Home › Archives for July 2010

Audubon's First Engraving of a Bird Discovered

A 200-year-old mystery has finally been solved.PHILADELPHIA—In 1824 John James Audubon (1785-1851), the eminent artist of American birds and animals, created a drawing of a running grouse for use in the design for a New Jersey bank note. Although the artist mentions the drawing and the resulting engraved paper money in...
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Do Birds Sip or Slurp?

Image via WikipediaIf you have a bird bath I’m sure you’ve noticed a lot more activity this month. (I can’t believe it’s still so hot!!!!) I was backyard birdwatching last night when a lone dove sat in the middle of the bath, and love them or hate them, Mourning Doves have presence. My dove was just sitting there with...
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Unintentional Optical Illusion: Mini Raven

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einst...
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Why Do Goldfinches Nest So Late?

American Goldfinch Carduelis tristisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Finches (Fringillidae)The male goldfinch is a small, bright yellow finch with a black cap, wings, and tail, and white rump and undertail coverts. Females are duller with olive back and lacks black cap. Winter males will turn olive-brown with yellow shoulder...
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Are Earwigs Dangerous?

I was cleaning out a birdhouse and there were some earwigs inside. Are they dangerous to the birds or me? Lorraine~ Lansing, MIImage via WikipediaTheir scary name and appearance makes you think earwigs are ferocious. According to The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, the common term, earwig, is derived from the Old...
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They're eating me out of house and home!

“The kiss of the sun for pardon. The song of the birds for mirth. One is nearer God’s heart in a garden, than anywhere else on this earth."—Dorothy Frances GurneyWorking at Wild Birds Unlimited I hear how hungry the birds are all the time. So first I would like thank you and everyone that supports our small business. People...
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What is the Difference Between a Bird Call and a Bird Song?

The Cedar Waxwing: A Songbird Without a SongImage via WikipediaThere is still so much we have to discover about birds. As far as I know there are no hard and fast rules defining a call from a song. Bird Calls are usually short inborn sounds both male and female birds make throughout the year. Birds use calls in a variety...
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Birds You See at Michigan Bird Feeders

Will I see different birds in the winter at my birdfeeder than I do in the summer? Barbara A- Lansing, MIIt's funny I'm always asked this question during the hottest part of the summer. But once nesting is done some birds don't even wait for cold weather before they slowly journey south to areas that can sustain them through...
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Ancient Birds from North America Colonised the South

Despite their ability to fly, tropical birds waited until the formation of the land bridge between North and South America to move northward. .Scientists studying ancient species migration believe northern birds had the ability to colonise continents that southern species lacked. The research, published in Ecography, reveals...
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Submit a Photo to the Blog

A family of 5 yes 5 has come calling and they are beautiful. ~Stephen BoskinThis is a fabulous shot, and the bird is gorgeous! Do you want us to use the photo for Friday Photo this week?SarahI would be thrilled if you would post it on your blog. I have not put it up on my website as yet, http://www.stephenboskinphotography.com/....
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Feeder Fresh: How to Keep Your Birdseed Dry

If you've been having trouble keeping your seed dry during this impossibly hot and humid summer in mid-Michigan, remember Wild Birds Unlimited has Feeder Fresh. I usually use it only in the rainy spring and fall but because of the liquid heat we've been experiencing I've had to use it all summer.Feeder Fresh is added to...
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Squirrels Like to Work for Their Food

Many animals prefer working for their food, rather than getting it for free, defying standard economic theory. I just finished a couple of fascinating books by Dan Ariely that explain some of the positive effects irrationality has on our lives based on several old and new psychological experiments. The following is adapted...
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How Do I Keep Wasps from Building Nests in my Birdhouses?

Bees and wasps usually use unoccupied houses, but it’s best not to spray the house with any poisons. If you have one of our Wild Birds Unlimited easy clean out houses, I would leave the door open so there is a lot of light in the box. If there is no easy clean out you can plug the hole for a couple days until they get...
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Quick Fun Facts on Wrens

• You can increase your chances of attracting Carolina Wrens to feeders by providing a brush pile close to your feeding area. They feel more secure with a place to seek refuge nearby.• A single male Carolina Wren can sing up to forty different songs – up to 3,000 times in a single day.• A female Carolina Wren is unable...
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Scientist Fits Robin with Goggles

Birds navigate by being able to SEE Earth’s magnetic field with their right eye.Researchers led by Katrin Stapput of Goethe-Universitat in Frankfurt, Germany, put goggles on the European Robins and found that if the right eye was covered by a frosted goggle, the birds could not navigate effectively. The scientists think...
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Fledglings Make Family Life Fun

I came home last night and watched a juvenile Blue Jay, Cardinal, Downey Woodpecker and Starling all try to figure out how a feeder worked and what they were supposed to do with the food in front of them. It reminded me that this summer, parents across the country will spend countless hours with their children, taking...
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Song Sparrow Extravaganza

Monday 12 July & Thursday 15 JulyMondayOur first of the season HY Common Yellowthroats and Cedar Waxwings showed up on Monday. This juvenile yellowthroat had dark feathering on top of its head and a deep yellow throat. I had to sex it as an unknown, but I find males seem to develop bright yellow throats and females...
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Daddy and Baby Red-Breasted Grosbeak

I started keeping a Life List one year ago when I bought my iPhone and installed iBird Explorer Pro (an expensive app at $29.99). Since then, I've identified 32 species of birds, 27 of which I sighted in my front yard. A few of the species were victims of a large picture glass window, but thankfully there were no fatalities....
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