The Zen Birdfeeder

Hummingbirds to Warm a Cold June Day

As if to brighten my spirits on an unseasonably cold and wet early June day, two female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds recently provided me with two very special treats.

Hummingbirds in our area do not typically share a feeder. Male and female both guard nectar feeders and swoop in to drive off any intruders. But in the cold and rain these two females decided to conserve their energy and focus on the business of eating. I enjoyed seeing them share feeders throughout the day.

 

And I enjoyed seeing this female use my hummingbird swing which is strategically placed to allow her to watch over 4 different hummingbird feeders.

Seeing these less-than-common behaviors sure warmed my heart on an otherwise miserable June day.

Related articles

Top 5 Tips for Keeping Hummingbird Nectar Fresh

What to Watch for in Your Yard: Woodpecker Parents

Woodpeckers start the breeding season fairly early, and by early June, they have a cavity full of nestlings to feed. Watch for Hairy Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers parents at your suet and Bark Butter feeders, not eating themselves, but filling their beaks to overflowing. When they can't hold any more, they'll fly off with that stash to feed to their young.

So fill (and refill and refill!) those Bark Butter and suet feeders and sit back and enjoy the show!

Related articles

Top 5 Tips for Keeping Hummingbird Nectar Fresh

FAQ - Can You Use Dog Fur for Nesting Material for the Birds?

How to Help 3 Nestboxes Full of Chickadees

I'm so thrilled to have 3 active Black-capped Chickadee nests in my yard. Each of those nestboxes has 7 eggs in them, for a total of 21 eggs!

While I love having 21 future chickadees in my boxes, and would LOVE to brag about them here, and on Facebook and Twitter, I'm always cautious because there are many things that could happen to those 21 chickadees before they leave the box (not to mention the dangers AFTER they fledge! But that's another post.) A few of those things are out of my control, but many are within my control.

I know there are some specific actions I can choose to do that will increase the likelihood that the nestboxes in my yard will successfully fledge their young. And I think I've done most if not all the things that I can. Here's what I've done:

• My nestboxes are mounted on poles placed outside the jumping distance of squirrels and protected with squirrel baffles.
• My nestboxes have port hole protectors so the holes can't be chewed or pecked larger and allow larger birds or predators inside.
• All nestboxes are in areas with little human disturbance. There are trees and shrubs nearby to provide shelter if needed.
• My nestboxes have drainage holes as well as ventilation slots to help keep the in-house environment safe for mom and babies.
• I provided an easy source of safe nesting material to help parent birds conserve energy during nest construction.
• I don't use chemicals on my yard or in my gardens.
• My cat is kept indoors.
• I provide a wide range of fresh, quality birdfood, especially those high in protein and fat, to help parent birds easily supplement their nutritional needs. I also maintain 4 birdbaths for an easy source of water to drink and bathe in.
• I will add live mealworms to my food offerings once the eggs have hatched, providing an easy source of supplemental protein for parent birds to feed the young nestlings.
• When conducting nestbox checks for NestWatch, I check in the middle of the day, I avoid attracting predators, and I make my visits quick.

But things can happen that are out of my control that could make one or more of these nests fail:

• A parent bird could die, from predation, injury, or from natural causes.
  
  • Loss of the mother bird during incubation or in the first week or so after hatching could prove fatal to the eggs/nestlings since only the female will incubate and brood the naked nestlings.
  • Loss of the father would force the mother to spend more time off the nest which would endanger the eggs/nestlings.
  • A loss of either parent during the nestling stage could put the young birds at risk of starvation if the surviving parent can't provide enough food.
• One or more eggs could just not be viable, for whatever reason.
• Weather could turn cold and/or wet, which could make it difficult to keep the eggs or nestlings warm and dry. It might also reduce the availability of insects to feed the young.
• Insects could infest the nestbox.
• Weather could turn extremely hot, making it difficult for mom chickadee to keep eggs or nestlings at the proper temperature.

So while I'm very excited at the thought of seeing 21 chickadees fledge, I'll keep my expectations in check. I've done all the things I can do to ensure success, but it is a tough world out there and even my best laid plans could be set off course by bad weather or a skilled hawk. But I will keep you posted!

Shop Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs NY or online for the safe nestboxes, port protectors, and mounting hardware described in this post.

Related articles

FAQ - Can You Use Dog Fur for Nesting Material for the Birds?

Top 5 Tips for Keeping Hummingbird Nectar Fresh

Hummingbirds will visit your feeders more frequently if the nectar is fresh. Here are some tips for keeping it fresh and healthy for the birds:

1. Change the nectar frequently.
   Daily is not too often! But if you don't change it daily, change it every 3-5 days. If temperatures are high or the feeder is in the sun, change it more often. If the nectar is cloudy or if you see black spots, change it.
   
   
2. Make sure the feeder is squeaky clean each time you refill.
   Any mold or bacteria left over from previous fillings will taint the new nectar and it will go bad fast.
   
   
3. Do not add fresh nectar to old nectar.
   
   
4. If possible, hang the feeder in a shady spot.
   Nectar in feeders in the sun will go bad faster. If a shady spot doesn't work for you, try a rain/shine guard over the feeder.
   
   
5. If you're throwing away a lot of nectar, don't fill the feeder full.

American Tree Sparrows on the Move?

During this week's Project FeederWatch, I was visited by six American Tree Sparrows.  I love these little sparrows!  They're called the "winter chippie", since they have that rusty cap just like the Chipping Sparrow (pictured below right), which is a summer visitor in our parts.

Chipping Sparrows are similar, but are here during
the summer only.

I've had 2-3 American Tree Sparrows around most of the winter, but the six could be one of the highest counts I've ever had.  It could be that some spring movement has already started.

