The Zen Birdfeeder

WBU Year in Review 2009

2009 turned out to be a great year for Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs NY!  Here's a look back on some of the highlights of 2009:

~ Our area experienced an unprecedented high level of bird activity in January and February.  Feeders were amazingly busy with all the usual suspects, and we were part of the major irruption of Pine Siskins that impacted a good portion of the country.

Pine Siskin reports during Great Backyard Bird Count February 2009 - Alleghany Region

Pine Siskin reports during Great Backyard Bird Count February 2009 - North America

~  We were the first Wild Birds Unlimited store and the first retailer in New York state to  introduce Birds & Beans® shade-grown coffee.  Birds & Beans is a great-tasting coffee that we know is good for our migratory birds, having been certified Bird-Friendly™ by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.  Since its introduction, we have sold over 150 bags of shade-grown coffee and introduced countless others to the concept of certified shade-grown coffee.

~  In March, we were thrilled to host nationally recognized author, conservationist, educator, and birder Kenn Kaufman to speak about the merits of shade grown coffee and the impact of sun coffee on our migratory birds.  Following his visit, Kenn honored us with a wonderful post on his blog, Meeting Kindred Spirits over Coffee.

~  Almost in counterpoint to the increase in bird activity earlier in the year, we experienced an  unprecedented drop in bird activity in September, October, and November.  Everyone was asking, "where are my birds?"  Summer conditions produced a bounty of berries, insects, pine cones, tree nuts and more, providing widely available and plentiful natural food sources for the birds and other wildlife.  Mild temperatures and lack of snow cover kept these natural foods widely available well into December. 

~  We were featured on the cover of the September issue of Birding Business, a trade publication for the birdfeeding hobby.  The issue included a 4 page spread about our store and our ground-breaking use (at least within our industry) of the internet and social media such as our website, blog, Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook.

~  Despite the economy, 2009 was our best year ever at WBU-Saratoga Springs!  For this, we owe a debt of gratitude to our loyal customers, who have recognized the value of including birds in their lives and have turned to us to help enhance their enjoyment of the birds in their yards.

Thank you for a fantastic 2009!  It was quite a ride! 

Vending Machine Thief

I bought this new high-tech dry cat food dispenser that you can program to feed your cat breakfast, lunch or dinner at prescribed times in preset portions.  Instructions included this wording: "Adjustment time for the pet could be as short as a day or as long as a couple weeks, depending on your pet's personality".

Within hours, Lizzie was serving herself from her own personal vending machine!

She sticks her paw up in the dispenser and anywhere from 1 to 6 pieces of kibble drop in the bowl.  Not how it's supposed to work but she LOVES her new feeding machine!

Popular Snowman

My snowman seed cake has been popular, with these two male Downy Woodpeckers not wanting to share.

The Hairy Woodpecker below got it all for herself.

I've also seen both white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches on it as well as chickadees.  Since he's made mostly of safflower seed, the squirrels haven't bothered it.  Doesn't it look cute hanging right on the tree?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

The people of Scandinavia traditionally feed the birds on Christmas Day to ensure good luck throughout the coming year.

Spread some bird seed on your doorstep Christmas morning for New Year’s good luck!

Christmas Tree Facts in Figures

36,000,000     Estimated number of Christmas trees sold each year

21,000         Number of Christmas tree growers in the United States

2,000        Average number of seedlings planted per acre on a Christmas tree farm

98        Percent of Christmas trees come from farms, not forests

93        Percent of used Christmas trees composted in community programs or yards

50        Number of U.S. states in which Christmas trees are grown

8.5        Median number of years it takes to grow a saleable Christmas tree

Originally published in Winter 2007 BirdTracks, written by BirdWatchers' Digest for Wild Birds Unlimited

An Avian Narcissus

Cyanocitta cristata, perhaps admiring his own reflection

"What you seek is nowhere; but turn yourself away, and the object of your love will be no more.  That which you behold is but the shadow of a reflected form and has no substance of its own.  With you it comes, with you it gostays, and it will go with you ..." (Ovid, Metamorphoses 3.433)

Be Prepared - Not Just for Scouts

I added a new yard bird yesterday, an exciting sighting of a flock of Snow Geese flying over my yard.

