Important Backyard Birding Tips

Summer just seems to be flying. If you can believe it, some birds have finished nesting and are already starting to fatten up in anticipation of the journey south. As we approach August and September you will see an increase in feeder activity.

Make sure to keep your feeders clean. It can be detrimental to the birds if you don’t clean your feeders regularly. In order to keep healthy birds at your feeders, remember the following:

1. Feeders should be cleaned at least once a month. Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing - will clean your feeder for $5.00 and it is ready the next day. Or you can purchase professional cleaners like Scoot or Poop-Off at Wild Birds Unlimited, or use a mild one part bleach or 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.
2. Check your feeders after a rain to make sure the seed is dry. If not, replace it.
3. Store seed in a cool dry location. Wild Birds Unlimited has closed steel containers that work well to protect seed from unwanted seed thieves or bad weather.
4. When choosing a new feeder look for something easy to clean and fill.

Also right now there are still young birds around learning the ropes and unfortunately, many times it's the inexperienced birds that fall victim to window strikes.

Birds also strike windows as they quickly try to escape predators, hitting glass in a moment of panic. And during spring and fall migration, window strikes increase as birds unfamiliar with the area pass through your yard. Window strikes are hard to eliminate totally, but there are ways to reduce them and/or reduce their severity:
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1. Locate feeders and birdbaths within 1-2 feet of windows so birds can't gather enough speed to cause significant injury or about 20-30 feet from windows so birds have time to change direction.

2.Window feeders also alert birds to a window.
3. Window screens will reduce injury even if a bird flies into it. Use them where practical.
4. Decals like Window Alert placed on the outside of windows have had the most positive feedback from customers. Each decal contains a component which brilliantly reflects ultraviolet sunlight. This ultraviolet light is invisible to humans, but glows like a stoplight for birds.
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If you do have a window strike and the bird is injured CALL FOR ADVICE! The best course may be no interference. For a list of licensed rehabilitators click HERE. Or visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at: http://www.michigandnr.com/dlr/

Category › Bird Basics

Sounds of Summer: Michigan Cicada

Almost everyone notices the buzzing sound as the sun goes down in the summer. Cicadias' songs trigger memories of long, hot nights and family camping trips. But I didn't know there was so much I didn't know about the bugs.

According to Wikipedia there are 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and each species sings a different song. Michigan has 10 species of cicadias identified.

They stay high up in the trees and are seen rarely. The males produce sound by vibrating abdominal drums called timbals. The noise is among nature's loudest sounds at 100 decibels or more at a distance of one inch.

After mating, females lay eggs in the bark of a tree. The eggs hatch after six to seven weeks and the cicada juveniles or nymphs burrow underground and begin feeding on roots. Their life cycles are long. Depending on the species of cicadia, they can spend 2 to 17 years underground as juveniles and then about 2 to 6 weeks as adults singing and mating.

When the 1-1.5 inch nymphs emerge from the ground, they climb a tree, puff up their exoskeletons until it splits lengthwise down the back and the adult cicadas slowly emerge. You can often find these ghostly shed skins still intact at eye level on tree trunks.

Cicadas do not sting, bite or carry diseases and they don't hurt the trees. In fact the presence of cicadas is usually a sign of a robust forest. To look at the species found in Michigan and listen to their different songs click HERE to go to The University Of Michigan-Museum of Zoology-Insect Division-Cicadas of Michigan website.

Category › Nature up close

How to Attract Mourning Doves

I have a Morning Dove that stops by my yard for a drink from my bird bath every evening of every other day when ever he or she is in the area. I would love to entice it to stop in and stay around a little longer... What must I do to encourage it to visit and stay awhile.

The Mourning Dove's large size and gentle "coo-ah, coo, coo, coo" vocalization makes it one of the most recognizable birds in the backyard. It’s unusual to see only one Mourning Dove though. They usually have a mate with them and in the fall they can gather in large numbers as they migrate south.

Water from a birdbath is a good way attract birds, as well as running streams or ponds. You are also likely to get more birds if you have trees, and shrubs for cover. In my yard doves are very popular dinner choice for the hawks. Pine trees can provide shelter, nesting sites, and food.

