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Altamira Oriole


 The Altamira Oriole is a bird of Mexico and Central America whose range just reaches into southern Texas. The largest oriole occurring in the United States, it makes the longest nest of any North American bird: its woven basket-like nest can reach 65 cm (25.5 in) in length.

 Cool Facts
The Altamira Oriole has been observed foraging for dead grasshoppers on the fronts of cars.
The Altamira Oriole is a solitary nester, with an average of a quarter kilometer (800 ft) between nests. Despite this wide spacing, it is not known to be territorial, and almost no aggression has been observed during the breeding season.

Semi-arid areas with scattered trees, open riparian woodland, open areas within more humid environments.

 Nesting
Nesting Facts

Clutch Size
2–6 eggs
Egg Description
Pale bluish white with irregular black and purple spots and splotches.
Condition at Hatching
Helpless.

 Nest Description

A long (30-65 cm; 12-25.5 in), hanging pouch woven of fibers and thin roots of epiphytes, suspended in the fork of a branch in a tall tree or hung from telephone wires.

Credits
Pleasants, B. Y. 1993. Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis). In The Birds of North America, No. 56 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.
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Raptors in action


Black-eared Kite                       Milvus (migrans) lineatus

 
A Juvenile Bonelli's Eagle ( Aquila fasciata)

Eurasian Marsh Harrier ( Circus aeruginosus)
 
Oriental Honey Buzzard ( Pernis ptilorhynchus)
 
Juvenile Pallid Harrier ( Circus macrourus)
 
Short toed Snake Eagle ( Circaetus gallicus)
 
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What will happen to my birds when I move?

I found your blog while I was searching for advice about mourning doves. I'm moving to a new place and I have several pairs of doves at my current home. How do I stop feeding them? I'm really worried about what will happen to them when I leave.

A lot of people like the mournful coo the Mourning Dove’s common name reflects. However despite their sad song and fragile look, the Mourning Dove is a swift, direct flier whose wings often whistle as they cut through the air at a high speed.

They are the most abundant and widespread native bird in North America helped by the human-induced changes to the landscape. And if the feeder is empty they’ll look for other sources. Studies show that the birds you see in your yard only eat about 20% of their meals at feeders.

Birds are survivors and won't starve when you move. They usually follow a circuit each day, visiting a number of feeding areas. If there is no food in your area, you will just be left off their foraging circuit.

Doves aren't picky eaters. There are lots of natural sources of food like nut or berry bushes and native weed and flowers seeds that stand through the winter. These provide food for a lot of birds.

You could also leave a bag a seed for the new owners of your home to continue feeding if you like. We have several new customers that begin feeding because the previous homeowner has left the bird feeding set up for them to feed their birds.

Related Articles:
- Why is the Dove a Symbol of Peace? http://bit.ly/wMKEKF
- How Do You Keep Doves From Dominating a Feeder? http://bit.ly/zDAwR2
- How Mourning Doves defend their nests http://bit.ly/LiE7TH
- Do Birds Sip or Slurp? http://bit.ly/N6syCY 
- Mourning Dove nesting facts and figures http://goo.gl/Bs78pj
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The Singer : White rumped Shama

White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)

Take a walk in any of the forests of the state, you will come across this songster bird, often identified by its never ending melodious tunes. Often seen behind the bushes, this bird is one of the first to wake you up in the morning. Found virtually in all the forest patches, this specie is a serious contender for the award of the "best singing bird of the state".
 
Male has a long graduated tail with whitish edges. Female has a comparatively shorter and square shaped tail. Both of them derive their name from the characteristic white rump. Male has a orange breast with bluish black upper parts. Female has a duller underparts with greyish upper-parts. Juvenile bird has orangish spots with a breast having scaly appearance.

Can be seen frequently cocking the tail.
 
                                             Male Bird
                                               Female

A Juvenile Bird
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How to store bird seed

We feed the birds, black sunflower seeds, and I keep it in a metal garbage can outside near the feeder.  But it seems to collect moisture on the bottom then making it moldy, and I have tried a plastic pail inside the garbage can and eventually that gets moisture on the bottom. Is there a better contained to store the seed in? ~ Sioux City, IA

Sometimes it’s better to buy smaller quantities of bird seed more often than to attempt to store very large amounts. Birds know the difference between fresh seed and older, stale or moldy seed! Fresh seed has higher oil content and is much more nutritious for the birds. Birds are very efficient foragers and like to make every calorie count especially in the winter.

Under optimal conditions, in a cool, dry place, out of the sun, bird seed can be kept for up to three months. One excellent way to store bird seed is to leave it in the original bag and put it in the freezer. Suet and seed kept in the freezer can be kept up to 6 months.

If don’t have freezer space, Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing has galvanized steel containers with locking lids to keep out water and unwanted guests. If the container is kept outside in the winter it will keep out moisture from the air and also keep out the drying sunlight. I always leave the seed in their original bags so you are never dumping old seed on top of new.

These few steps when storing bird seed and suet will extend the shelf life of the food and also attract more birds!

Related articles:
- What is No-Mess Bird Seed?: http://bit.ly/pl516I
- What birds like peanuts?: http://bit.ly/qKbHT0
- Seed Storage Cans and WBU Seed Scoops: http://bit.ly/q6th9R
- Do I need to clean my bird feeder?: http://bit.ly/nYKz40
- The best bird feeders at Wild Birds Unlimited: http://bit.ly/pv36W6
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Photo Share: Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren
We can see the Carolina Wren year-round in mid-Michigan, however a winter of frigid temperatures with ice and snow can decimate an otherwise healthy population. Fortunately, the effects of such disasters are only temporary and populations recover within a few years.

To help your wrens in cold weather you can provide quality suets or nuts to eat and put up roosting pockets for them to pop into when the winds blow.

Related Articles:
- What’s the best suet for Michigan wild birds? http://bit.ly/yAR4pm
- Quick Fun Facts on Wrens http://bit.ly/v5XVoU
- Surviving Winter, the Bird Way http://goo.gl/SF0Yga  
- Roosting Pockets: Warm Shelter from Frosty Winds http://goo.gl/QOPbMw
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The advantages of a tray feeder

Tray feeders attract a wide variety of birds including ground feeding birds like cardinals. Birds feel comfortable with the large flat open area of a tray. And this makes it easier for us to view the birds.

Tray feeders can hold a variety of food. You can throw whole peanuts for the Blue Jays, mealworms for the Bluebirds or toss in a seed cake or loose seed for all the birds to enjoy.

I like the tray feeders that have good drainage in the bottom. This makes the feeder easier to clean and keeps the seed fresh longer. 

You can also add a weather guard to keep the snow and rain off and protect the birds.

Related Articles:
- Wild Birds Unlimited Advanced Pole System http://bit.ly/rJulFz
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- How to have more colorful birds at your feeder http://bit.ly/qizlNh
- How to feed birds with less mess http://goo.gl/VgM3Xu
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