Preparing Bird Feeders and Bird Baths for Fall

We've hit that time of year. The summer vacations are over, the kids are back in school, the weather
begins changing. For many us, that changing weather signals a time to take some extra care of our back yards. And that includes those bird feeders and bird baths. Here are few tips and suggestions to help you in that task.

Preparing Bird Feeders

Some of you feed your backyard birds all year long while others feed them only the colder months when food is harder to find. Either way, Fall is the time of year to make some changes.

• Bird feeders need to be cleaned regularly and Fall is a good time
• Put away any feeders that will become damaged by cold
• Watch that you are feeding birds the proper food for their needs
• Move the bird feeders so that birds can find them easily in the colder months

Preparing Bird Baths

Like many of you, I have both feeders and baths in my backyard. That's truly a great way to attract more of the charming birds that I enjoy watching. But colder months require a different arrangement when it comes to bird baths.

I prefer a pedestal style bird bath for several reasons.  Not only are they easily moveable to find shade and keep my yard from having a dead spot in the grass, but they can also be brought in if you don't plan to maintain them all Winter long.

Since I live in a part of the country that has mild winters, there are only some times when the water in the bird bath will freeze. During the rest of cold months, I leave my bird baths out and available to my backyard birds. Just like all animals, they need water even during the cold months.

Take Time in Fall for Winter Preparation

Take the time now, before the days get too chilly, to clean and prepare your bird feeders and bird baths. You can have some nice outdoor time as well as help your backyard birds who winter over with you.

Preparing for Hummingbirds

One of the best things about Spring time in our backyards is seeing the migratory birds return. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the most common species that we see in the US. It has been documented that they will often return to the exact same feeder on the exact same date. So now is the time to prepare for their return.

These charming birds are a delight to see and welcome to your backyard bird world. But they will only stay if there is a good food source provided for them. Beautiful flowers are attractive to them for the nectar they can extract. But if a regular Spring garden of flowers is not a possibility for you, fear not. Hummingbirds love the artificial nectar just as much.

The high sugar content is what they need to give them the energy for their intense wing movement. Therefore, hummingbird feeders need to kept clean and kept filled. Wow, how would you accomplish something like this? Easy, get two. One to fill and set out for the birds, the other to wash and allow to dry.

Hummingbird feeders are not expensive! Unless you want some very artistic and fancy one, the small cheap feeders are just great for the birds. The nectar can easily be made at home, but even the packets or prepared food are inexpensive to purchase. So there isn't a good reason not to care for them properly.

Pick a time of day to replace the current feeder with the clean fresh one.  Then get the dirty one washed and set out to dry. You want it to be ready to go for the next day. Really, we aren't talking about anything difficult.

If you have children, allow them to be part of the care of hummingbird feeders. Have them help you refill the clean feeder and wash the dirty one. Even help them learn to tell time by having them be the reminder for the time when to replace the feeder.

These charming birds are not only fascinating to watch but they are a great part of our backyard bird world. They are only part of our yards for a short time every year. So give them the delight of good food in a clean feeder. You will be rewarded over and over again.

Have Some Fun with Window Bird Feeders

Any of us who enjoy watching our backyard birds will appreciate a window bird feeder during the winter months. Well, we won't be the only ones. The birds will appreciate it, too.

The value of helping our birds during the cold or snow covered days we know is important. But, we can do that while watching them from the comfort of our own home with window bird feeders. I'm a fan of them, yes. 3 of my windows have the feeders in place.

I will warn you from experience though. Choose the window where you want to put your feeder carefully. You still have to be able to reach it to clean it out and refill it. And I'm not talking about only once a year when you get the ladder out!

Window bird feeders as a rule aren't very large capacity. They hold only a cup or so of bird feed. If you like to feed lots of birds, then get several. But please make sure you refill them regularly. The birds will learn to find food there and will return. Until they discover there isn't any food left! So take care of them.

Just a quick reminder to take a little time to clean the window area where you will put your window bird feeder. This will help the suction cups to adhere to your glass better. Be sure to use the appropriate bird seed for the kinds of birds that are in your area, too.

Bird Watching Mugs - Gift Ideas for Birders

Looking for a fun gift for a bird watcher? How about a funny mug? Yep, there are some great ones and mugs that are just for us bird watchers.

I certainly don't consider myself a professional bird watcher or birder, but I do love great mugs and I love to profess to everyone my hobbies and likes. That's where a bird watching mug makes a great gift idea.

No matter who is on your gift list, a funny, cute or beautiful bird-watching mug makes a great gift idea. OK, for those bird lovers on your gift list that is.

Since I think everyone should have at least a little humor in their day, I found some funny bird watcher mugs that work great whether it's for home or office use. But there are plenty more.