Mourning doves are not picky eaters but to feed comfortably, their large size requires a large perching area. Ground feeders or tray feeders allow lots of birds to feed. They eat a variety of seeds, insects, and berries. Any bird seed blend with a lot of sunflower seeds would be a good choice.

After they feed, swallowing lots of seeds and storing them in an enlargement of the esophagus called the crop; they fly to a safe perch. They like to gather every evening on our power lines to coo and digest their meal.

I hope that helps, Sarah
Read more at: http://ning.it/9kXDYw

Thank you so much for the information and the link on Morning Doves...Now I know how to make my yard a little more Dove friendly and the difference between the male and female.

Category › Quick fun Facts

Dudhsagar Trek in Monsoons

First of all, my apologies to regular followers of this blog that I didn’t update it in last 3-4 months. Finally realised who I am and here goes my first updation in months.
As I flipped through the pages of “ Its not about the bike..My journey back to life-The Autobiography of Lance Armstrong”, I got the feeling that may be I have over exaggerated my sufferings a lot in recent past. Yes, I have been down and out in last couple of months; have been a weak & in-secured guy; bamboozled about my future; uncertain about my career and personal life and to make the matter worse, people came in and directly & indirectly told me that I am not worth and what not. But wait...I have not suffered Cancer, not undergone Chemo for weeks , my skull has not been opened by the neurologists and my testicles have not been removed by oncologists.All these had happened with Lance but Armstrong came back to his life with record breaking seven consecutive Tour De France titles. Why can’t I just enjoy the present when I have nothing to loose. I had changed myself a lot in past couple of months and found that people gathered courage to poke in a finger and say that I am wrong, when I knew that I was not. And when I did hit the rock bottom, I realised I am only responsible for my sufferings and no one else. People would always be there to harm you and hit you in the hardest possible way. Have almost by hearted the following piece of gem from Rocky Balboa where Stallone utters these gems of wisdom to his demoralised and in-secured son---“Son…Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that..”. While Rocky’s was a fiction, Armstrong’s is a true story of a fighter. Nevertheless both are stories of getting hit and moving on and I feel I have moved on by doing things that I am best at. Me, Siddhu and Manya( rechristened Mansingh) had planned to go trekking to Dudhsagar Falls on Goa-Karnataka Border. Subbu and Ashish were supposed to travel from Bangalore and join us at Kolhapur. Unfortunately Subbu could not make it because of some other commitments. Me and Manya took the Sahyadri Express to Kolhapur. Ashis joined us at Kolhapur and we started towards Belgaum in Siddhu’s car by 9:30 instead of planned 7’o clock departure.
The Gang

Plan was to go to Castle Rock Railway Station at a distance of 2 hours from Belgaum and park the car over there. Then walk along the Railway Track( that goes to Vasco) to Dudhsagar Falls situated at a distance of 14 kms from Castle Rock. We were prepared to camp over there near the fifth tallest waterfall of India. After driving for an hour on the road to Goa, we took the left turn to Castle Rock. Another 15 minutes and we reached Castle Rock. It was already 12:15. Let me tell, there are very few things in world that impress you at first go. Castle Rock is one of those small Railway towns, which gives you a picture of a old laid back Portuguese railroad hamlet of 18th century where steam engine drivers , station masters and points man would stay with families and their kids would play football in small grounds. Castle rock has a small station, few railway quarters , some offices and trekking training center for railway employees. It has its own importance as here the Braganza Ghats descends on the Belgaum-Vasco route. Engines used for overhauling the Wagons from rear side while climbing the ghat from Goa side would be detached here and will be attached with trains going downhill.

Castle Rock Railway Station....Time has stopped ticking

Briganza Ghat Section


Indian Railways...A Colourful Story

We started walking towards Dudhsagar. By the time we crossed the first tunnel, rain had started pouring. Western Ghats are at their best in monsoons. It brought in some respite from the soaring humidity in the area. We paced in at some 4kms per hour which itself is slow. But all of us could not help out taking snaps at almost every 10 meters. Western Ghats has been recently declared by as one of the richest Bio diversity hotspots of the world. A walk of some feet and one or the other waterfall would come in your way along the track.

