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Everyone Eats in My World

Gary Fortcher: Guest Blogger from WBU Oakdale, NY

There is a Pigeon population around our center. Pigeons and sparrows. That's all I have (not to mention the Long Island bird - the seagull).
And I feed them with a small hopper feeder just to draw attention to the store. No one has complained so far. I tell people I'm just trying to help them out by keeping the pigeons away from their house.

They recognize me. When I pull up in the morning they start doing their "feed me" dance. It's quite funny. When the feeder is empty they all swarm me (they fly directly at me and then around me like a living tornado) whenever I walk out the door.

Customers get a kick out of it. And no, I have never been pooped upon yet. Today, a pigeon walked right into the store as we were bringing our seed delivery in. Looking for the mother lode. Reminded me of the utube video of the seagull that was stealing small bags of potato chips off the rack.

My solution to keeping birds off the roof is - feed them. Everyone eats in my world.
Gary Fortcher
Wild Birds Unlimited
911 Montauk Highway
Oakdale, NY 11769
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Preparing Your Yard For Wild Birds in the Spring

I hope everyone has caught up with the spring forward we did last weekend. Spring is just around the corner. Are you ready? If you haven’t already prepared your yard, I made a spring cleaning checklist to help.

Preparing Your Yard for the Spring:
1. Provide Nesting Spots- Place nest boxes and nesting material out for bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches, sparrows, and other birds that might breed in mid-Michigan. Clean out and repair old nestboxes to allow birds the opportunity to nest in a warm, clean house. You can also plant natural shelters like trees or bushes.
2. Prepare Bird Baths- Scrub the bath with a good brush and change your water. There are also two different products available at Wild Birds Unlimited to help maintain the quality of the water. The first is a liquid you add each time you change the water or there is a tablet you leave in the water for a month.
Birdbath Cleaning Brush: This 8" brush is well suited for cleaning birdbaths, as well as for many other household uses. It has stiff, tough polypropylene bristles that will do the job well, and features a comfortable molded poly handle.
Microbe-Lift BirdBath Clear is a bio-enzymatic product specially formulated for birdbaths to prevent organic contaminants from forming including white scale deposits, iron, copper and hard water stains. It uses two unique proprietary technologies; one system helps to prevent the buildup of stains and mineral deposits on the birdbath surfaces, while the second system keeps water clear and free from the organic debris that can make the water cloudy.
Healthy Ponds Birdbath Dispenser treats birdbaths up to 7 gallons. Delivered with two disposable, floating plastic dispensers; each refill is effective for up to 30 days.
3. Clean Feeders - Feeders should be cleaned at least once a month, year round. Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing, MI- will clean your feeder for $5.00. Or you can purchase professional cleaners like Scoot or Poop-Off at Wild Birds Unlimited, or use one part vinegar to nine parts water solution to clean all of your feeders. Disassemble feeders and immerse them completely for three minutes. Scrub with brushes (we have these too), rinse thoroughly, and let air dry. Also clean the area around the feeders to help eliminate the build up around the feeder.
4. Feeder/Hardware Maintenance- Check your feeders to see if there are any repairs that need to be done. Make sure feeders are hung so they are easy to reach and fill. Find where you've stored your hummingbird and oriole feeders and give them a good cleaning.
If you are going to need a new Advanced Pole System to hang your feeders, now is a good time to come in to Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing, MI and get help designing a new feeding station.
5. Fill Feeders- Wild birds are already making decisions about which back yards they will nest in this season. Natural food sources are scarce right now and birds are definitely taking note of which yards have food available.
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Amazing moment bald eagle chases down and catches a starling in mid-air

By Mail Foreign Service 17th March 2010

This tiny starling didn't stand a chance after a hungry bald eagle chose it as a mid-air snack. These incredible pictures are from Photographer Rob.Palmer in Littleton, Colorado.

The 56-year-old said: "I noticed a group of eagles sitting in the trees and then I spotted they were catching the starlings and blackbirds. Over ten days I saw at least 50 starlings getting caught and eaten by various eagles. It would happen anywhere from 100 to 500ft in the air."

The bald eagle, native to North America, can grow up to 3ft long and has a wingspan of 8ft. The bird of prey eats mostly fish, but is known to be an opportunistic feeder - eating anything from small mammals like rabbits to larger prey like the Great Blue Heron. Bald eagles can reach speeds of up to 43 miles per hour and are able to dive for fish at an incredible 99 miles per hour.
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Should I Clean Out My Birdhouse?

I have a couple of bird houses that wrens nested in last year. Will they come back to nest in the same place and is now a good time to clean out the old nest?

If you haven’t already cleaned out your birdhouses, that should be done as soon as possible. To clean the nest box I usually place a plastic bag over the nest and just sweep everything in and twist the bag shut. You can rinse out the house with a water hose or diluted bleach spray. Make sure the drainage holes are unplugged and leave the house open to dry for a couple days. Finally dispose of the old nest in the trash and wash your hands thoroughly.

