Home › Archives for May 2013

The difference was between the House Finch and the Purple Finch

Today I’ve been watching a lot of babies at the feeders. A House Finch visited the window feeder all day with its baby. The baby jumped up and down and flapped his wings in front of the dad with its mouth wide open but the dad refused to give in and feed him. By the end of the day the kid finally gave up and picked...
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Photo Share: Looking up, looking down

If anyone would like to share a photograph of nature send it to bloubird@gmail.com and I'll put it on the Friday Photo posts.  ...
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Best bird feeder poles

The Advanced Pole System - Looks Great, Stays Straight!Wild Birds Unlimited patented Advanced Pole System (APS) is comprised of interchangeable hardware pieces, that lets you add or subtract bird feeders, birdhouses and other bird feeding accessories, giving you the ability to create and customize your bird feeding...
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Cicada mania not coming to Michigan until 2021

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 If you’ve seen the news lately you may have heard about the emergence of the amazing 17 year cicadas due this year in the eastern United States. Magicicada septendecim female (Brood X). by C. SimonAccording to Michigan State University...
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A Pine Siskin's most recognizable call is an upsweeping zzzzzziiip!

I've understood that Pine Siskins are supposed to be relatively common around here, but until the last year I never (knowingly) saw one.  Since then I saw them three other times, and I've been actively looking for them.... But now in the last few weeks I've seen them quite often.  Is this an unexpected bonus...
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Bald Eagle watches over veterans at the cemetery

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } When amateur photographer Frank Glick drove through Fort Snelling National Cemetery early one morning, he spotted a bald eagle through the mist, perched on a gravestone. Read the full article by: Jon Tevlin, Star Tribune, “The eagle couldn't have picked a better person” at: http://www.startribune.com/local/124543223.html Related...
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Pigeons' perch

Image via WikipediaPigeons that you see hanging out under bridges and on statues are the feral descendants of domesticated Rock Pigeons introduced to North America by early settlers.In their native land of southern Europe, North Africa, and into South Asia, the  Rock Pigeons nest along coastal cliff faces.In their...
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Robin song in the urban jungle starts really early

The best part of spring for me is waking up to bird song. But you have to wonder why the American Robin and Northern Cardinal start singing at dawn. Are they just early birds or perhaps think this the best time to sing a solo? A recent article by Mark Blazis pondered the advantages of the early bird. He and ornithologist...
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Photo Share: Feeding baby robins

"Good parents give their children Roots and Wings." --Jonas SalkPoppa shows off his brood of three proudly!The customers at the East Lansing Wild Birds Unlimited store were treated to the view of Mr. and Mrs. Robin and their three babies today.When American Robins first leave the nest they can't fly. They are nurtured...
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I have a lot of bird baths

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 As you may know I have a lot of feeders; some for the finches, some for the woodpeckers, a couple for the cardinals and other seed eating birds and even one for the squirrels. What you may not know is that I also have several bird baths.We...
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Plant some milkweed

Milkweeds attract a wide variety of pollinators like hummingbirds and are the sole food source of monarch butterfly larvae and their relatives. Where you once saw milkweed along roadsides and in farm fields here in Michigan, today manicured lawns, and the herbicides used to prepare fields crops has created a shortage of...
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Tiny brushes to clean hummingbird feeders

Mold is very bad in hummingbird feeders. Remember to change the nectar in your feeder every 2-4 days, regardless of whether the nectar has been used. In hot, humid weather you might even have to change the nectar every other day.I find the more often I change the nectar the easier it is to maintain the feeder....
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It's Hummingbird time

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds begin migrating into Michigan mid-April and by Mother’s day they have probably settled into their nesting territories.If you haven’t put your feeder up, what are you waiting for? It’s not too late! Hummingbirds don’t need your feeder to survive, but they might appreciate a reliable source of...
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Blue black and white bird with a white wing spot

Customers have been reporting sightings of the Black-throated Blue Warblerat the suet feeders. A common migrant through mid-Michigan May through the beginning of June, these birds are a treat to see!Males look dark black on top with a white wing spot and white belly. But when the sun hits, the feathers on his back turn...
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Tips to help choose the best backyard binoculars

Need help in selecting a good pair of binoculars. Basically for back yard. Can you help?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...
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Photo Share: Cute Canada Warbler

The Canada Warbler is little yellow and gray warbler with a white eye ring and black speckled neck. These warblers come in to mid-Michigan at the end of May and look to nest in wet low-lying areas of a mixed woods.Hikers might see them pop up occasionally from dense shrubs. Females build a loose cup nest on mossy stumps...
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Some good reasons to feed suet in the spring

Spring is a time when a lot of birds fly thousands of miles to return to their Michigan nesting grounds. When they reach your yard they are exhausted and looking for a quick high protein meal to help them recover. Some cold days in May, I've seen different warblers, wrens and my regular woodpeckers stopping to fuel up...
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Watch for Indigo Buntings

Male Indigo BuntingIndigo Buntings are a dark gray or black bird about the size of a goldfinch. When the sun hits the male his feather structure refracts the sun to make him appear a brilliant indigo blue.  In mid-Michigan, we often see them at the finch or sunflower bird feeders. Buntings can travel thousands of...
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Small yellow bird

Arriving in mid-Michigan in the beginning of May from Central and South America, the Yellow Warbler is a common migrant that might mistakenly be called “wild canary.” At about 5 inches long, these bright yellow birds have dark bills, and olive green wing-tips and tails. During breeding season there are also faint red breast...
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Warblers in Michigan

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 I just wanted to write to thank you for all your help in choosing the best feeders and food for my yard. It’s incredible to live in the city, and see such good birds. I think it’s because we’ve switched to the “good stuff” at Wild Birds...
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