Scenes like this are common

Trekking along the track has its own difficulties. You have to take thousands of baby steps on the sleepers and to add to your agony the free fallen golden treasures here and there from passengers in the passing by trains. We crossed on tunnel one after the other and crossed into Goa Border. Torches that me and Manya had taken were worth comparable with the flickering candle lights and the great rascal Siddhu would not miss a single chance of making mockery of us. It was fun chit chatting and shitting the worthless talks around while we were crossing the tunnels.
Marching Ahead

Inside one of the Tunnels


One of the abandoned stations


Castle Style Tunnel

Karnataka Goa Border


We crossed Picturesque Caranzole Station

By the time we were about to reach Caranzole, another small station enroute, time was 3:00pm. We asked some of the other trekkers who were coming from the other end about the distance left. It was little scary to know that still 2 hours of walk was left. Though we had come prepared to stay overnight there at the falls, one of the major worries that was bothering inside was food. What I could assess was that there won’t be anything available over there. I asked one of the railway gangmen about distance left as I wanted to reconfirm. To my surprise and liking, he told that a goods train is coming from Castle rock and will be stopping at the Dudhsagar Station also. We can try our luck. A split second decision was to be made. We went in for the advise given by the Gangman. The Great Indian Railways came in to our rescue. The Goods Train driver stopped and was more than humble enough to give us a ride of our life time. Rain god was more than generous in pouring blessings from top. Drenched in incessant rains, we were moving towards the falls. Let me tell you when you are standing on the engine foot plate, the sight of the viaducts and the streams below look ferocious. Piercing through the evergreen and semi evergreen deciduous forests and tunnels, the 3500 hp monsters ( three to four engines are used to overhaul the 100 wagons) made us reach Dudhsagar Falls by 3:30.


Journey of Life time....

We had complete one and half hour before the scheduled arrival of Goa Express which stops at Dudhsagar. Plan was to catch the train back to Castle Rock. 15 minutes walk will land you up near the falls. Its such a magnanimous falls and with monsoons at peak, the falls were showing their full strength. What a sight , falls on one side and railways track and the cliff on the other. One could see the valley down under. Some plantations done by localites. Scene was as if we were in rain forests of Borneo full of Banana Vegetation and smoke coming from the Dayak Tribe’s huts. Took as many pics as possible in that half an hour.


Near the Dudhsagar Station


The Majestic Dudhsagar Falls


Mist and Clouds everywhere...


Near The Falls


Saying Good Bye

Thanked God for creating western ghats and the falls. Thanked our fate. I was completely sinked in the glory of falls with my arms spread out and was thinking about last couple of months. It was the end...end of all the agony. We took the Goa Express back to Castle Rock. A Lance Armstrong spirit had erupted inside me by this time. Life is too short to be cribbed upon. I had come out of the dark Tunnel and with flying colours. All the darkness had vanished and light, light of hope and joy had come back to my life. Not to be messed again....


End of Darkness

Category ›

Unique Bird Feeders

Some people may call it lazy, but I call it conserving energy: My experience with the Seed Cylinder Feeder.

I’ve been feeding birds for decades and after I started using my mesh finch feeder and the Squirrel Buster Plus and No-Mess seed, I thought there was no new feeder or seed that could make me happier. I was so satisfied with my bird feeding set up I wasn’t even tempted to try other feeders (well maybe just a little tempted, I work at a bird feeding store after all).

But customers would keep coming in raving about the seed cylinder feeders. So after about the millionth time a customer came in to tell me it's one of the easiest feeders to maintain and attracts a wide variety of birds, I finally broke down and bought a seed cylinder feeder.

I chose the WBU Dinner Bell feeder because if the seed cylinder didn’t work in my yard I could still use the feeder in a different way. It's also made in the USA and has a lifetime guarantee.

