Home › All posts

Solving the Mysteries of Migration with Wind Tunnels

Researchers that want to study migrating birds have problems gathering data on what birds eat, when or if they have pit stops, and the effect of the weather. One solution to this problem was to build a $1.5 million wind tunnel to study a captive bird’s metabolism and flight. Researchers can adjust temperature, humidity and barometric pressure and study the effect on birds.

How to get birds to work with you in wind tunnels
From an interview with Science's Elizabeth Pennisi:
“A year old, the tunnel presents researchers with an unprecedented opportunity to probe the mysteries of migration in exquisite detail. But money can't buy birds that are keen to fly in a wind tunnel, and the team has had mixed success finding willing avian partners. An early project using starlings did well, despite taking place when the tunnel was not quite finished. It netted "Super," a bird that always cooperates and will even fly into the wind tunnel on its own accord. But a study involving robins took months to identify five somewhat cooperative fliers; switching to Swainson's thrushes worked better. One immunological project involving a shorebird called a ruff is stranded because the birds show no inclination to take to the air. And the researchers have just started testing warblers to see if high-protein or high-carbohydrate diets make a difference in energy use during flight.”

Some early test results from biologists at the University of Western Ontario in Canada discovered that the birds on long migrations conserve water by burning muscle and organs instead of fat.

The protein in muscle doesn't provide as much energy as fat, but it can release five times as much water - enough to keep birds going during their nightlong flights, according to a study published Friday in the journal Science.

Scientists believe that understanding how birds use protein during migration could help them better understand the environmental challenges facing animals that migrate.

Sources:
Category ›

Great Horned Owl Juvenile Rescued from Starving Slowly

Hi everyone, I wanted to share these pictures and tell you how they came to be. This little guy (Great Horned Owl) was sitting on my sidewalk in front of my house. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. So of course I ran in grabbed my camera and took a bunch of pictures Then I started calling every rehab center I could find in the book. Being Saturday all I could do was to leave messages. Very frustrating. 

I had to go to work at the Art Gallery for a few hours. When I got back he was still sitting in the landscape by the front of my house. I tried again some of the numbers for rehab centers. Finally I got a call back from one in Eaton Rapids. She told me how to handle the little guy so successfully getting him in a box we were able to get him there. 

She said he was starving and that was the third Owl that had been brought in in the past few days. I learned that he was probably a late spring baby and was never properly taught how to hunt. His wings were fine but just very thin. They started him on fluids first and then they will feed him mice and rats (uck!) 

Thank God there are people like Louise Sagaert from Wildside Rehabilitation and Education Center for people like me and you to be able to take our injured wild critters to. I slept easy knowing that he was safe and taken care of. Have a great day! I know will........Linda Moore

That was a very compassionate story with thankfully, a happy ending. If anyone sees an animal in distress and is unsure what to do, call an expert. For future reference the following is a small list of the local rehabilitators:
  • East Lansing, MI ♦ 517.351.7304 ♦ Cheryl Connell-Marsh ♦ birds and small animals
  • Lansing, MI ♦ 517-646-9374 ♦ Tiffany Rich ♦ white tailed deer, squirrels, raccoons; Vet. Tech. on center.
  • DeWitt, MI ♦ 517.930-0087 ♦ Wildside Rehab and Education Center ♦ birds and small animals
  • Eaton Rapids, MI ♦ 517-663-6153 ♦ Wildside Rehab and Education Center ♦ birds and small animals
  • Holt, MI ♦ 517-694-9618 ♦ Carolyn Tropp cctropp@aol.com ♦ Waterfowl, small birds and mammals
  • Howell, MI ♦ 517-548-5530 ♦ Howell Conference and Nature Center ♦ All wild animals except bats, skunks, starlings, raccoons, pigeons, or house sparrows.
  • Bath, MI ♦ 517-819-0170 (day) 517-641-6314 (evening) ♦ Denise Slocum ♦ Small mammals
For a complete list of Michigan Licensed Rehabilitators visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at: http://www.michigandnr.com/dlr/

Or to search for a local wildlife rehabilitation group: http://www.wildliferehabber.org/

 You can see some of Linda Moore's artwork at Haze Art Gallery in Old Town on Grand River Ave. and Maple Street Mall downtown Mason. She also received a little more information about her owl:  I had an update from Louise. He made it through the night, he's peeing, and eating. Hallelujah!

