Help Out Nesting Birds

This time of year, birds are putting together nests for their eggs. You can help them out by providing the following items.

Nesting Materials
Find a mesh bag (onion bag) or empty suet feeder and fill it with a mixture of the following:
· short pieces of yarn, string and/or fabric
· human hair
· pet hair
· feathers
· twigs
· dried grass
· dried leaves
These items can all be used by birds to build their nests and make them soft and warm for their eggs. Mount your bag or feeder on a post or in a tree where birds can easily get to the nesting materials. DO NOT use fishing line, dryer lint or dryer sheets. These can be harmful to the birds and the eggs.

Food & Water
Keep your egg shells and help the female birds replace calcium lost from producing eggs. Clean your egg shells and dry them in the oven at 250 degrees for 10-30 minutes. When the shells have cooled crush them into small pieces and put them in an open spot on the ground or in a dish by your bird feeder(s). You can also mix them into your bird feed.

Provide CLEAN, shallow water for drinking and bathing. If possible, provide this year round, if not, especially make water available on hot days. Keep your feeders full and feed high protein foods such as peanuts, suets and mealworms.

If you come across a birds nest stay away from it, don’t linger and don’t return to it. We leave a scent that could attract predators and endanger the nest.

Providing these items will attract birds to your backyard for your pleasure and help them out during this busy time. Have fun watching the birds nest and the young learn about their new world.

Family time & the Birds

Today my son and I decided we were going to make some bird feeds. So we went outside on the search for pine cones*. We found a couple, but they were a little soft, so we gathered what we could and went in to start the project. (If it wasn't raining it would have been a good idea to do this outside, my son is almost 2). I got out the peanut butter and put the seed (I'd suggest Sommer's Wild Bird Foods seed) in a bowl for him to cover the cones. Away he went, playing in the seeds and dropping quite a bit on the floor in the process. Anyways, hung them up and now we wait to see if we have any takers. We had a great time together and gave the birds a little treat in the process. Do you have a suggestion for some family time together? Let me know.

*If you can't find any pine cones, just use slices of bread. Leave them sit out for a couple hours so they get a little hard, punch a hole in them for some string, then slather on the peanut butter and sprinkle with your favorite seed.

Bringing Birds to Your Backyard

Bringing birds to your backyard can be easy and fun. Below are 4 tips to keep in mind as you get ready for your feathered friends this spring.
1. Feed Them Well-The more diverse your food selection is the larger variety of birds you will attract to your yard. Provide plants with seeds, nectar &/or berries and dead tree limbs will attract insects for insect-eating birds. Also provide a variety of bird feeders at different heights as well as suets and other high energy foods. Keep your feeders full and clean. See our Bird Food & Feeder Preference Chart.
2. Provide Safe and Warm Shelter-Different birds prefer shelter at different heights. Provide houses as well as trees, dead and live, and shrubs. Evergreens are great for winter shelter and to hide from predators. An ideal bird habitat would have a variety of plants in size and density. This will provide the birds a choice for feeding, nesting, courting and hiding.
3. Quench Their Thirst-Birds need water whether it is fall, winter, spring or summer so provide a bird bath or fountain for them. If you have a stream running through your yard, provide logs, branches or rocks for the birds to perch on. A reliable source for bathing and drinking is what birds need.
4. Create a Place to Raise Their Young-Birds are always looking for safe places to raise their babies. You can help through nesting boxes as well as shrubs and trees. You may want to hold off trimming your shrubs until after nesting season is over, in case you have residents in your shrubs. You can also provide nesting materials such as short pieces of string and pet/human hair. Not only do these tips help out the birds, but they also provide you with the enjoyment of watching them and keeping them in your backyard all year long.
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