How to keep a woodpecker off wood siding

Woodpeckers can cause a great deal of property damage and sleepless mornings. In one study, the birds stopped drumming 50 percent of the time within two weeks or so whether the homeowners did anything or not. My personal recommendation is to try to break the woodpeckers drumming before it becomes a habit. Hopefully...

Category › Question of the week

There are eight woodpeckers found in Michigan.

1. Downy Woodpecker - At about 6 inches, it’s smallest woodpecker in North America and the most frequent visitor to backyard feeders year-round. They have a white belly and back and their black wings have white bars. The males have a red patch on the back of the head. It’s called downy because of the soft feathers...

Category › Bird of the week

Bad News / Good News on the upcoming bird watching season

Red-breasted NuthatchThe bad news is that Canada’s natural seed crops were horrible this year and lots of birds that usually like to winter further north are going to have venture south to Michigan to find food. The good news is that Canada’s natural seed crops were horrible this year and lots of birds that usually like...

Category › Nature up close

Eastern Rosella

Keeping and Breeding the Eastern Rosellaby Shane FairlieDue to its striking colour, pleasant whistle and general hardiness, the Eastern Rosella, (Platycercus eximius) has always been a popular aviary bird, having first been bred in Spain in 1863.DescriptionFor people like me who have trouble imagining what a bird looks...

Category › Eastern Rosella , Eastern Rosella article , Eastern Rosella care , Eastern Rosella diseases. , Eastern Rosella facts , Eastern Rosella information , Eastern Rosella pictures , Rosella

Photo Share: Black-capped Chickadee

The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, North American songbird that is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans.If anyone else would like to share a photograph...

Category › Friday Photo

Yellow-bibbed Lories

Yellow-bibbed LoryBefore the early 1990s, the yellow-bibbed lory (Lorius chlorocercus) was nearly unknown in U.S. aviculture and, even then, only a handful of the birds were imported from the Solomon Islands. In 1998, a captive breeding consortium, called the Solomon Island Parrot Consortium (SIPC), was formed and received...

Category › lories , Yellow bibbed Lory , yellow lory , Yellow-bibbed Lories , Yellow-bibbed Lories deit , Yellow-bibbed Lories diseases , Yellow-bibbed Lories life span , Yellow-bibbed Lory informaton

Chickadees at Night

What’s the best-selling hardcover book at Wild Birds Unlimited East Lansing this year? Surprise. It’s Chickadees At Night, a picture book for all ages by Michigan resident Bill O. Smith.Bill O. Smith first fell in love with chickadees when he heard them singing on a cold winter morning. The idea of a book began...

Category › Product Highlight

Eclectus Parrot

EclectusThe Eclectus parrot has grown in its popularity as a companion parrot. Many parrot owners are drawn to them due to their astounding colors and their ability to talk. Many Eclectus owners claim that their Eclectus speaking ability is equal to that of an African Greys.Pet QualityIf an Eclectus parrot is well socialized,...

Category › Eclectus , Eclectus Parrot , Eclectus Parrot diseases , Eclectus Parrot facts , Eclectus Parrot information , Eclectus Parrot life span , Eclectus Parrot pet , Parrot

Debunking 10 bird myths as winter approaches

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 1. Little birds hitch rides on bigger birds to journey south – No birds ride on the backs of other birds to go south. Even the littlest birds in Michigan, the ruby-throated hummingbirds, migrate thousands of miles south each fall to reach...

Category › Bird Basics

Woodpecker feeding on the ground

We live in Chesaning, Michigan and we feed a whole variety of beautiful birds all year long. I can identify most of them but yesterday a new one showed up. I’ve seen it pecking on the tree but it seems to like to feed on the ground like a robin. It’s a gray and black bird with red on its head. st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui)...

Category › Question of the week

Blackpoll Warbler: Greatest warbler migrant

Blackpoll Warbler in fall olive yellow plumage Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The Blackpoll Warbler, a bird that weighs less than a wet teabag, is one of the greatest warbler migrants according to Ted Black in the Birds of Michigan Field Guide. They leave New England...

Category › Quick fun Facts

Sun Parakeet

INTRODUCTION TO SUN CONURESby Theresa Jordan Considered by many to be the most beautiful of the commonly available conures, the sun conure has enjoyed an elevated popularity status in the world of companion birds for many years --- and with good reason. Their multi-faceted personalities will delight even the most...

Category › sun conure , Sun Parakeet , Sun Parakeet diseases , Sun Parakeet facts , Sun Parakeet information , Sun Parakeet life span