New items in the store!

It is soooo exciting around here. USPS, UPS, and FED EX are keeping us busy unpacking treasures that Nancy found at market!These glass feeders came in on Friday. They are eye catching….and beautiful!

This owl with a snail on its head is so sweet.  They would make a great addition to any garden or outdoor living space.These adorable key keepers are a great way to hide a key for unexpected lock-outs. Placed amongst the flowers and plants….no one will be the wiser.

We are still unpacking boxes…and will be for days. Drop on by and get a first look at all of our new treasures. More photos to follow!

Bird Houses / Nesting Boxes…what’s the diff…?

We just received a new shipment of  nesting boxes/ bird houses. Sooooo you may be asking yourself….”What is the difference between a nesting box and a bird house?”  Well, there isn’t any, the words are interchangeable. I love it when we get the wooden houses in. We open the packing boxes and the smell of the wood is amazing! Another reason I like these houses is because there is a door that you can open to observe the eggs. After the first brood (the first round of eggs/babies) it is easy to clean out and get ready for the next brood because of that same door.

Things to look for when buying a house…The wood should be 3/4″ thick (1/2″ if recycled material). This is perfect thickness for insulation from the spring/summer heat. There also needs to be drainage holes/slits and good ventilation. Usually the interior wall (where the entrance hole has been drilled) is rough or has a fledgling ladder on it. These houses pictured here have a nice rough spot.

Pictured above is a window nesting box. What better way to introduce nature to the kids than to have it up close and personal. We have many folks who have had great success with this style of houses.

Each of the types of houses come with some wood chips and instructions. If you are interested in these or our other house please drop by. We can give you info, tips and some great stories on houses and bird watching

 

Friday the 13th…and 13 ways to attract birds

Well happy Friday the 13th! In celebration of this day we wanted to share 13 ways to attract wild birds to your yard. Please note these are not in any special order…Here we go….

1. Put out a quality tube feeder, hopper feeder and/ or ground feeder…or several.

2. Get some high quality bird seed…nice and fresh! We get seed delivered every week…”freshest seed in town”.Our seed blends are formulated for our region. Drop by if you need help deciding on a blend that is right for you. We also have non-blended seed…like Black oil sunflower, Safflower, and Sunflower chips.

3. Fill your feeders. If it is a new feeder or if you are just beginning to feed the birds fill the feeder only part way. When you start getting more birds you can fill it full.

4. Hang your feeder where the birds can see it…you know they find their food by sight. It may take them an hour or even weeks to find the seed… be patient…You hang it- they will come.

5. After summer, when all your flowers and garden material has gone to seed…leave some of it for the birds. They love to pick at the seeds and even perch on top for a great view of the area.

6. Add a water feature…like a bird bath. Fill it with water and wait for the birds. It is fun to watch them “play” in the water.

7. In the spring think about adding a Hummingbird  or Oriole feeder. Both of the feeders and birds are very colorful. Hummers and Orioles are nectar eaters. The Oriole love grape jelly and oranges…along with other fruit.

8. Think about adding mealworms to the menu. They are easy to handle just drop them into a mealworms feeder or side dish. All the birds love them…high in fat and protein. Yum!

9. Hang a bird house or two. Wren/ Chickadee houses are cute and easy to put up. The birds use these in the spring for nesting and in the fall and winter for roosting. ( a place for them to get out of the elements). We carry nesting boxes (bird houses) and roosting huts.

10. Think about using Bark Butter.This is a spreadable suet dough that you can put directly on a tree or on a Bark Butter feeder. ( We have some on half off, if you hurry!)

11. Roasted peanuts are a hit with the birds…lots and lots of birds eat them…again high in fat and protien…It gives the birds that long-term energy that they need to stay warm at night.

12. Add moving water…like a Water Wiggler. It moves the water and attracts the birds. It will also keep the mosquitoes from laying their eggs.

And las but not least…

13. Plant some trees and/or bushes…it gives the birds a place to dry off after a bath. They also will hang out in a tree to make sure the coast is clear to eat.

We hope this helps you on your quest for attracting birds to you outdoor living area. Drop on by and we can get you set up with what you need. And of course we can answer any questions you may have…..see you soon!

 

A New Year…from the eye of a birder

                                     Pictured above is a Northern Shoveler.

Ahhhhh…..Happy New Year everyone! It is always exciting when the new year rolls around. New goals, new adventures and new opportunities to learn and stretch your mind-set.

