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What Bird Feeders Do You Have?

Oh, I have a lot of feeders. Too many to list. I love the birds and as birdwatchers know, this is one of the busiest times at the feeders! Momma birds are trying to feed their babies as well as themselves while staying warm and dry.

It's almost impossible for me to keep my feeders full in the spring. That’s why my favorite feeder right now is the seed cylinder feeder. I used to call it my “Lazy Man feeder” because I only have to fill it once a month. But for some reason people don’t like the term lazy. Now I call it the feeder formally known as the Lazy Man Feeder.

I actually have a couple different styles of seed cylinder feeders in my yard. There are several to choose from as well as different kinds of seed cylinders.

I prefer the Cranberry or Supreme Fare cylinder. Pecans are the first ingredient in 3 of the cylinder varieties we sell at Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing, MI. After I slip on one of these pecan rolls, I like sit back and watch the action. Why pecans? Pecans are a very high energy food and the birds appreciate a good meal during this stressful time.

If you don't have a baffled Wild Birds Unlimited Advanced Pole System and worry about the squirrels, you can choose to use the Safflower cylinder to keep squirrels and blackbirds away.

I can tell you that Seed Cylinder feeders are undemanding. They are easy to clean, easy to fill, leave very little mess and attract a wide variety of birds. The feeders are popular with beginners and for people like me who have been feeding birds for almost 40 years.

Well that describes a couple feeders in my yard. Some of the other feeders I use are described in an earlier post called What is the best bird feeder? Click here to read more.

Thanks for the question. What is your favorite feeder?
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Why are Baby Birds Bigger than Parent Birds?

I know the statistics show Americans have become larger over the years. So as I watch the Starlings feeding huge babies, I’m wondering if birds are getting bigger too?

What a good question? As most dinosaurs would tell us (if they weren’t extinct), there is evidence that being big can be bad for surviving. Being small has long been thought to help things survive extinction by having larger populations, greater genetic variation, shorter time to maturity, and fewer resources to suvive.
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In a study done by paleontologists on a collection of bird ancestor bones approximately 65.5 million years old, it was found that there was a general increase in size for the birds in three of the four families. The big point of interest is the Ornithuromorpha, the last of these four families, got smaller over time and is the only family of birds who have members that managed to survive the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event.

So as Americans get bigger and stronger, I believe birds find their best chance at survival is if they stay small.

I couldn’t find any recent study on the size of birds, but based on observations of birds from the 1800’s to the present there is no obvious change in birds’ size unless helped along by farming practices.

Keep the questions coming and I’ll answer them as best I can. You can also chime in if I get something wrong.

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Banding Demonstration



I enjoyed 4 days of banding this week. On Monday 40 delightful people from the Nauset Newcomers Walking Group joined me for a banding demonstration.


Many were thrilled to be able to hold and release birds they could see up close. The highlight of the morning was a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the last bird of the morning. When I asked if someone would like to release the bird, Barbara Murphy stepped forward and could barely contain her excitement. I'm always thrilled to see that enthusiasm!











The bird stayed on her hand for a few minutes before flying off.  


The rest of the week proved to be uneventful. Wing Island is not the best migrant trap in spring!! However it is always nice to capture a beautiful warbler, and this Yellow Warbler fits the bill. They breed in our area and are a welcome sight in the nets. This bird was born last year and aged/sexed as a second year male.




Winds were from the NW and quite blustery all week, not a good combination for banding birds. On Saturday we captured numerous Common Yellowthroats among other species. Interestingly, I noticed a distinct difference between the coloration on two male yellowthroats. One had the typical yellow color to the throat that we usually see, but the other one had a orange cast to its throat.
I've only noticed this in the past few years as Tartarian Honeysuckles have made their presence on the island. This plant generally has pink or red flowers and birds who eat the fruit often have a more orange coloration to their typically yellow feathers. I've seen this in Praire Warblers, the tips of tail feathers of Cedar Waxwings, and Baltimore Oriole feathers take on a reddish tone.




















