leslie, MIBluebirds are primarily insect eaters in the spring and summer. When their babies hatch bluebirds know instinctively that mealworms are too big for newly hatched babies. They start them out with...
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How to Get Free When You’re Stuck and Scared

Spring has finally sprung here in mid-Michigan, but I’m not sure any of us quite believe it. There still could be frost on the grass tomorrow. Gardeners sure are feeling the excitement. I sold 2 Topsy Turvy set-ups Friday and 6 set-ups Saturday! Click HERE if you don't know what I'm talking about.There are lots of new...
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What is the Best Seed to Feed Birds in the Summer?

Best Bird SeedFor seed eating birds in Michigan studies indicate that Black-Oil Sunflower, Fine and Medium Sunflower Chips, Peanuts, White Proso Millet, Safflower, and Nyjer® Thistle are among the most preferred seed types. At the East Lansing Wild Birds Unlimited store, customers’ and birds’ preference by far is WBU No-Mess...
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How do Birds See to Fly in the Rain?

When birds fly in the rain- are their eyes open? Do they have a “rain shield” over the eyeball? It is raining here today, and the birds have been busy at the feeder, so my inquiring mind came up with that wondering. Bill KOooh, good question. Seed eating birds don’t depend on birdfeeders to survive and experts estimate...
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Getting to Know the Chipping Sparrow

We have the door open today at Wild Birds Unlimited in East Lansing and I'm listening to a lot of beautiful songs. Today the star performer seems to be the Chipping Sparrow. Now I can hear some of you saying "all sparrows are alike." But the Chipping Sparrow is so cute I insist you get to know him!The Chipping Sparrow...
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New Bird Sighted: Hooded Merganser

Hi Sarah!I’m not sure if you’re very familiar with types of ducks, but since a duck is a type of bird I thought I would check with you. I saw this duck at the golf course the other day and am unable to find it on the internet. I thought at first it was a young duckling since it had down on its head, but it was bigger than...
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The House Finch Family Celebrates Mother’s Day Early This Year

Hi Everyone,I’m sure you’ve all been waiting anxiously to hear about our house guests. We had a really busy weekend. Saturday, I started watching the webcam around 11:00 a.m. and noticed that the momma House Finch kept putting her head down into the nest. At 11:22, I saw why; the first baby was born. After getting the...
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Celebrate the Earth!: Nature Camp for Kids

Earth Day, April 22, is the annual U.S. celebration of the environment and a time to assess the work still needed to protect the natural gifts of our planet. In that spirit I’ve compiled a few of the upcoming programs for children to explore nature. .Harris Nature Center Summer Camp 2010 Programs Harris Nature Center,...
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Common Nests in Michigan yards

Click on the photos to view some to the common nests found in mid-Michigan yards up close....
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Where Did My Bluebirds/Chickadees Go?: How Do You Know When a Nest is Abandoned?

Dear Wild Bird Unlimited,I bought three of the Wild Birds Unlimited ultimate bluebird houses. I thought everything was going good but now I’m not sure. I was so happy that all the houses looked like they were going to be used. Bluebirds were at the houses every morning. They even built nests. I have one pair that is actively...
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A Closer look at Dandelions

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."- Ralph Waldo EmersonI know many people dislike dandelions but they make me happy. Growing up, the rule in our household was if you could present Mom with 12 dandelions you were allowed to go barefoot no matter what the temperature. After months of bundling...
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Fascinating Nuthatch Nesting Behavior: Bill-Sweeping & Wing Fanning

Hi all - I've got a question about my newly nesting Nuthatches and I need your expertise.After adding to their nest with strips of bark, they will take a piece and 'sweep' both the top and sides of the nesting box. This goes on for at least 5 minutes. I've also seen them do it with an empty beak and while holding a piece...
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40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Don't forget to check out the Harris Nature Center's page on ww.twp.meridian.mi.us for a complete list of programs offered!Celebrate Earth Week by coming to the Earth Day Birthday Campfire program on Friday, April 23rd at 7 pm. Enjoy a campfire, stories, roasting marshmallows and a guided night walk. The fee for this program...
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Male House Finch Feeds Female on the Nest