Here in the Norman area you may, on Sunday, have seen people walking around with their binoculars pointed skyward. More than likely they were taking part in the annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count.  I must admit, I to, was one of those folks. My mother and I were appointed a section of Norman and off we went for our first bird adventure of the new year.         Above is a beautiful Canvasback…… striking red-eye on chestnut head.

One thing I tend to forget is that my backyard birds can be totally different from other people’s birds. The area in which we covered was filled with lakes and ponds. It was in the NE area of Norman, with lovely homes and great views.What really made my days is seeing our APS system set up in someones side yard. The feeders were filled with Goldfinches. I hope that the owners of this APS and this Classic Too has seen these wonderful birds. It looked like a new setup….maybe a Christmas present? These coyote made their way past us and did not disturb us or the water fowl that we were observing. It was awesome seeing them…totally cool!                                          An Eastern Bluebird taking a break.                   The bird on the left is a Redhead….really…that is its name.                                       This beauty (above) is a Gadwall.                                  Last but not least……Ring-necked duck

 I have a list of birds that I have seen in my life time. It is called a life list. Most birders have one. I added several birds to the list this year. By having an assigned area it, in a way, made us venture into new territory on our quest for birds. It was a great day of birding.

The wonderful world of the Northern Mockingbird

     The Northern Mockingbird is a bird that you may see on your feeders this winter…if you have a seed blend that has fruit in it. Some of those blends could include; No Mess Plus, Tree Nutty Plus, and Choice plus. Our blends are formulated for our region and have no “filler” seeds. Mockingbirds eat insects in the summer and switch to mainly fruit in the fall and winter. This is a great time to serve them fruit. Besides the blends with fruit, you can also offer fruit in a tray feeder.  We recommend dried fruits for the winter months. Some of those fruits include, dried cranberries, cherries, raisins, blueberries, mango, and papaya.

     The Mockingbird is a medium size, gray to gray-brown bird. With two wing bars that “flash” as they fly, they are easily identified. They have calls that can number up to 200 different songs. You may see the Mockingbirds with the Robins and/or Cedar Waxwings all of which eat fruit, as mentioned above. I love watching these birds from my kitchen window. They are entertaining and an interesting bird. I hope you have a chance to see and feed these birds this season.

Attracting Woodpeckers to your backyard

The photos, above and below, are of a Red-bellied Woodpecker. We saw it yesterday on South Jenkins, here in Norman.

     It is always exciting to see Woodpeckers in your backyard.  The Woodpeckers that are common here are the Hairy, Downy, Red-bellied, Red-headed, Northern Flickers and, if you are lucky, the Pileated. There are several things you can do to make your yard a haven for this bird. Offering suet is one of the best ways to draw them in. We sell a variety of suet and no melt suet dough cylinders that are ideal for the woodpeckers. My favorites are; Nut and Berries, Naturally Nuts, Peanut Butter ’n Jelly…and of course our Christmas suet. Suet is a fat and protein-rich food that all the birds love and need. I see the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers on the suet all the time. 

     Normally woodpeckers eat insects, acorns, fruit, sap berries and pine seeds. During the spring and summer months, I have seen the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers on my Hummingbird feeders. I like to offer them fruit year round. Many birds eat fruit as well as the woodpeckers. In these colder months I put out dried fruit like raisins and cranberries. We also carry seed blends with fruit in it.  Tree Nutty Plus, No Mess Plus, and Choice Plus all have fruit in it. This is a no fuss way of offering the birds fruit.

      The Red-bellied Woodpecker visits my roasted peanut feeder. We carry a great peanut feeder and, of course, roasted peanuts. Most birds love peanuts and it is fun to watch them pick out the nuts. Again this is a fat and protein-rich food as well. Many of our seed blends have peanuts and/or tree nuts in them.

I hope these tips have helped you to decide what to put out for this amazing bird. Please come on in to the store. We can talk more about what you can to attract Woodpeckers and other birds to your yard. See you soon.

Silver Forest Earrings

For all of you who have purchased our Silver Forest earrings….we have a new batch that just arrived! We always love seeing the new earrings. They are very popular here at Wild Birds Unlimited. Silver Forest is located in Bellows Falls VT and is a great company. The earrings are made here in the USA. They also have a policy that, if you lose and earring and send in the orphan, they will make a match and send it to you. How totally awesome is that! Plus….the earrings are really nice looking, make a great stocking stuffer, and can be worn anywhere. Drop by when you get a chance and take a look. We have another order on it’s way….See you soon! And…Happy December!!