The choices for designs are numerous, but the choices for styles those designs can go on are also numerous and colorful. Any commuter would love to have a bird watcher travel mug that tells everyone they would prefer to be doing something else!

Give Your Backyard Birds Some Water

Like all animals, birds need water. So attracting them to your backyard means they need more than just food. Especially during the dry times of summer and even winter, giving them a bird bath makes a nice difference.

Personally, I love to watch the birds at the bird bath. They do a great job of keeping me entertained. Plus watching them is so educational for the kids. I love to have them watch through the binoculars or spotting scope and help them identify the birds at the bath.

My yard boasts several bird baths set in different places. I like to have the birds have plenty of opportunity for drinking and giving themselves a little bath. If you have a large enough yard, that works well for you, too.

If you have a small yard, just one will be enough for you. Place it on a flat surface so that it won't tip. I like the pedestal kind of bird bath that sits right on the ground. That also allows me to move it around a bit.

Why would I want to move the bird baths around? For several reasons. First, because of the sun and it's heat at different times of the year. In the strong heat of summer, the water can get pretty hot, so I set my bird bath in a shadier spot, but in the cooler times of the year, that sun can warm up the water, even defrost it in winter. But, I also like to move the bird baths around so that the grass underneath gets a chance to renew itself.

A bird bath is a valuable addition for attracting backyard birds and it can be a nice addition to the decor of your yard.

Defining Bird Watching Terms

Are you a birder, an ornithologist or maybe a twitcher? Do you have the slightest idea what these terms mean? These are just three of the many terms that describe those watch, study and enjoy birds.

OK, most of us know that ornithologists are professional scientists who study birds. If we are amateurs, we probably know we don't qualify as ornithologists. But even as amateurs, how intense are we in our watching or studying birds?

The majority of us qualify as bird watchers. We just enjoy seeing our backyard friends. We provide houses for them to nest in and put up bird feeders to give them food, especially during the winter months. We may even buy special equipment just to watch them.

But, you probably also know there are others who much more passionate about their hobby of watching and studying birds. Those are where most of the descriptive terms come in. The level to which people will go to learn more about birds is how the terms fit them. Take a look at Birding, Bird Watching and Ornithology to see more about what the various terms are and what they mean.

In the meantime, enjoy your own bird watching experiences no matter how intense or time-invested that is for you. Our backyard birds are still worth any effort we give them.

Use Fall Time to Get Your Bird Feeders Ready for Winter

The end of summer is quickly approaching. The kids are getting ready to go back to school. So it's time to start considering your backyard birds.

There will be many of those birds who migrate to warmer climates, but not all of them. In fact, many of our most charming and colorful birds do not migrate. Instead, they stick it out with us. Both the Northern Cardinal and the Blue Jay, some of our most colorful backyard birds, can be seen against the white of the snow.

These delightful backyard creatures need a little help during the winter. We will tend to feed them throughout the year, so don't forget the cold months. Take some time now, or soon, to prepare your feeders for the winter birds.

Cleaning and refilling for them is something that you should do on a regular basis anyway, but especially as we head into the cold time. That's when you will be less likely to want to work outside, so you may easily forget this particular job. Get your bird feeders ready before the weather gets cold.

Then you will enjoy all those wonderful backyard birds that share the cold and snow with us.

Enjoy a Window Bird Feeder

Setting up a window bird feeder is easy and watching the birds is great fun, too. The whole family can get into the act of watching our charming little backyard birds as they enjoy the seeds that we share with them.

click on image to get my favorite window bird feeder

Simple window bird feeders are also inexpensive and the only thing you need is a window to put them on. They work with suction cups that attach to the glass. Birds don't realize they are being watched and will freely eat from your window feeders.

Be sure to keep your window bird feeders clean and refilled as well. We want to make sure that our backyard birds are safe. Cleaning is easy. Just wash with mild soap and water. Be sure to rinse well and allow to dry completely before refilling.

Since window bird feeders are so inexpensive, it may be worth you while to get two of them. One to be drying while you use the other one. Refill with appropriate bird food, like songbird seed mix and stick it back on the window. I pull off and clean my feeders just as soon as they get low on food. I scatter any left over food on the ground for those birds that enjoy eating directly from the ground.

What is in Bird Seed Mixes?

We often buy for our backyard bird feeders a mix of seeds but how often do we know what's in that mix? If you're like me, you tend to just believe that these people know what they are doing when they put this mix together. While that's true, I thought it would be interesting to find out what the seeds are that they are using.

There about 7 main seeds that go into many mixes. The highest percentage in good mixes is usually black oil sunflower seeds. These have a high fat content and an easily-broken shell. It's very attractive to songbirds, like the Northern Cardinal. Regular sunflower seeds are also included in many mixes, but the shells are harder for birds to break with their beaks.