Sarah, Here are the pictures of the male House Finch coming to feed the female. Kim.I'm glad he came back. I'm sure momma-to-be was glad t...
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House Finch Revisited

Hi Everyone,As some of you know, we have a new house guest that I’m really excited about! I happened upon a nest and four eggs in the wreath on our front door on Sunday, April 4. On Monday, momma laid another egg bringing the total to five. Everyday I would go home and sit in my car with binoculars watching our front door...
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The Dinner Bell is Calling All Birds

One of the most popular feeders in my yard is the WBU Dinner Bell. You can invite a variety of birds to a delicious meal with this versatile feeder. It can be filled with seed, suet snacks, seed cylinders, fruit or mealworms.The Dinner Bell's dome raises and lowers, allowing you to feed only the birds you want. The dome also provides protection from...
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What's the Best Way to Attract Orioles

@birdsunlimited What's the best way to attract Orioles in SW Ontario? Any good links that you know of for education on them?You probably won’t see any of the Baltimore Orioles in Canada until May. The Journey North website studies migration patterns of the Baltimore Oriole, Ruby-throated hummingbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds,...
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Does Wild Birds Unlimited Sell Mealworms?

Mealworms-Another treat to attract wild birds.Wild Birds Unlimited in East Lansing, MI do sell live and dried mealworms. Feeding live mealworms (Tenebrio monitor) as a special treat has become a very popular way to attract a different variety of wild birds.If you haven't used mealworms before, they are the larvae of a...
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Is it ok to use treated lumber to build a birdhouse?

We have some leftover Pressure Treated lumber still sitting in the garage from the deck we built last summer. Is it ok to use treated lumber to build a birdhouse? Can we paint or stain the house when it's complete? Thanks, DD ~Mason, MITreated lumber is not recommended to build bird houses. The toxic chemicals used to...
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Are the birds “bathing” in the dust?

I recently saw a series of mysterious divots appearing in my garden evenly spaced, two inches deep, and in a row near the house. I couldn't figure out what was happening until I saw a House Sparrow dusting himself. Why are they doing this? DZ ~ East Lansing, MIDust bathing is not as common as water bathing but it can reduce...
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That’s Not a Mourning Dove!

I’m trying to find out the name of a bird that was eating on the ground like Mourning Dove but looked more speckled and looked like it was wearing a red handkerchief on its head. I can’t find it in any book. Robert~ East Lansing, MIYou need a new book! At our Wild Birds Unlimited stores we recommend the field guide Birds...
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Eagle Perched

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown.......Photo by MatthewJHullConnecticut, USA...
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Scheduled Birdwalks in Lansing

Walk the trails of Fenner Nature Center Saturday mornings to observe the spring migration through Lansing.Saturday walks are led by Capital Area Audubon Society volunteers. All walks are free and no registration is required.Some of the scheduled 2010 walks are:April 10, 17, 24 at 9 am andMay 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at 8 am.For...
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Nest With Eggs on Front Door Wreath

The birds aren't stopping their nesting even though the weather has turned frigid again. .Kim in East Lansing, MI sent me a photo of a House Finch nest with five eggs on her front door wreath..Thanks for the photo. Keep us updated on their progre...
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Warm Thoughts

I think we all need to think warm, sunny thoughts... because it's freezing outside!This photo was taken on a trip to Galveston in April 2007.Enjoy!Mike Gr...
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Are There Bat Houses?

Bats are finally being given their proper recognition as valuable to mankind in the ecological system. Their immediate appeal to people is their enormous capacity for consuming insects. One bat can consume half its weight in a night or as many as 600 or more insects an hour. In Michigan the Little Brown Bat and the Big...
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What Bats Live in Michigan?

Bats comprise one-fourth of the world's 4,000 species of mammals. Fruit-eating bats are nature's most important seed-dispersing animals. Nectar bats pollinate many rain-forest trees, shrubs, and flowers and without their help the forest would be less diverse. The ability of insect-eating bats is phenomenal--one little...
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