Home › Archives for August 2012

The Passenger Pigeon became extinct on September 1, 1914

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." ~ George Santayana (1905) Reason in Common Sense, volume 1 of The Life of ReasonThe Passenger Pigeon, once the most common bird in North America, went into a catastrophic decline in numbers and then extinction by 1914.Similar in looks to the Mourning Dove,...
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Roger Tory Peterson's Birthday August 28, 1908

Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996), was an American naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, and one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environmental movement.The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History website explains how Peterson’s seventh grade teacher liked to use...
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Sunflower seeds: The favorite seed of backyard birds

Native to Central America, the Sunflower was one of the first plants cultivated by humans for food, medicine, dye, and fiber for clothing and building materials. According to the National Sunflower Associationthe earliest known domesticated sunflowers north of Mexico were found in Tennessee, and dated to around 2300 BC....
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Why birds circle in the air

If you ever drive on the highways, you’ll see at one time or another, big dark birds circling high on the air thermals. They are probably Turkey Vultures, Cathartes aura. Feeding mainly on dead animals, vultures aren’t common backyard birds. But last weekend I saw one glide low right over my sister’s backyard. She lives...
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Photo Share: Mourning Dove Family

Juvenile Mourning Doves look like the parents except for a little white that tips the end of each feather.  Male and female Mourning Doves are both gray brown overall, have black spots on the wings and black-bordered white tips on the tail feathers.The adult male has bright iridescent pink feather patches on the neck...
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How drought affects hummingbirds

EXTREME WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HUMMINGBIRDS! Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes;...
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New blue-eyed owl discovered by MSU researcher

News Release: Aug. 2012 EAST LANSING, Mich. — Two new species of owls have been discovered in the Philippines, and a Michigan State University researcher played a key role in confirming their existence.(Top left: Cebu Hawk owl. Bottom right: Camiguin Hawk owl.) Courtesy of Oriental Bird Club: original painting...
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Bird asleep on the porch

Birds look quickly for a spot to roost as the sun goes down.Imagine it’s your first time away from home; you are all alone in a new city, where do you go to find shelter? This is what happens to a lot of birds in late summer. Inexperienced birds have some inborn knowledge but there are also some things that have to be...
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And they keep coming....

21 July- 14 AugustCatbirds, catbirds,catbirds- man, have they had a productive year! We've had more 100+ bird days  late July/August this year than ever before and many days I have to keep half of our nets closed to keep up with all the birds. We banded three more days in July after my last post on the 21st,...
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Photo Share: House Sparrow female feeding juvenile

Momma sparrow looks a little rough around the edges as she goes through her annual full fall molt, while you can see her fledgling has fine new feathers. After leaving the care of their parents, young sparrows have a high mortality rate. Only about 20–25% of birds hatched survive to their first breeding season.House...
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Keeping Bird Feeders Active in Summer

Though this month marks the beginning of the end of summer, there are still plenty of opportunities to help birds and maximize your backyard enjoyment. Offer WaterWhether they are feeder visitors or not, birds need water for drinking, bathing and preening. Offering a dependable source of water is the simplest and...
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Coyote in the yard

Coyote photo by Rebecca RichardsonA lot of customers have reported seeing coyotes lately. Coyotes are found throughout Michigan in rural to urban areas and are quite common but extremely good at remaining unnoticed by humans, even while living in close proximity. Their presence in subdivisions and urban or suburban areas,...
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Why most woodpeckers are black and white

• The contrasting black and white pattern found on the backs of many woodpeckers helps to conceal them from predators. Known as disruptive coloration, this sharp contrast in colors helps to break-up and conceal the shape and outline of a woodpecker as it climbs the side of a tree.• Considering the pounding...
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Ever wonder how many bird species are in the world?

Cover Art: Larry McQueenI always say there are about 10,000 species of birds in the world. I say “about” because there are now at least 500 species more recognized than just 10 years ago. Many of these new species have been reclassified after the examination of their DNA, other birds species are just new discoveries.While...
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Photo share: Wild Cats Unlimited

Dolly made the birds disappear. We are now known as Wild Cats Unlimited.You think she's kiddi...
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What American Red Squirrels Eat

Munching on a cone outside theEast Lansing Wild Birds UnlimitedThe American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is one of three species of tree squirrel currently classified in the genus Tamiasciurus and known as pine squirrels (the other are the Douglas squirrel T. douglasii and Mearns's squirrel T. mearnsi). They...
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Michigan warblers begin migrating

I know it seems early, but now is the time that a lot of Michigan warblers begin migrating.The Tennessee Warbler nests in Upper Peninsula and Canada, but migrates through mid-Michigan from mid-August to October on its way south. They like to winter in open second growth forests and agricultural habitats, like shade grown...
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