You Can Lure Specific Birds

Did you know that you can lure specific birds to your backyard, like Cardinals, Bluebirds, Thrushes, Sparrows etc. You'll be the envy of neighbors having a chorus of songs like no other. It all has to do with the habitat, and the food.
For example, Sparrows like a meadow garden, a weedy field or a patch of prairie flowers. They really don't care for a "woody" area. You will be providing an area to nest as well as food they like.
After checking sources for the types of birds you like you will be better able to provide for them. What are you favorite birds?

New Life Begins

What a glorious morning!! It is so nice to wake up with the sun shining, the birds singing and a cool breeze blowing. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. Everything is greening up, flowers are beginning to bloom, robins and other birds are beginning to show up as they return from their winter retreat. These are sure signs of life being renewed. It won't be long before we can witness new life as the eggs in the nest hatch. Do you feel as blessed as I?

Its a Great Day

Good Morning. The sun is shining and a great day is predicted....in the 70's. Boy have we been waiting for that!! And judging by the birds singing so have they. Do you have your bird houses and bird feeders ready and waiting for them. The birds will be searching for a nice place to nest so they can prepare for their new families.
It is so much fun watching the progress of the birds, building their nests (whether they are in a house, bush or tree) then watching the eggs, waiting in anticipation for them to hatch, then watching the hatchlings to an adult bird. And what an education for your young children or grandchildren.

Great Crested Flycatcher

The Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) lives in all states east of the Rockies and is common in open deciduous forests and orchards. It is a dark olive gray on the back, with a yellow underside and light gray throat. Its distinctive crest gives it its name, and it has a large bill. It is nearly 9" long and is the only eastern flycatcher to nest in cavities. In fact, it will nest in nearly any kind of cavity. It is a fiercely territorial bird.
In spite of its long bill, the flycatcher does not make its own cavity, depending on rotting trees or posts, or on holes made by woodpeckers or those provided by bird-loving humans. Flycatchers feed in the tops of trees, primarily on insects, and emit a loud "wheeeeep." They frustrate bird watchers, as they are more often heard than seen.
They are aptly named, as they may sit on a perch watching for insects, and then dart out and catch even a dragonfly in mid-air. They also eat beetles, bees and wasps, but do not eat many mosquitoes or gnats.
Flycatchers are known for using the skins shed by snakes in making their nests.

White Doves

Did you know that doves are members of the pidgeon family? They also make great pets . Doves are actually very gentle and they tend to adopt to a family. They will set with family membets or a personal object belonging to a family member.
Doves are also very inexpensive. They are quite charming birds and it is fun to watch their little antics and the different "coos" that they have. They actually have rituals that are fun to watch . Doves require very little. Given fresh food and water they will do quite nicely.

Finally It's Spring!!

Well it is finally Spring, and you will see more and more birds. Wouldn't it be nice if they were in your backyard? It is possibe. All you need to do is put up a few birdfeeders and birdhouses to attract them. It also helps if your backyard is bird friendly. Trees and bushes will help them to feel safe as they move about. Water features such as ponds, streams and /or birdbaths will also help.

Have a Happy Easter

It's Easter and it is soooo tempting to purchase live chicks and bunnies for your children and grandchildren. But, please reconsider. They really are not good pets for young children! Children want to play and handling these young animals so much is not good. In fact too much handling can cause stress for them and they could die, and this in turn causes stress for the child and you. It's a vicious circle.

Butterfly Houses

I love butterflies. They are so beautiful! They are graceful, quiet, and don't seem to bother anyone or anything. They just seem to go about their business flitting from one place to another, one flower to another. Doesn't it make you wonder how and why they were created? What their purpose is? Does their varied color have any signifigance? I'm not sure, but I think that they must be the most colorful creature on this earth.

Did You Ever Wonder....

Did you ever wonder how baby birds seem to stay in their nests without falling? Baby birds spend about 14 days in their nest, so what is it that keeps them from falling? Well they are born naked, featherless and are very squirmy. Fledglings will have stubby wing feathers and their tail feathers will be about half grown. As they change from a hatchling to a fledgling they have a very heavy bottom. This serves a purpose to keep them securely weighted in their nest.

Prothonotary Warbler

The Prothonotary Warbler (Prothonotaria citrea) is one of only two warbler species in North America that nests in cavities. The other is Lucy's Warbler of the Southwest, and it is not known to live in artificial habitats. The Prothonotary Warbler is a user of birdhouses, and a pair will even use one to raise more than one brood in a year. Different pairs will also use the same house to raise their broods in a given season.
This bright yellow beauty with blue-gray wings and tail is about 5-1/2" long. Its song is a ringing "sweet-weet-weet-weet-weet". It lives in wooded swamplands, flooded bottomland forests, and along streams with dead trees near them. Sometimes they live in trees actually in the water. The borders of creeks and rivers seem to be their favorite nesting places, but nesting over still water is not uncommon. Their nests are close to the ground.
The Prothonotary Warbler's range covers most of the southeastern states, north to Minnesota, Michigan and New York. It appears occasionally in New England in the spring and during migration periods may appear anyplace coast to coast.