American Tree Sparrows are a common winter visitor in New York state, and are not shy about visiting birdfeeders.  But they begin heading north in March and April to their breeding grounds all across northern Canada and into Alaska.

I've been spreading white millet under the feeders and on our deck to help out this little visitor, as well as his cousin the Dark-eyed Junco.  Eat up, then godspeed on your spring migration trip!

Top 5 Foods to Offer Winter Bluebirds

Many customers at our Wild Birds Unlimited shop are reporting that Eastern Bluebirds are visiting their yards this winter for the first time ever.  Most are surprised that bluebirds are around in the middle of a bad winter, but upon questioning we find that their bluebirds are enjoying the fruit-bearing trees or shrubs in their backyard habitat, or that the bluebirds have found some of their birdfood offerings particularly appealing.

Staff member Jane often has bluebirds at her birdfeeders during the winter months, and here's what she recommends as the Top 5 Foods to offer Winter Bluebirds:

1)  Live Mealworms

Bluebirds are insectivores during the summer months and will relish finding live insects to feast upon in winter. 

Won't they freeze, you ask?  Yes, when left uneaten.  But once the bluebirds find that you're offering live insects, they will NOT go uneaten!!

They will always prefer live mealworms over dried (dead) mealworms.

 

2) and 3)  Bark Butter

Bark Butter comes in a variety of forms.  Bark Butter in a tub is a spreadable suet that bluebirds seem to crave.  It is easy for them to eat, since they are able to just pick off  small portions.

Bark Butter Bits are Bark Butter in nugget form.  Same great ingredients in a small round nugget that bluebirds can easily pick out and eat.  Just put out a handful in any cup-type or tray feeder.

4)  No-Mess Blends

We usually don't think of bluebirds as seed eaters, but they really enjoy our shell-less No-Mess Blends.  I think the key is that No-Mess has no shells, making it easy for bluebirds whose beaks are just not made for opening shells.

Consider No-Mess NM (No Millet, just sunflower chips, peanuts, tree nuts) or No-Mess Plus (sunflower chips, bark butter bits, tree nuts, peanuts).

5)  WBU No-Mess Cylinders and Stackables

Bluebirds seem to love cylinders and Stackables, which are long-lasting (great for winter feeding!) compressed seed products, because they have no shells.  They will just pick at them to get the seed they want.

Bluebirds are year-round birds in this portion of upstate New York.  So even if you don't have the preferred open habitat for bluebird nesting in the summer, you still might find them enjoying a heated birdbath and the easy pickins' at your birdfeeding station if you put out the right foods!  

Do you have winter bluebirds?  Let me know where you are and what winter bluebirds are eating in your yard.

Thanks to staff member Jane Riccardo for contributing to this post.

 

Image Credits:

Eastern Bluebird top:  Darlene Switala
Bluebird with mealworm:  Tim Griffith, WBU-Evansville IN
Bluebird at Bark Butter: Jonathan Glover
Bluebird at Heated Birdbath: Linda Wilkes

Redpolls...Better Late than Never!

Ever since I read Ron Pittaway's Winter Finch Forecast back in September, I've been looking forward to the arrival of Common Redpolls.  In prior irruption years, they'd arrive in mid-December to early-January.  But this year, only a single Pine Siskin was showing up, and somewhat irregularly at that.

But with the arrival of our last few snowfalls and single-digit temps, the redpolls have finally arrived!

Like in prior years, the size of the flocks have been increasing, from around 12-15 early on, to 30-ish a couple days ago, to a high count of 53 during today's daylong snowstorm.  American Goldfinches are still abundant as well, flocking right in with their finch cousins.

I'm hoping they're around at least through March.  I promise to keep the niger feeders filled for them!

Related articles

Give Your Goldfinches a Second Look

Winter Flocks are Forming

Each fall, some of our favorite birdfeeder birds start hanging out together. Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, and Downy Woodpeckers find strength in numbers by forming "winter flocks", mixed-species groups of birds that forage together during the winter months.

Black-capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Red-breasted Nuthatch

There are advantages to this behavior. There are more eyes looking for food and there are more eyes and ears to notice potential predators. This year my winter flock also seems to include another regular, two Brown Creepers.

Brown Creeper

If the size and activity of this year's winter flock is any indicator, it looks like we may be in for a busy winter at the birdfeeders!

Gulp!

Here's a Black-throated Green Warbler that passed through our yard in September.  Click on the image and you'll get a better look at him getting ready to gulp down his caterpillar meal.

5 Good Things to Know about Fall Ruby-throated Hummingbird Migration

1.  Once migration starts, the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds you see today will most likely be replaced by a new group of hummingbirds tomorrow.

2.  Adult males typically depart first, with adult females and young birds following. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to tell these remaining birds apart.

3.  When you watch hummingbird behavior closely throughout the summer, you can become familiar with the behavior and preferences of your resident hummingbirds, like what feeders they frequent most and where they perch.  With that knowledge, you can more easily notice when your resident birds have departed and have been replaced by migrating hummingbirds that behave and visit feeders differently.

4.  Keep feeders clean and nectar fresh so these migrants can easily locate high quality nectar sources.  Fill feeders only halfway when activity slows down so you're not throwing away a lot of nectar.

5.  Keep your hummingbird feeders up and filled with fresh nectar for at least two weeks after you see your last hummingbird in the fall.  I like to keep at least one feeder up well into October, in case a wandering Rufous Hummingbird were to be in the area. Hey, you never know, but if one does, I want it to stop in MY yard for a nectar source.

Rufous Hummingbird, Ballston Lake NY, October 2010