The Zen Birdfeeder

Birds Love Mr. Snowman

After introducting you yesterday to a Snowman "with issues", I thought you'd like to see a typical Mr. Snowman, happily at work serving the birds!!

Snowmen Seed Cylinders are available at WBU-Saratoga Springs for a limited time only.

Poor Mr. Snowman Caption Contest

Frosty would try anything to earn his place on the Island of Misfit Toys.

The winner of our caption contest was Donna,
who has won a Snowman Seed Cylinder!  Congratulations Donna!

 This odd Snowman Seed Cylinder was found wandering around in the Wild Birds Unlimited shop in Warwick RI. 

Snowmen Seed Cylinders are available for purchase for a limited time at WBU - Saratoga Springs NY or your local WBU.

Contest ends this Friday, December 23, 2011.  The winning caption will be posted on Saturday, December 24th. 
Thanks to the folks at WBU-Warwick for sharing their photo!

The Kinglet and the Caterpillar

9:56:44
Breakfast in the beak

9:56:44
"I'll take mine shaken"

9:56:47
Ready for the next one...

 

I had fun capturing this short little series of a bird that I seldom see sitting still.  He visited my yard during fall migration this September.

FAQ - Where's the Red Belly on the Red-bellied?

Q.  So, with all that
red on its head, where's the red belly on the Red-bellied Woodpecker?

 

 

Well, it's not always visible in the field but here you can see the red blush on the lower part of this guy's belly.

Remember that the common names of birds were often given to a (dead) bird in the hand, when the red belly would be a lot more evident.  But for those of us enjoying red-bellieds in our yard or at our feeders, the red belly is a little less visible - but it IS there for those paying zen attention!

He Must Be Really Hungry!

He couldn't even wait until I took the wrapping off!

 

Want some for your birds?  Buy Cranberry Fare at Wild Birds Unlimited-Saratoga Springs NY, your local WBU, or click here to buy Cranberry Fare online.

My Really Cool Feeder (the birds love it too!)

Earlier this year, we brought in some really cool feeders made of felled wood.  Each feeder is unique since it is cut and cored from real trees and from a variety of tree species.

Black-capped Chickadees

Our feeder is made of cherry, but there are also ones made of walnut, hackberry, sycamore, honey locust, birch and more.  What I like about the feeder besides the one-of-a-kind uniqueness is the versatility of the feeder and the fact that the birds really do like it!

Tufted Titmouse

I filled mine with shelled peanuts and spread Bark Butter® on the outside, giving me two feeders in one.  I've posted most of the birds that have eaten from the feeder ranging from reliable chickadees to Rose-breasted Grosbeaks to a Black-throated Blue Warbler.

Blue Jay

I would recommend that you hang this feeder on a squirrel-proof set-up like our WBU Advanced Pole System, so your squirrels won't take a toll on the feeder and food.  As winter nears, I'll keep mine filled with high-energy peanuts with a little Bark Butter on the side, literally.

Scroll on down to enjoy all the birds that have visited my feeder.  Feeders are available as of this writing at Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs NY.  They are made one-by-one in Ohio and birdhouses (bark-covered and turned) are also available.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

 

Dark-eyed Junco

 

European Starling

 

White-breasted Nuthatch eating the Bark Butter

 

Common Redpoll

 

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

 

Black-throated Blue Warbler female tried out the Bark Butter

Where's Richard Crossley?

Where's Richard Crossley going to be this Sunday, December 11, from 1-3pm? 
Click on the picture below to see!

Richard (or RICR, as we've named him) will be signing copies of his revolutionary book, The Crossley ID Guide, at WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED - SARATOGA SPRINGS NY!

We're located at 3084 Route 50, Suite 1 in the Shoppes at Wilton plaza across from the Wilton Mall.  We're right next to TJMaxx and Lane Bryant.  Here's a map to our store.

We hope you'll join us this Sunday from 1-3pm!

FAQ - How Did the Nuthatch Get Its Name?

White-breasted Nuthatch

Q.  How did the nuthatch get its name?

A.  Nuthatches have a habit of tucking food like nuts and seeds into tree bark and then "hacking" (thus "hatching") away at it with their pointy bill to extract the seed or nut.

White-breasted Nuthatches and Red-breasted Nuthatches are common at birdfeeders, which provides us a good opportunity to observe this behavior.  Watch them take a seed or nut from the feeder, fly to a nearby tree, and tuck it away in the bark.  They may then hack away at it to open it, or leave it for retrieval later.

A Red-breasted Nuthatch has a peanut tucked away
in the bark of this feeder and another in its beak.

Wings on Wednesday - TV

Turkey Vulture
September 2011

Cardinals by the Numbers

3 - 4   months a young Northern Cardinal will have a black bill

7         species in the world with the name Cardinal

7        states have the Northern Cardinal as their state bird (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia)

9 - 35    percent of nestlings in a cardinal nest that have a biological parent different from the mated pair that raises them.

15 - 37    percent of cardinal nests that succeed in fledging young.

15     years plus 9 months was the age of the oldest recaptured banded Northern Cardinal.

77    percent of the time cardinals spend foraging on the ground, according to one study in North Carolina

200    number of songs per hour male cardinals may sing in the early morning hours

 

Adapted from material provided by WBU, Inc.
Cardinal pair image from the WBU, Inc. image library