Ideas For Your Backyard

I love to watch birds, but I’ not a bird watcher, if you know what I mean.  This year I have been terribly confused and I am hoping that someone out there can help me.  We all know that the birds begin their migration in the fall, right?   As in years passed I watched the birds migrating to the south with the onset of the cooler temperatures.  Then in the coldest part of our winter (early this year, in December) flock after flock of geese/ducks started flying in from the south heading north.  Now with the promise of spring around the corner I’m watching flock after flock heading south.  What gives with this?  Can anyone help clear this up for me?  Does this happen every year and I just noticed it?

The little bird that speaks his name and does acrobatic stunts on tree branches delights all bird watchers.  This plump little fellow with the black cap is friendly, and chances are he’s been at your feeder in the winter.

Chickadees look for tree holes, either natural or made by woodpeckers, for their nests.  But if a tree is sufficiently soft or rotten, they may make their own holes.  A dead birch tree, which is rotten in the center, is an ideal place for a chickadee nest. 

Four species of chickadee may be found in nesting boxes.  The Black-capped Chickadee or Poecile atricapilla lives in all northern and most middle states as well as in most of Canada.  Its black cap and bib, and white cheeks identify it, as does its chick-a-dee-dee-dee call.  The Carolina Chickadee  orPoecile carolinensis, which looks almost the same, lives in the southeast quarter of the US and has a slightly higher, faster version of the call.

The Mountain Chickadee or Poecile gambeli has a white eyebrow through its black cap and lives in and west of the Rocky Mountains, where he calls chick-adee-adee-adee.  The Chestnut-backed Chickadee has a chestnut-brown back and a brown cap and lives in the northwest and along the California coast.  His call is more of a tseek-a-dee-dee.

The Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees like mixed forests, open woodlands and suburban areas, while their western cousins prefer coniferous forests.

Chickadee belong to the titmouse family.  They are largely an insect eaters, but in winter they may depend greatly on seeds and berries.  They are adept at foraging for insect eggs and larvae from twigs and bark, and this accounts for their active hopping and climbing around on trees to spot their food from all angles!  Their favorite foods at feeders are sunflower seeds, peanut kernels, other nutmeats, peanut butter, and suet. 

In the non-breeding season chickadees tend to flock together, and sometimes the flock may even include titmice, kinglets, nuthatches, and other birds.  During breeding season, the males will drive others out of their territories, so you may have only one pair of chickadees in your yard, where you may have had a flock all winter.

From the beginning of courtship through the period of egg incubation, the male chickadee feeds the female.  They typically raise one or two broods a year of 6 to 8 young and are year-round residents.

Since chickadees’ natural means of nesting is to excavate a hole in a rotting tree, you may make your nest box more attractive to them by putting a little sawdust or wood chips inside it for them. They will not use it for nesting, but since they usually work in pairs to carry a little sawdust away from the hole they are making in a tree, they will perceive that this hole in a tree is appropriate for them, and they will carry the sawdust away before nesting there.

Chickadees move to denser woods for breeding and nesting, but the rest of the year they like open areas and forest edges.

Our Coveside Birdhouses manufactures a bird house for every species of cavity-nesting bird in North America. Designed for each species by experts, Our Coveside bird houses provide the correct dimensions, materials, ventilation and drainage. These Coveside bird houses are handcrafted in Maine from eastern white pine. Each item is constructed to last and includes a brochure that describes the species, as well as the placement and maintenance of the birdhouse.

This rustic birdhouse is the talk of the town.  What bird wouldn’t want to choose it to live in? Wood rustic birdhouse with red & lavender dormers, spigot, vine, and twisted wire door.

Made in the USA of plantation grown mahogany. 4 x 4 post mount included. This fine crafted bird feeder holds 4 quarts of seed. Keeps seed dry and allows feeding birds shelter from predators.

Hummingbirds are birds in the family Trochilidae, and are native to the Americas. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–90 times per second (depending on the species). They can fly backwards, and are the only group of birds able to do so.   Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their rapid wing beats. They can fly at speeds exceeding 34 mph.

Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of plants and are important pollinators, especially of deep-throated, tubular flowers. Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar which is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders, especially when feeding young.

Wouldn’t you like to start feeding hummingbirds and draw them to your backyard, it can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird

We’ve had an unusally warm spring. Beautiful as a matter of fact! That being said the last few days have been cooler and rainy. We need the rain so I’m not complaining. This morning while I was sitting on the porch looking out over the farm and watching the birds. I was surprised by a tiny little visitor. We have our first hummingbird of the year. This was one of the ruby throated. I can’t say that we’ve ever seen a ruby here until now. They are absolutely exquiste.

This is a very busy time of year.  The holidays are right around the corner and we are making our plans.  As we are out and about doing our shopping don’t forget to purchase suet cakes and bird food for your decorative bird feeders.  If you have been feeding the birds through the summer you must continue during the cold weather.  These little guys have been counting on you to continue providing for their next meal.