Like An Eagle-Soar

Golfinches are found just about everywhere.  They remind me of a sunny day.  They add bright color wherever they are, and you can’t help but love them.  As promised, here are some fun facts about Goldfinches:

• Goldfinches are sometimes referred to as wild canaries.  They are actually in the finch family-just as their name suggests.
• They have an interesting flight call with four syllables that can be likened to “potato chip”.
• They are common feeder visitors that prefer thistle (nyjer seed) and sunflowers.  They are rather acrobatic, and often dip upside down feeding on weed seeds like sunflowers and coneflowers.  Goldfinches will hang upside down to eat, but experiments with specially designed feeders have shown that they prefer to dine upright if possible.
• Goldfinches usually lay 5 pale-blue or greenish-blue eggs that will hatch in about 12 days.  Babies will fledge about 12 days after hatching.  An interesting side note is that  the nest cleaning is ceased about a week after the babies hatch.
• Goldfinches don winter clothes: the dull green coat of feathers grown each fall has an especially dense layer of soft, plumaceous feathers to provide extra insulation.CLICK ON THE YELLOW FEEDER BELOW For MORE INFORMATION:

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The Goldfinche’s ever changing color sometimes confuses folks as to who they are.  In the spring and summer, Goldfinches are recognized by their black wings, black tail and yellow body.  In fall they molt their body feathers and appear to be a duller green.  The males and feamiles look quite similar.  In spring and summer, however, the sexes look very different.

In later summer, the male defends a small territory of about 1/4 acre.  Within this, the female builds a compact nest made of downy fibers, such as thistle down and the dried bark of milkweed stems.  The young Goldfinches are some of the last baby birds to be born each year.  The little ones follow their parents around into September begging for food. 

Goldfinches love to feed on tube feeders.  Fill them with nyjer, thistle seed, or a Finch mix.  The most popular feeder with the finches in my back yared is the a triple tube feeder .  It has 24 feeding stations and you can see all 0f them at once.  The second favorite is a spiral feeder.

Always completely empty old seed from your feeders and mix with new and totally refill the feeder.  You will get many more birds this way.  Simply topping off your feeders packs the seed in the bottom. 

Enjoy these little feathered friends all season long with little to no efforts.  They will add so much color and delight to your back yard. 

Next I will tell you some fun facts about the Goldfinches.

Eastern Bluebird

As I sit here looking out at my feeders all covered with eager and hungry birds, I cannot help but notice how wintry things still look, with the anticipation of the spring.  Birds bring color and joy to my backyard and I want to do everything I can to encourage them to spend some time here.  So I would like to share with you some of the things I will be doing in the next couple of weeks to bring the red, the blue, the orange and even the green of the little Hummer to my backyard.

It is exciting that in the days ahead lots of birds who have gone elsewhere for the winter will soon be returning.  Oh, I can hardly wait for all the color and activity.  There will be brilliant Bluebirds, dazzling and acrobatic Hummingbirds, bright yellow Goldfinches, Orange Orioles & more. And, the good news is that you don’t have to keep the birds feeders filled to attract them.  We’re going to start with the Bluebird.

THE BLUEBIRD
I always gasp excitedly when I see a bluebird.  The sheer beauty of the male as he is reflected in the sun is a joy to behold.  The key to attracting Bluebirds to nest in your yard is having plenty of potential nesting locations, food and water.  Bluebirds do prefer more “open areas”, so if your yard is heavily wooded you’ll enjoy many other nesting birds - but probably not Bluebirds. 

You will need nesting boxes.  Our favorite is the Ultimate Nest Box mainly because of of the Plexiglas side for viewing and the overall durability and low maintenance  You will also need nesting materials.  This also provides a lot of fun while watching them pull it apart.  It can actually be entertaining.   The female Bluebird lays 4 to 5 light blue eggs that will take 13 to 15 days to hatch.  The male brings food to his mate and young during the first few days of feeding.  If you want to provide food to help and attract the Bluebirds the best thing you can offer is Mealworms  (YUMMM!)

Year round and especially in winter, a key to keeping Bluebirds around is to offer a supply of water.  Planting berry bushes like the American Bittersweet in the spring will also provide a food source for the Bluebirds next winter.    So what are you waiting for?  Get your houses up, meal worms and water out and just site back and watch for the brilliant blue to appear!

Next we will see what we need to attract the Goldfinch. 