I hope when he's recovered you can release him back into your yard.

Good morning Sarah, the latest update is Orlando the Owl is doing very well.  He is still in an incubator but will be put in a regular cage tomorrow.  Louise says he in getting pretty feisty too. Have a great day! 

I never really though of re-releasing the owl. Wouldn't they have to somehow teach him to hunt first?  And do they eat other birds? I wouldn't want him killing off my little subjects. Who would I take pictures of? Ha....

Great Horned Owls eat a lot of rodents like field mice, voles and even skunks. They also eat frogs, toads, and snakes. They hunt at night so most of the time they eat animals that are active at that time. Owls do eat a few birds too. Usually in the spring when they are feeding babies and are having trouble finding enough food. But overall they are a good bird to have in the neighborhood.
Sarah
Category ›

Black and White Bird with Red Head

My husband kept telling me we had a Red-headed woodpecker at the feeder while I was at work. I was so excited about having a new bird at the feeder until I realized he was talking about our very frequent visitor, the red-bellied woodpecker. He said that that was a dumb name and that he was still going to call him Mr. Red Head. Will you explain why it’s called Red-bellied Woodpecker?

People often call the Red-bellied woodpecker by a list of common misnomers like red-headed or ladder-back woodpecker because of their gleaming red caps and striking black and white barred backs. Since virtually all woodpeckers are black and white with patches of bright colors on various parts of their bodies, the Red-bellied was named for the unique pinkish tinge on the belly, common to both genders.

However, the sight of a red belly usually isn’t the fist thing you see when it visits your yard. This can only be seen if the bird is facing you. But don’t expect to identify this bird that way. You need to look for the red head first. Adult males have a red cap going from the bill to the nape of the neck. Adult females have a gray crown and a red patch on the nape of the neck and another above the bill. Juveniles have no red at all, just a dark gray crown.

Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
Order: Piciformes Family: Woodpeckers (Picidae)
.
One of the most common woodpeckers, it is found all along the eastern half of the United States. This woodpecker is unusual in that it will sample any food it finds. It eats seeds, fruit, acorns, insects and loves suet when it’s available. In the fall and winter it will store its food in the barks of trees to pull out and eat later.

Special cells on the end of their bills are constantly replaced because of the repeated pounding. Woodpeckers are important to many other bird species because they drill new nest holes each year and leave the old cavities for birds like swallows, owls, bluebirds, and a huge array of small birds like wrens and chickadees to use.
Related Articles:
What is the Lifespan of a Red-bellied Woodpecker? http://bit.ly/ouuTnx
Fun Facts about Woodpeckers http://bit.ly/qIbvvL 
What birds eat suet? http://bit.ly/nO5aJX
Category ›

How much food a chipmunk can hold in his mouth

Thank you for your interesting blog! I have been feeding chipmunks in my yard for the last four years. They are adorable and fascinating to watch. I am curious to know how much food can they fit in their cheek pouches?


I could find no volume measurements while researching chipmunks. However I have personally observed our chipmunks carry five peanuts in the shell at a time: two in each cheek pouch and one between its teeth. I have also watched him pack in 31 peanuts without shells.

Studies have found that some animals hoard simply out of instinct. A chipmunk spends much of its day collecting and storing seeds, which are its most important source of food. When preparing food for storage, the chipmunk uses its tongue to shift the seeds backwards and stuff them between their teeth and the extensible skin in the cheek area. 

The capacity of these cheek pouches increases with maturity. When the cheek pouches become full, the chipmunk deposits the seeds in its nest or buries them in shallow holes that it digs in the ground around his burrow and then covers with earth, leaves, and other litter. 

Eastern Chipmunks’ lifespan on average is only one year due to predators and man made dangers. They have two breeding seasons. The first begins in February and the second in June. They can have up to nine babies but average four.

Many people are frustrated by the amount of food they take away from bird feeding stations but chipmunks do have a purpose. They eat a lot of bugs and small rodents and are eaten by hawks, fox, owls, and other predators. And Mother Nature uses the chipmunks to spread plant seeds and fungi all around.

Eastern chipmunks live in shallow burrows made by digging and carrying away the dirt in their pouched mouths. These burrows can be up to 30 ft. in length with several different exits concealed with leaves and rocks.