I heard Magnolia Warblers singing on the island both Saturday and Sunday but we only captured a few of them. They breed in Western Mass, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Canada and are just passing through our area, but they are one heck of a beautiful bird!!
We had 26 returns of birds banded in previous years, the oldest being a Gray Catbird and an American Goldfinch both at least 6 years old.


Many thanks to Carolyn Kennedy and Judith Bruce who helped at the banding demonstration on Monday. Thanks also to Gretchen Putonen who helped both days on the weekend, Roger Mongold on Saturday, and Carolyn on Sunday. The following birds were seen, heard, and/or captured from 10-16 May. Numbers reflect captured birds only:
Total birds: 116     Total captured species: 17  Birds/100 net-hours: 21
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Brant
Canada Goose
Osprey

Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
American Woodcock
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo- on musuem property on other side of road
Ruby-throated Hummingbird- 2
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-shafted Woodpecker- 1
Eastern Wood Peewee
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Blue Jay- 2
American Crow
Fish Crow
Black-capped Chickadee- 10
Tufted Titmouse- 2
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird- 37
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Yellow Warbler- 2
Magnolia Warbler- 3
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler- 3
Common Yellowthroat- 33
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal- 1
Eastern Towhee- 1
Song Sparrow-9
White-throated Sparrow- 1
Red-winged Blackbird- 1
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Grackle- 1
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch- 7
House Sparrow
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What Do I Feed Baby Killdeer?

I have baby Killdeer in my yard. What do they eat? The parents are scrabbling around in the grass. Is there anything I can give them to feed the babies?
Killdeer Charadrius vociferous are ground-nesting birds that are famous for hiding their nests right out in the open with no nesting materials. They rely on “help my wing is broken” distraction displays to lead predators away from their nests.

You can feed Killdeer the mealworms we sell at Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing, but honestly they are fine on their own foraging for insects, spiders, snails, worms, and crayfish.
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Have you seen this bird?

Barry County is one of the few refuges that remain for the Cerulean Warbler. These birds require connected forests greater than 2,000 acres in size. Lack of suitable habitat is the reason the Cerulean Warbler is the fastest-declining songbird species in North America. Only about 1,000 birds are found in Michigan each year.

Cerulean Warbler Weekend (June 4-6) is an opportunity to learn more about the bird and what we can do to protect it. Workshops and guided nature experiences will teach how to identify the habitat and song of the Cerulean Warbler.

For additional details please click HERE or go to http://michiganaudubon.org/!

For more information about 2010 Cerulean Warbler tours, contact:
Wendy Tatar, Program Coordinator email:wendy@michiganaudubon or call 517-886-9144
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Spring Fairy Hunt



"When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.
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And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl."
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~James Matthew Barrie (Peter, in Peter Pan, act 1)
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Help! My Bluebirds Left

Bluebird had been coming to eat (mealworms) I was gone for a couple of days and after returning I began putting the worms out again, but haven't seen a bluebird since. The Eastern Towhee and Carolina Wren, also mocking birds have been trying to get to the worms, but I have chased them away whenever I see them. I try to put the worms out at certain times that I have seen them previously and watch very carefully---But no Bluebirds. Could it be because the eggs have hatched and 'I am too far away from nest??? I have no idea where nest is. Chickadees built before Bluebirds got a chance. Help. ~Rose
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There may be several reasons the bluebirds didn't come right back. Your theory about them being new parents is possible.

Bluebirds know instinctively that mealworms are too big for newly hatched babies. They start their young out on tiny bugs like small larvae and spiders. As the chicks grow, so does their appetite and they can begin to feed on mealworms at about six days old.

The birds also may have found a more reliable source of food. I think you just have to be patient and try to re-establish a routine. I'm sure they'll come back. Try to put a spoonful of mealworms out every morning or evening at the same time and whistle a call to alert the bluebirds they are being served.

To keep the other birds away from your mealworms, try the enclosed bluebird feeders like we sell at our Wild Birds Unlimited stores that exclude larger birds.
Good luck!
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