Hulled sunflower seeds are also available and come in many of the mixes. It's just like it sounds. The sunflower seeds are de-shelled for the birds' convenience. Millet is another common seed. It's a small round seed that may be one or more of three types, red, golden and white.

Safflower is a larger seed usually white in color that is especially favored by Cardinals, but also many other songbirds. What you will also find in many mixes is cracked corn and nuts, mostly peanuts. These both are broken into small pieces to make it easier for birds to enjoy.

So next time you grab a bag of bird food, take a look at the ingredients and see what's included for your backyard birds.

Charming and Unique Bird Feeders

So you have decided to do your part to help the birds in your backyard. One of the best things you can do is to provide food for them.

Make sure you keep feeders clean and refilled regularly. You want to make sure they know that they can count on that feeder in that location. Set your feeders so that while the birds are there, they will feel safe from predators.

For some that may mean, hanging the feeder from a tree. This protects them from the predators that fly, like hawks. For others, that may mean setting your feeder on a stand, which protects them from ground-dwelling predators like snakes or cats.

Fill your feeder with the appropriate food for the birds in your backyard. Song bird food is different than hummingbird food. Attract different types of birds with different types and styles of feeders. But, keep the feeders appropriate for the food.

Here are two favorites of mine. They are both available through Amazon, so you know you're getting a safe shopping experience. Just click on your favorite to see more about it, purchase it or browse more bird feeders.

Lantern Style	Barn Look

3 Easy Ways to Help Backyard Birds

Helping our backyard birds is actually quite easy. We want to keep them around and so that we can enjoy watching them and help our children learn about the natural world around them. Backyard birds allow us to bird watch and learn without leaving the comforts of our home. We don't have to plan a large excursion to the local zoo or a trip with a bird-watching expedition. We can just stand at our window and watch.

So it's important for us to help them. A champion for backyard birds is Steve Kaye. He's a great photographer and talented online writer. His article, 7 Ways to Help Birds, details more ways you can help out. But, I wanted to highlight just these 3. They are each easy for us do and make such a big difference to world of the birds.

1. Feed the birds. This is simple. We want to keep the birds around our backyard and they need a good food source. So make sure to keep lots of bird feeders available and keep them cleaned and refilled regularly.
2. Keep chemicals off your lawn and gardens. Besides being safer for the birds, this idea is also safer for you, your children and your pets. Caring for your lawn and garden organically is easy, so take the time to do this right.
3. Keep garbage secure. In general, birds are inquisitive. They like to check out interesting objects. Many will also include little tidbits in their nests. Make sure this isn't your trash that's going into those nests.

So spend a little time to make your backyard safer for the birds. They will reward you with plenty to watch.

Hummingbird Nectar: Make Your Own

Hummingbirds make up a wonderful part of our backyard birds. We love to watch them and enjoy that tiny body with those continuous beating wings. Plus we love the ability they have to hover over flowers or feeders. So we want to encourage them to take up residence around our house.

Hummingbird feeders are the easiest way to do this. But, you need to keep enough clean food, called nectar in those feeders. Actually, I use two feeders. One hangs outside for the birds, while the other one is being cleaned and dried.

There is a basic easy recipe to make hummingbird nectar. It's just sugar and water, but you need to know how to put this combination together properly. Use pure cane sugar, not honey or artificial sweetners. Only the real sugar is what works for nectar.

You want to keep your water to sugar ratio at 4 to 1. 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar, 2 cups of water to 1/2 cup of sugar, etc.

Make sure your water is fully boiled. So add in some extra to allow for that which boils off when heating the water. Measure out your cups of water and add in the appropriate amount of sugar. Stir this until all the sugar has dissolved, then cool the nectar.

Many hummingbird feeders are about 8 ounces or less. You can store extra homemade nectar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Keep in an airtight container to prevent any contamination.

You will need to change the nectar every few days to keep it good. The warmer the weather, the faster it will become bad, so keep a watch out. When you need to change the nectar, it's my recommendation that you also clean the hummingbird feeder. 

Take special precautions with these very special little birds. They are such a treat to watch, we wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them.

Do You Know What Songbirds Are?

The answer seems simple. They are the birds that sing in our backyard. True enough, except there is a bit more to the answer. Songbirds are very special species of birds. They are in the order Passeriformes, which are the perching birds. So in other words, if a bird doesn't belong to the order of perching birds, they don't have the true ability to sing.

Parrots and Cockatoos can imitate all sorts of sounds, but they can't actually be part of the Songbirds. Songbirds have vocal chords. This gives them the ability to make multiple notes in their sounds. They actually learn songs by way of their parents and other local songbirds. They see what songs work to get what it is they are looking for.

The most common song is that of a male impressing a female for mating. The second most common is for a territorial male to defend his part of the world against rivals. But there are other types of sounds that songbirds make. Mating pairs use sounds to connect to each other, especially as evening is approaching and visibility is limited. They call to each other to narrow in on where the other is.