Whether the same bird comes back to your nest is determined by several factors. Is the nest box clean and still in good condition, did they have a successful breeding season last year, and did they get there early enough to claim the nesting sight again and defend the territory? It’s possible to have the same wren family move in the same house year after year or a wily chickadee or sparrow may spot the house and try to claim it first.

WARNING: Please remove all winter wreaths from your doors. We get calls every spring about birds making their nests in holiday wreaths. Anyone who places hanging plants on a covered porch in the spring or leaves a holiday wreath hanging on the door may find that by April a female House Finch has begun to build a nest in it.

Once a House Finch pair has built a nest in a hanging plant, on a wreath, or over a light fixture, etc., there is little to do but enjoy the experience and wait for the young to fledge (three to four weeks). You can continue to use the door or water the plants but the nest should not be relocated.
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Invite New Birds to Your Yard

As you might imagine, migration takes a toll on the birds. It is not uncommon for birds to lose one-fourth to one-half of their body weight as they migrate thousands of miles. Before the journey north to their breeding grounds birds accumulate fat to help maintain their energy reserves. Sometimes, however, reserves are not enough. That’s where you can help by creating “stopover sites” in your yard with plenty of food, water and shelter.

At this time of year the numbers and variety of birds appearing in your yard can actually change every morning as many small songbirds migrate through the night. Species such as warblers, vireos, orioles, grosbeaks, tanagers, buntings and sparrows all migrate overnight.
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Some reasons are to avoid the heat of the day, windy conditions, and predators. Many species use the stars in the night sky to guide them, and there is some evidence that, perhaps, magnetic fields at the poles help guide them.

Other large-winged birds such as hawks, eagles, vultures and even pelicans migrate during the day, as they rely on thermals and updrafts to fuel their flight. They are efficient flyers and use very little energy during migration, allowing the wind to fuel their flight.

When you think about migration facts, it is astonishing to learn of the amazing feat that many birds accomplish twice each year as they move between their summer and winter range and back again.
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State of the Birds 2010

The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change, follows a comprehensive report released a year ago showing that that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline.

“For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses such as commercial hunting, loss of forests, the use of DDT and other pesticides, a loss of wetlands and other key habitat, the introduction of invasive species, and other impacts of human development,” Salazar said. “Now they are facing a new threat--climate change--that could dramatically alter their habitat and food supply and push many species towards extinction.”

The report, a collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and experts from the nation’s leading conservation organizations, shows that climate changes will have an increasingly disruptive effect on bird species in all habitats, with oceanic and Hawaiian birds in greatest peril.
In releasing the report, Salazar cited the unprecedented efforts by the Obama Administration and the Department of the Interior to address climate change.

To read a summary of the report go to: http://www.stateofthebirds.org/summary
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What do Red-Winged Blackbirds Eat?

I just saw my first Red-Winged Blackbird of the year! What should I be feeding him? Bath, MI

I’m so glad you are appreciating your Red-Winged Blackbirds! People usually ask me how to get rid of blackbirds.

Winter is my favorite season but we all know February feels like the longest month and by March you’re anxious for any harbinger of spring. .

The melting snow, the cleansing rains and the sweet smell of spring in the air followed by the garden waking up, the buds popping and the faces of old friends flying home to nest is always exciting. When you hear the loud konk-a-ree or ogle-reeeeeee you know it’s mid-March and the male Red-winged Blackbirds have arrived in mid-Michigan. The females will arrive a little later.

The male Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus is an all black bird with red shoulder patches edged in yellow. The female and juvenile have heavily streaked underparts and mottled brown upperparts.

They most often settle in marshes and brushy meadows during the breeding season and feast on insects, including dragonflies, damselflies, beetles, butterflies and moths mostly. They often use a feeding technique known as gaping. They expose insects that are hiding under sticks and stones or in the bases of leaves by forcibly spreading open their bills. If no bugs are available in early spring they may initially frequent your feeder where they will look for suet, mealworms, nuts, or sunflower seeds.

Interestingly, the Red-winged Blackbirds are one of the most polygamous of all bird species. They have been observed to have as many as 15 females nesting in the territory of a single male. On average, a single male has roughly five females in its territory. Once he is done wooing the females, over a quarter of the male’s time is spent vigorously defending his territory from other males and predators.

Meanwhile the female Red-winged Blackbirds start building a nest among cattails in four stages. Initially they weave together several supporting pieces of vegetation and then intertwine the walls of the nest onto these supports. The nest cup is then lined with mud, and the final step is to line the nest with a layer of fine grasses.
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Thank for the question. I'm glad you are enjoying your blackbirds. Next up hummingbirds!
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