Wherever you go - your own backyard or another locale - make sure to follow these basic tips for bird watching:

• Try to observe the birds so they don’t know you are there
• Move slowly
• Make as little noise as possible
• Keep your distance
• Refrain from getting too close to a nest (This may cause the parents to abandon their nest, leaving the eggs vulnerable to predators)
• Do not touch eggs or young birds
• Avoid trampling fragile natural areas just to get a closer look
• Stay on paths and trails
• Don’t litter

As you begin to recognize birds by sight and by their songs, you will discover that your own backyard will start to come alive. You’ll be amazed at how many birds are all around you, and how much you were missing before you started birding.

Whether you live in the country or the city, you’ll find birds nearby… oblivious to us taking time out of our busy big lives to enjoy them going about their busy little lives!

As an avid lover of birds, butterflies, flowers and gardens, you will often hear me us the phrase” Nature is God’s stress reliever”.  In these tough economic times, many of need to get away - refresh- recharge! There isn’t a more cost effective way of recharging and relaxing than to take walk into nature, to observe, to watch and hear the beautiful songs of the birds, and lose yourself in the splendor of all of the sights and sounds that Mother Nature has to offer.

Watch a Chickadee pick just the right seed off of the feeder, then fly off to enjoy his snack. I am particularly fond of the Woodpeckers and the drumming sounds that provide a “rhythm section” for the sounds.  

Now that the leaves have almost all tumbled to the ground, the squirrels are more visible and daring as they stock up on food for the cold days ahead.  Now I know there are some of you who think they are pests.  Well, there are times that I agree, and other times I don’t.  That’s why Bird Essentials provides options to love them and feed them, or help to keep them at bay.  Did you know that squirrels try to fool other squirrels and small animals that might eat their “stashed morsels?”  They fake us and potential other robbers with a slight of hand trick.  The squirrels appear to be burying a seed or nut, when actually the hole, covered up, is empty.  It’s been proven that potential robbers give up after taking time to excavate “empty stashes”.  You can find out how to keep hem at bay or enjoy the frivolity of their antics by feeding them by going HERE. 

As I have stressed in previous articles, by providing food and water sources to wild life during the fall and winter months, you will have an endless flurry of activity.  Enjoy the stress relieving joys of bird feeding and watching. 

Sit back, enjoy the show! It’s an inexpensive way to relax and forget the stress of the day. Stop by Bird Essentials and we will introduce you to all of the products you need to do that for less.

When it comes to hobbies, bird watching is both an educational and enjoyable activity for many outdoor enthusiasts throughout the world. Bird watching has long been a popular hobby among worldwide nature- lovers. Armed with a pair of binoculars and a field guide for identification, bird-watchers can be found in wildlife preserves or in their own backyards. Bird watching not only is a pleasant pastime for young and old alike, but also is an educational means of better understanding various types of our feathered friends and their individual feeding, hatching and singing behavior.

For those bird-lovers seeking methods of accurately identifying birds and their natural habitats, the World Wide Web is an excellent resource. Many web sites feature valuable information and photographs provided by birding guides and various ecological organizations like the National Audubon Society, the American Birding Association and the Peregrine Fund. These organizations, which are dedicated to the study and preservation of birds throughout the world, are useful resources for avid bird-watchers seeking data on such topics as the best locations for pursuing their hobby.

Bird-watchers can also employ these web sites for information on the best birding equipment and bird food recipes, as well as to participate in online discussion forums. Internet users can sometimes even find “live bird cams” and interesting trivia and surveys on bird watching. Regardless of whether you are a novice or an expert in the area of bird watching, the World Wide Web is a good place to go to find information on observing these diverse and fascinating creatures.

I created BirdEssentials.com to share my enthusiasm in this pleasing and entertaining hobby. (more…)

There’s frost in the forecast for tonight.  Many of you may have already had your first frost of the season, and some areas have even had their first snows.  For those of us who live in a climate with cold winters, there are a few things we have consider for keeping our backyard birds healthy and comfortable and safe.

 I don’t know about you, but am grateful that so many of our fine feathered friends have decided to hang around for the winter.  When I heard the forecast, the first thing that came to mind was the bird baths.  I am not fortunate enough to have a running stream through my back yard, or a pond.  Water in the bird baths is subject to freezing if I don’t take steps to prevent it.   The birds are no different from you and me.  They need good clean water for drinking and bathing, and that means in the winter too.

So under a cool but blue and cloudless sky, I set up my heated birdbaths.   I have 2, though one would probably suffice.  One sits on the ground near the patio door.  (It helps to keep my indoor cats amused when I provide entertainment for them near their favorite sliding door).    The heating technology of the ground bird bath will withstand the coldest climate. This means in sub-zero temperatures this birdbath will be totally ice free.  The other is an auto refill bird bath that sits on a pedestal base.