The chipmunks’ cheek pouches also transfer food to their tunnels. They keep large stores of food in their burrows and build nests on top of this treasure. Eastern chipmunks, however, do not hibernate continuously through the winter, nor do they "fatten up" before retreating to their burrows. When the temperatures reach freezing, chipmunks go into their burrows to hibernate but wake up periodically to snack on their stored nuts and seeds.
.
Category ›

"The place to observe nature is where you are."—John Burroughs


Hi. This summer I was blessed with a new family of bluebirds – mom and dad, and SIX fledglings. Just incredible; they're the first bluebirds I ever got to "know" (photos of some kids and mom/dad above). - Molly in Decatur, GA
Category ›

The Best Peanut Feeders

Does WBU carry bird nuts?  I'm in the UK now and have been watching birds eating bird nuts from a wire cylinder. Then in the Pound Store (our Dollar Store) I found bags of them for one pound. They looked like oddly shaped peanuts with the red skin still on. Sue

Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing, MI sell peanuts in the shell and out. We also offer four seed blends that have peanuts to attract a wider variety of birds.

There are several types of peanuts. Each of the peanut types is distinctive in size, flavor, and nutritional composition. The birds will eat any peanut as long as it’s still fresh and full of oil. The pound store may have cheap peanuts but make sure they aren’t stale.

Birds don’t have heated houses or sweaters they can snuggle in when the winds blow. An ample supply of high-calorie foods such as black oil sunflower, nuts and suet is crucial to a bird's survival. Food is the most essential element, providing birds with the energy, stamina and nutrition they need and it should be as fresh and full of fat as possible.

Thanks for the info. I wasn't planning to buy any seeds here. I really wanted to know if they are available in the States in an animal food quality, but fresh and appealing to the birds. I'll be back there in a couple of weeks. Do you carry the wire tube feeders for the peanuts? 

I’s a great idea to add a peanut feeder right now to attract birds such as titmice, jays, chickadees, woodpeckers and nuthatches. With cold weather approaching the birds will appreciate the extra fat and protein from peanuts and you can have fun watching the antics of birds that come to peanut feeders.

At Wild Birds Unlimited you can choose from a variety of peanut feeders. Two of the most popular peanut feeders are the Mesh feeders and the peanut bell feeders.

Our mesh feeders come in different sizes and colors. They have a  lifetime guarantee, are made in the USA and the birds love them. I would also recommend a Wild Birds Unlimited weather guard to protect the seed from the coming rain and snow.

The other feeder I have is the Birdie Bell. It is a secure, all-weather holder that's easy to fill and so far indestructible. I fill it with a peanut bell-shaped seed block every 2 weeks. The bell feeder can also be filled with cat hair and cotton for the birds to use in their nests. I have three of these.

They are both nice starter feeders available at our Wild Birds Unlimited store in East Lansing, MI


Related articles:
What birds like peanuts? http://bit.ly/nGkP1K  
Feeling Good About Fattening Up http://bit.ly/q7FAmB 
Why would you build a peanut vending machine for crows? http://bit.ly/qy1hBC
Category ›

What are those bur seeds that stick to my dog's fur?

Now that fall is almost here you'll notice a lot of plants are trying to spread their seed. Blue Jays carry acorns far from their parent trees. Goldfinches spread lots of flower seeds. Cedar Waxwings spread fruit seeds.

And if you take a walk in the woods you may pick up hitchikers on your socks. Those annoying burs that snag on almost anything including your best friends furry coat. But did you ever look at those burs under a microscope?

Walking through a patch of woods one day in 1948, a Swiss engineer named Georges de Mestral wondered what made burrs stick to his clothes. He took a close look at the seeds of burdock and discovered hundreds of "hooks" that caught on everything. Inspiration struck and de Mestral thought if he could figure out how to duplicate the hooks and make loops he could develop a nonmetallic, zipperlike fastener.

After a lot of trial and error Velcro was invented. Velcro, a combination of the words velvety soft and crochet hook, was submitted for patent in Switzerland in 1951. The newly invented nylon was perfect for making two strips of fabric, one with thousands of tiny hooks and another with thousands of tiny loops.

Velcro is now used all over from fastening kids shoes to astronauts space suits.

Related articles:
Colorful Bird Splats Contain Secrets http://bit.ly/obG0Kd
Birds Move Trees http://bit.ly/rj8fT5 
Attract More Goldfinches to My Yard? http://bit.ly/n9N8Wu

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velcro
Category ›
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)