Home › Archives for July 2013

Create the best bird feeding pole system

The basic starter setup Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Most people begin bird watching with a general seed feeder  hanging from a tree or a simple plant crook to attract songbirds like cardinals, jays, sparrows and more. Then it can get a little more complicated...
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What you should do if you have a bat in the house

Safely remove bats from your house and help them out where they belong If they make their way into a house,bats are often seen on drapes or curtains. Wade TregaskisAttics are the ultimate hang-out for bats because they provide the high temperatures and undisturbed environments that they need for resting, giving birth and...
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How to get hummingbirds to a new feeder

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The hummingbirds are always fighting over their feeder, so when I received another hummingbird feeder as a gift I was thrilled! But the birds are still fighting over the old feeder and avoiding the new feeder. ~ East Lansing, MIHummingbirds...
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Why mourning doves sun themselves

I was just watching the birds and saw a mourning dove spread out with one wing flat out on the ground. I was concerned but she flew away when I approached. Do you have any idea what it was doing? Could something be wrong? ~ Augusta, Michigan Doves do use the broken wing tactic to draw predators away from a nest site...
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What to do if you find a banded white pigeon

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 A release dove refers to a breed of Rock Dove (domestic pigeon). /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:"";...
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Six steps to help birds

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Habitat loss, disease, severe weather, window collisions and many other factors contribute to the decline in bird populations. Here are six steps you can take to make the future brighter for birds:1. Put out the welcome mat Land development...
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Photo Share:Baby Cardinal

Northern Cardinals are a perfect combination of conspicuousness and style. Adult males are a brilliant shade of red you can’t miss and the adult females are a warm brown with subtle red accents.Baby Cardinals are another thing altogether. The old wives tale "ugly in the cradle, beauty at the table" comes to mind. The fledgling...
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How to feed birds with less mess

Like feeding the birds but don't want a mess on the ground? At Wild Birds Unlimited (WBU) I recommend the following combinations of food, feeders and accessories so you can enjoy feeding your birds and have a tidy backyard, too.1.  The WBU Recycled Plastic Ranchette feeder mounted on an Advanced Pole System® setupRanchette...
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Why the nuthatch walks upside down on trees

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud and their insistent nasal laughing song will lead you right to them. Click HERE to listen. Their foraging behavior also makes this a rather easy bird to identify. The White-breasted...
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National Moth Week is celebrated the Last full week in July

Roger Tory Peterson is best know for coming out with the first easy to use bird field guide for the average person to identify birds. But moths first got him started on his path to investigating nature as a boy. He even received special permission from the police chief to stay up past curfew to observe moths attracted...
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Male and female cardinals remain in close contact year-round

A regular resident of mid-Michigan backyards, the Northern Cardinals form one of the bird world's most faithful pair bonds. The male and female remain in close contact year-round, singing to one another through the seasons with soft, bubbly whistles. The female is known to sing while on the nest, and it is believed that...
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Hummingbirds span the ecological gap between birds and bees

According to Birds of Michigan by Ted Black, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds span the ecological gap between birds and bees- they feed on sweet, energy-rich nectar that flowers provide and pollinate the flowers in the process.Many avid gardeners and birders have long understood this interdependence and cultivate native, nectar-producing...
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Fewer hummingbirds this year

As summer heats up, young birds are all around us, some already making their own way in the world beyond their nests, others still learning from their parents the skills they’ll need to survive.Several customers at Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing have inquired about a perceived lack of hummingbirds this season. This...
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Chipping Sparrows (The whole family)

Source: Chester A. Reed, The Bird Book, 1915.I adore watching and listening to the Chipping Sparrows in the spring and summer. The smallest and friendliest of the sparrows, they are always busy, busy running around on the yard looking for weed seeds or bird seed under the feeders.They arrive in mid-Michigan in May and...
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Baby birds at the feeders

Blue Jay just fledged from the nestThe best thing about feeding in the summer is watching the baby birds. Just as parents across the country will take their children on family adventures this summer, bird parents are leaving their nests to take their families out on vacation/survival training.All this week I’ve been watching...
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Fuzzy green grass seed head looks like a caterpillar

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Is there such a thing as a cute grass? The mature seed head of the Green Foxtail grass looks and feels like a fuzzy caterpillar or as the name suggests miniature green fox tails. If you happen to be in a park in July you might see clumps...
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Robins with white patches

I came across a robin with white patches and was hoping you could tell me if it has leucism or albinism; or neither.Young robins 2-6 weeks old have brown backs, dark brown cheeks outlined in white and a white breast speckled with black splotches. As they grow older the speckles disappear and they grow to look more like...
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Goldfinches choose their mates in July

There is a lot of excitement among the goldfinches in July as breeding season begins! Cornell's website http://www.allaboutbirds.org/ writes that "paired-up goldfinches make virtually identical flight calls; goldfinches may be able to distinguish members of various pairs by these calls." The female chooses her mate based...
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