The year 2018 marks the Whooping Cranes Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the most powerful and important bird-protection law ever passed. In honor of this milestone, nature lovers around the world are joining forces to celebrate the “Year of the Bird” and commit to protecting birds today and for […]
Blog Category: backyard birds
How To ID Owls By Sound
Colder weather means Owls! But while they may be around, its more Barn Owl Photo credit:Stan Tekeila likely you will hear rather than see them. So, get a jump on owling this year by learning the sounds of some of the more common species of owls which may be in your area. The best […]
Join The Christmas Bird Count
Join the Christmas Bird Count Make your holiday season extra-special this year and do something important for bird conservation by participating in the Christmas Bird Count. Every year from December 14 through January 5 people around the world get outside and count the birds in their area or even just their yard. When […]
Fall For Your Own Native Plant Meadow
To ensure you attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife in Monarch Butterfly Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel abundance to your yard, there is no better choice than planting a meadow with native plants. Not only is a mature meadow a stunningly beautiful sight of waving flowers with butterflies and birds darting in and out, but it’s […]
Keeping Hummingbirds Safe
Keeping Hummingbirds Safe Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Everyone loves feeding hummingbirds! It’s easy to do and they return the favor by returning repeatedly to your backyard. There are some specific safety issues you should keep in mind when feeding hummingbirds. Our readers have asked us about two specifically which are common potentially fatal […]
Pesky Critters in Your Backyard?
Squirrels got your goat? Hawks or the neighbors cats using your feeder as a buffet table? Maybe that resident woodpecker is using your house for hammering practice? Whatever the issue is there are often simple and humane solutions! For example, getting the right feeder can help control unwanted birds, or eliminate bees and […]
Backyard Bird Reading
Nesting birds on the ground in your yard? What kind of bird does that? We love this humorous essay many of us can relate to. When it comes to finding out where the birds are nesting in your yard, sometimes info is gotten the hard way. Then It Struck Me and Not Very Gently, by Murr Brewster for […]
Join Nestwatch and Help Nesting Birds
Join Nestwatch and Help Nesting Birds Nobody knows better than you what goes on in the nests in your backyard. If you are curious about the birds nesting in your yard and pay particular attention to Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila them, Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a great project called Nestwatch that can use your […]
Purple Martins Are Coming Your Way!
Purple Martins are Coming – Be Ready! Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Purple Martins are on their way north and looking for nesting sites. With their enchanting song and effective insect removal efforts – especially when there are chicks in the summer – these birds are a delight to have around. And if you want to […]
Family Fun: 3 Easy DIY Bird Feeders
Winter is a time when birds need a lot of help finding food – especially later in the season when the available Photo Credit: Heather Katsoulis native berries and seeds are long gone. Keep your feeders up, but why not try some seriously simple new ways to feed birds in your yard? Take a look […]
Backyard Suet Feeders to Make or Buy
BACKYARD: Suet Feeders It’s time to break out the suet feeders! Suet provides lots of calories to keep some of your favorite birds like chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers warm. There are lots of different suet feeders you can buy or make, but the best ones are those which are ergonomically correct for Tail-prop suet feeder […]
Fall Backyard: Start Your Native Plant Meadow
Fall Backyard: Start Your Native Plant Meadow If you have even a little bit of a yard, don’t wait to plant a native plant meadow. I planted a small meadow in the fall as an experiment a few years ago, and if I hadn’t seen for myself the magnetic attraction it has for birds and […]
Your Fall Backyard Tuneup
Your Fall Backyard Tuneup In fall, birds’ needs start changing. The bird houses you set up in spring and which saw a lot of activity are now vacant. Pressure to secure food for hungry mouths in the nest has subsided, and now many birds are bulking up for migration. To create a friendly backyard for […]
Your Summer Backyard
Your Summer Backyard Your backyard in summer is different from the rest of the year. In each season, birds have different needs, and summer can be extreme – both because of the heat and the additional pressure of feeding baby and juvenile birds. You may be providing a lot of food for birds – in […]
Eating Like a Bird
Eating Like a Bird Birds have much different eating habits than humans – especially during migration when they really need to add calories to deal with the stress and energy requirements of long hours of flying. You may have been chided by your mother at one point that you ate like a bird, but if […]
NESTCAMS!
NESTCAMS! It’s that time of year again! Get a front row seat and the best view of these early nesters from across the US and Hawaii — hummingbirds, albatross and some very cool raptors: Great Horned Owl, Georgia Allens Hummingbird, California Layasan Albatross, Hawaii Bald Eagle, Washington, DC Barn Owls, Texas
Birds Need Your Help to Get Through the Winter And, February is National Bird Feeding month — a time when winter food sources have been seriously picked over and cold weather persists. Many birds like robins and mockingbirds are surviving off remaining berries. And when its been a tough winter, those berries are now in […]
The Importance of Brush Piles
The Importance of Brush Piles During winter, many trees and bushes lose their leaves, leaving birds and animals with fewer places to hide. Wildlife can be attracted to your backyard by providing food, clean water, and cover. Creating a brush pile can provide a valuable safe spot for birds to use to escape predators and […]
Planting For Hummingbirds
Planting for Hummingbirds Who doesn’t love hummingbirds in their garden? You may already set up hummingbird feeders filled with sugar water, but feeders can require a lot of maintenance, as they must be kept cleaned and filled with fresh food. A Bee Balm better option might be to plant native flowers to attract hummingbirds. As […]
Feeding Tips to Attract Birds To Your Backyard
Feeding Tips to Attract Birds to Your Backyard If you want your backyard to attract as many birds as possible, you are going to need to provide a variety of different food sources, fresh water and a safe spot to feed and live. It may sound like a tall order, but actually, it’s easier […]