Call me l lazy, but this keeps me from having to plow through the cold snow to fill it once the snow comes.  You will want to either put your concrete bird baths away for the winter or make sure they have a heater in them to keep the water from freezing or the frozen water is apt to crack them and they are much too costly to allow that to happen when it is easily preventable.

 Once the bathing stations were out, clean and filled with water, I heading to the storage room to get the suet holders .  Suet and fats are essential to our cold blooded feathered friends.  They had decided to delight us with their presence through the winter.  Suet will keep happy and hanging around a lot.  And, lazy old me, I use the double cake suet holder so I don’t have to trudge out too frequently to refill it. 

There is no reason to spend a lot on suet cakes. The birds will flock to the least expensive ones you can find.  I purchase them by the case to keep the cost down too.

 I increase the Black oil sunflower seeds in the winter and keep the finches happy with the thistle or Nygier seed all winter long.   And finally, since I like to keep my cats and grandchildren thrilled with the birds and their shenanigans, I added a window feeder too. 

 You can attract birds to your back yard all year long. Let them thrill you with their parties in the bird baths and their free and fancy flights from baths to feeders and suet cakes. 

The arrival of fall means different things to different people. For some, the beautiful autumn colors make it a favorite season, while for others it’s the mild temperatures, the World Series, or heading back to school. But for birders and their friends who like to watch butterflies, dragonflies, and other animals, the arrival of fall means only one thing: migrations. The best natural migration corridors occur in mountain ridges, river valleys, and along coastlines. Yet it’s possible to see migrating animals just about anywhere. Here are some tips for enjoying the passing hordes.

Birds

Early morning often provides great looks at birds just finished with all-night flights. As the sun starts to rise, some birds that find themselves out over ocean waters or above the Great Lakes will suddenly head for the nearest land. Hundreds of birds can come pouring inland at these times, among them thrushes, warblers, vireos, and tanagers.

During daylight hours, the skies can be filled with everything from White Pelicans to Bobolinks. Expect lots of shorebirds, cormorants, terns, and gulls at the seaside and hawks, swifts, flickers, jays, swallows, and robins overhead almost everywhere.

Butterflies

Most people have heard about Monarchs and their fall migrations to the mountains of southern Mexico, but lots of other butterflies travel in autumn. Some even head north!

Watch in the same places that bird migrants concentrate for American Ladies, Question Marks, Red Admirals, and the more abundant Monarchs - all moving southward. By contrast, Cloudless Sulphurs may be headed north in fall, as their southern populations expand, and Painted Ladies and Common Buckeyes can be watched for flying north or south.

While your choice of feeders will depend largely on who and what you are feeding, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Durability: A well built feeder, made of quality materials will look better longer.
• Easy To Clean: The health of the birds and life of your feeder will be improved if you maintain your feeders regularly.
• Dry Seeds: Wet or damp seeds will spoil. Look for drainage holes in the floor or tray and a roof that overhangs the feeding area. A squirrel dome will help protect a tube or other style feeder.
• Capacity: The bigger the better, right? We have found the small and medium size feeders are easier to clean and help to ensure fresh seed. Two medium feeders with different seed will attract a wider variety of birds.

If you are looking for a general all purpose feeder, we recommend a house or hopper type feeder, or a tube feeder with a large tray attached, filled with Black oil sunflower seed or a seed mix.
The most effective way to attract a wide assortment of birds is to offer a variety of foods in different feeders. A collection of feeders for your yard might include:

• A house or hopper type feeder for sunflower seeds
• A tube style Thistle feeder
• A suet feeder
• A wire mesh peanut feeder
• A nectar feeder
• A fruit or jelly feeder
• A platform or tray feeder for millet

While your choice of feeders will depend largely on who and what you are feeding, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Durability: A well built feeder, made of quality materials will look better longer.
• Easy To Clean: The health of the birds and life of your feeder will be improved if you maintain your feeders regularly.
• Dry Seeds: Wet or damp seeds will spoil. Look for drainage holes in the floor or tray and a roof that overhangs the feeding area. A squirrel dome will help protect a tube or other style feeder.
• Capacity: The bigger the better, right? We have found the small and medium size feeders are easier to clean and help to ensure fresh seed. Two medium feeders with different seed will attract a wider variety of birds.

If you are looking for a general all purpose feeder, we recommend a house or hopper type feeder, or a tube feeder with a large tray attached, filled with Black oil sunflower seed or a seed mix.
The most effective way to attract a wide assortment of birds is to offer a variety of foods in different feeders. A collection of feeders for your yard might include:

• A house or hopper type feeder for sunflower seeds
• A tube style Thistle feeder
• A suet feeder
• A wire mesh peanut feeder
• A nectar feeder
• A fruit or jelly feeder
• A platform or tray feeder for millet