I slipped a fresh cylinder packed with pecans, sunflower chips and cranberries on the feeder and hung it where the squirrels couldn’t reach it and waited. It looked good. It kind of reminded me of the pecan log rolls my neighbor gives me every Christmas. Yummy!

Word went out fast. The birds thought it looked good too; no question about that. Cardinals, chickadees, wrens, nuthatches, woodpeckers, finches, jays, grosbeaks and even a pair of titmice came to feast on this delicacy. I was sure it would be gone by the time I got home the next day.

But it wasn't. And it was still there the next week. And the next. Every night I sat in a chair with a cat on my lap watching the birds dine at the seemingly bottomless seed cylinder.

That was four weeks ago, and there’s still a ring of seed remaining. Depending on the bird activity in your area, a seed cylinder can last for weeks. Why didn’t I listen to myself years ago when I told everyone what a great feeder this was!

Cleaning the feeder is super fast and easy and I don’t have to refill the feeder every day. Not that I'm lazy but bird watching is supposed to be a relaxing hobby and this feeder really lets me relax. I'm sold on these seed cylinders.

There are lots of flavors to choose from to attract a wide variety of birds, and they're very versatile. Each cylinder comes with a mesh bag which can be hung from a tree limb, or can be placed on the variety of feeders at Wild Birds Unlimited. Now I can have weeks of enjoyment with very little effort. If you don't believe me check out my video evidence.

Category › Product Highlight

Do we have Cuckoo Birds in Michigan?

Yes, the Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos both nest in Michigan.

According to Birds of Michigan by Ted Black, “shrubby field edges, hedgerows, tangled riparian thickets and abandoned, overgrown fields provide the elusive Black-billed Cuckoo with its preferred nesting haunts. Despite not being particularly rare in Michigan, it remains an enigma to many would-be observers.

Arriving in late May, this cuckoo quietly hops, flits and skulks through low, dense, deciduous vegetation in its ultra-secret search for sustenance. Only when vegetation is in full bloom will males issue their loud, long, irregular calls, advertising to females that it is time to nest. After a brief courtship, newly joined Black-billed Cuckoo pairs construct a makeshift nest, incubate the eggs and raise their young, after which they promptly return to their covert lives.

The Black-billed Cuckoo is one of few birds that thrive on hairy caterpillars, particularly tent caterpillars. There is even evidence to suggest that populations of this bird increase when a caterpillar infestation occurs.

This cuckoo is reluctant to fly more than a short distance during nesting, but it will migrate as far as northwestern South America to avoid the North American winter.”

Similarly, “the Yellow-billed Cuckoo skillfully negotiates its tangled home within impenetrable, deciduous undergrowth in silence, relying on obscurity for survival.

Then, for a short period during nesting, the male cuckoo temps fate by issuing a barrage of loud, rhythmic courtship calls. Some people have suggested that the cuckoo has a propensity for calling on dark, cloudy days in late spring and early summer. It is even called “Rain Crow” in some parts of its North American range.

In addition to consuming large quantities of hairy caterpillars, Yellow-billed Cuckoos feast on wild berries, young frogs and newts, small bird eggs and a variety of insects, including beetles, grasshoppers and cicadas.

Though some Yellow-billed Cuckoos may lay eggs in the unattended nests of neighboring Black-billed Cuckoos, neither of these cuckoos is considered to be a “brood parasite.”

Some Yellow-billed Cuckoos migrate as far south as Argentina for the winter.”

Sources:

1. Birds of Michigan: by Ted Black

2. Photos from Wikipedia: Black-billed Cuckoo and Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Category › Bird of the week

What Do Baby Birds Do In This Heat?

If water is so important for birds, what do the babies do in the nest? Just curious in Lansing.

Well that's a very thoughtful question. Water is also important to baby birds and they are dependant on their parents to supply liquids.

Some babies are brought nice juicy bugs or berries. Many seed-eating species of birds provide some regurgitated seed and water.

Crows and ravens are known for washing their food before eating. Dipping road kill or the variety of other foods they eat in water allows the babies a way to get sufficient water to meet their daily needs.

Category › Bird Basics