We've been in this location for nearly 19 years now so new yard birds are quite infrequent (but greatly appreciated and enjoyed!)  This year, we had 3 new birds visit the yard (or the skies above):  the Snow Geese, a migrating Swainson's Thrush in October, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker welcomed in the new year on January 1.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - January 1, 2009

The geese were a real treat.  The Hudson-Mohawk Birdline had numerous sightings of flocks of these birds on the move.  I had wondered whether I would be able to differentiate a flock of Snow Geese overhead from the more common Canada Geese, who are also being widely seen moving in flocks.  But I knew they were being seen, so I was keeping an eye out for them.

I had just read a post on the Stokes Birding Blog about the sighting of a White-winged Dove in Massachusetts. I love the reminders in their post to be observant and prepared as a bird watcher.  "You never know what might show up. In birding, that's a good thing to frequently remind yourself of."  It's easy to pass off a bird as that species you see all the time.  But the Stokes post is a perfect example of looking closely at even the most common of birds for what it might bring: "So, next time...you're looking at a Mourning Dove, check it carefully. Who knows, it could be a White-winged Dove."

Mourning Dove

As observers of birds, we should try to know all we can about the most common birds in our own area (not only how they look, but how they behave, their sounds, etc.)  Then we should always keep an open eye and open mind for differences from what we know.  And we should try to learn at least a little bit about birds that are similar to our common birds.  It helps also to keep an ear out for news of the migratory or unusual birds that are being seen in the area.  Then be ready to see the unusual!  For as Don & Lillian Stokes remind us in their post, "Chance favors the prepared mind, (or birder)."

Project FeederWatch Week 3

I completed week 3 of Project FeederWatch back at the end of November.  Temperatures were warm and we still had no snow cover at the time. 

Blue Jays (taken mid-November)

My Blue Jay flocks just continue to grow; from 20 in week 1, to 29 in week 2, to 31 jays this count.  That's a lot of jays!

Besides the jays, I also had Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Mourning Doves in fairly large numbers (double digit counts).  The chickadee flock keeps getting bigger too; from 6, to 10, to 17 chickadees in this count! 

Black-capped Chickadee

Here's my recap for week 3:

November 30 - December 1, 2009

Blue Jay                          31
Hairy Woodpecker           2
Black capped Chickadee   17
Dark-eyed Junco              15
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1
Mourning Dove                11
Downy Woodpecker         2
Tufted Titmouse             3
White-breasted Nuthatch   1
American Goldfinch           1
Sharp-shinned Hawk         1

SPECIES         11
INDIVIDUALS    85

Hairy Woodpecker

HIGH COUNT BIRD

My high count bird was the 31 Blue Jays, which means a lot of noise, a lot of seed, and a lot of BLUE!

BONUS BIRD
My first goldfinch of the count season showed up, earning Bonus Bird status.  I just wish there was more than just one (greedy, aren't I?)

MIA
My male cardinal who was around for week 1 and 2 was absent this week. :(

THE FIRST 15 MINUTES
It just amazes me how much I see in the first 15 minutes of my first count day each week.  7 of the 11 species were there in the first 15 minutes!  18 individuals were there early.

Tufted Titmouse

BEHAVIOR TIDBIT

Winter flocks are continuing to form.  When larger numbers of chickadees hit the feeders, I almost always see titmice, nuthatches and downy woodpeckers out there too.

They're a noisy flock too, with the dee-dee-dees of the chickadees, the hank-hank of the nuthatches, and the zhee-zhee of the titmice.  You gotta love 'em!

Doves at the Birdbath

What are the three most common words uttered upon seeing doves at the birdbath?

DON'T TURN AROUND!

Image taken with Wingscapes Birdcam 1.0 July 2007

Wordless Wednesday

Frosted chickadee