Where should I hang my hummingbird feeder?

I live in Troy, MI and my yard backs up to woods. I have purchased a feeder that looks like an antique red bottle. It is now hung under a sparse weeping cherry. We landscape with very few flowersWhat is the best location? Sun / shade / height? Thank you. .That’s a really good question and I can’t believe I haven’t...

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How the Northern Cardinal bird was named

In 1758, the Cardinal was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. Based on appearance, Linnaeus thought the Cardinal was related to the Red Crossbill and gave it the genus Loxia...

Category › Bird of the week

What are the Best Binoculars: How to Choose Optics

Answer these questions to get a better handle on what you really need:How much magnification do you need?Making the image 8 or 10 times closer with binoculars is the most popular choice.8x binoculars work well in all terrain and in a wide variety of situations because images tend to be brighter with wider fields of view....

Category › Bird Basics

American White Pelican spotted in Lansing, Michigan

“Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican, His bill can hold more than his belican, He can take in his beak, Food enough for a week, But I’m damned if I see how the helican.” --Dixon Lanier Merritt I spotted a white pelican in the Grand River. I know that pelicans are in Florida. Did something happen to this bird and he flew...

Category › Bird of the week

How to hang feeders from trees

I want to hang a feeder from a tree. Do you have a chain? Yes, Wild Birds Unlimited has chains but we also have Tree Hooks made by the same people that developed our unique Advanced Pole System. They come 12 inches to 6 feet in length. The large end goes over a branch and the little end holds the feeder. There...

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How to pish for birds

Historical evidence suggests that pishing may date back to the time of St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). Today it is a popular American technique to draw North American bird species out into the open using the sound of air expelled through pursed lips. This technique is used by scientists to increase the effectiveness...

Category › Bird Basics

Summer is a good time to feed birds

“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....

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How fast can monarchs migrate?

That's a good question. In a laboratory, scientists found Monarchs could fly almost 4 mph. However that could vary depending a lot on weather conditions. We do know it takes them about 2 months to travel 2000 miles from Michigan to their winter home in Mexico. For a lot more interesting facts on butterflies visit...

Category › Nature up close

Banding Wilson's Storm-Petrels

It was at least 8 years ago when Bill Elrick, a fellow bander, got me thinking about banding Wilson Storm-Petrels. (Photos below by Peter Trull and Sue Finnegan).Bill enjoyed banding European Storm-Petrels in Scotland on their breeding grounds and suggested I try to band Wilson's on their summering grounds (from...

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Hadagarh Sanctuary- Reeling under pressure from Mines

Kanhu Majhi(Ajit Das)the tribal guy from one of the remote villages of Mayurbhanj grows up amidst the wooded forests & waterfalls , wakes up to the calls of pea fowls, runs with his childhood sweet heart Dhaani( Jaya) in Mustard fields during day time, comes back home tired and straight into the warm lap of Guruma(...

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Do Cuckoos leave their eggs in other nests?

Both the Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos nest in Michigan.According to Birds of Michigan by Ted Black, “shrubby field edges, hedgerows, tangled riparian thickets and abandoned, overgrown fields provide the elusive Black-billed Cuckoo with its preferred nesting haunts. Despite not being particularly rare in Michigan,...

Category › Bird of the week

Tips for feeding birds in the summer

Summer just seems to be flying. If you can believe it, some birds have finished nesting and are already starting to fatten up in anticipation of the journey south. As we approach August and September you will see an increase in feeder activity.Make sure to keep your feeders clean. It can be detrimental to the birds if...

Category › Bird Basics