Birds also make warning sounds when a predator is approaching. Typically, the sound gets louder and more intense as the danger increases.

Among our common backyard birds are many songbirds. They seem to be represent the largest variety of birds that inhabit areas close to humans. The American Robin is one of most common examples. The Robin will sing many songs from before sun-up to after sun-down.

Songbirds have learned to use their unique ability to add survival advantages. That seems to be nature at its best.

Activity Ideas for Children and Bird Watching

If you think bird watching is boring then you probably haven't seen a child doing this particular activity. Children can get so fascinated with the world around them. Bird watching has created true delightful excitement for so many children. It's time to try it with your own kids.

Here are some activities you can try with your own children to help them learn about the joy of bird watching.

• A good pair of binoculars is essential for bird watching. The smallest birds can have the biggest impact on children. Teach them how to properly handle and care for binoculars or spotting scopes. Then let them watch different birds looking for behaviors.
• Try getting a number of coloring pages of birds that can be found in your backyard. Have your child find the birds and observe their true colors in the wild before coloring in the pages.
• Be sure to add sound to your bird watching time. Song birds are delightful to listen to while watching them sing. Get a book that also shares recordings of different bird songs, so you can both identify which bird is making which sounds.
• Keep a running list of the birds you discover in your backyard. Let your children tell you what new things they have learned while watching each of the birds. Record this for future reference. Each time you have bird-watching session with your child, try to find new behaviors, activities or colors in each bird.
• Use a list of common backyard birds to see how many your child can find during each bird-watching session. Look for more unusual birds that might not be on your list, yet. Add them and learn about them with your child.

These are just a few suggestions to get you started thinking about having bird-watching time with your children. Both of you will find this fun and educational hobby to be enjoyable.

Bird Watching in Our Own Backyard

Our own backyard is an ideal place to do some fun bird watching. The bird behavior we can see right out our own windows can be quite entertaining. In the spring time especially, the birds are busy finding mates, building nests, then raising young.

Besides watching behavior you can also listen to the birds. You can hear the melodic calls of male song birds as they attract mates and announce that they have control over a certain territory. Listen for the Robin's song. He will sing from pre-dawn to after dusk. I often think he sings just because he can. He must like the sound of his little melodies as much as I do.

Make sure you have a good pair ofbinoculars so that you can see the tiny birds as they go about their daily activities. And watch for those small movements that signal alarm or the pleasure in finding the a fat juicy worm to feed their ever-hungry young.

You can usually see both parents working tirelessly to search out food and bring it back to feed those little ones. Those little ones grow quickly and must be able to survive on their own before the cooler weather sets in and they must travel south with their parents.

So arm yourself with a little knowledge from Backyard Bird World and enjoy some time watching the birds that share your backyard.

Ideas to Celebrate Bird Day

With Bird Day only a short time away, we need to be thinking about ideas to celebrate such a special day. It is a day set aside just to appreciate our feathered friends. So what kinds of things can we do? I have a list here just to have a little fun for Bird Day, May 4^th.

• Read a book about birds. Any kind of book will do, a novel that includes birds, a biology book that helps you understand more about the behavior and history of birds, even a memoir of a famous bird watcher.
• Learn new and interesting facts about birds. Backyard Bird World offers you some good options to learn more.
• Listen to recordings of bird songs and calls. See if you can identify bird sounds in your own yard.
• Do some bird watching. See how many birds you can identify. Use the list Common Backyard Birds if you like, or make a list for yourself.
• Add a new bird house or bird feeder to your backyard. Or, clean and refill a bird feeder you already have. Make sure you take care of those birds who share your world.
• Watch a video or movie about the activities of birds.

If you have children, you can adjust these kinds of activities to match their ages. Even make drawings of birds and color them in with your children.

Bird Day is all about celebrating the feathered creatures that share our world. So setting aside some special time just to appreciate them is a great activity for May 4^th. But, it's also a time to enjoy ourselves. Pick a fun activity and celebrate Bird Day this year.

What is Bird Day?

There seems to be some confusion are the day known as Bird Day. Because there is another day called National Bird Day. Are they the same? What are we supposed to be celebrating for these days? Well, let me take some of the confusion away.

First, on May 4th, Bird Day is celebrated. It was chosen by a school principal for his students to go outside and appreciate the wild birds. Sounds like a good idea to me. I love just watching and listening to the birds in my backyard.

Then there is a day, January 5th, that's called National Bird Day. Well, first of all you can't use the term National unless an Act of Congress has deemed the day that officially. Problem is there is no evidence of such a day. But, the name persists, so it works out as a good way to differentiate the two days. But, this day in January is pretty different itself.

January's bird day is meant to make us aware of the plight of captive birds in the pet industry. The same thing as puppy mills and kitten farms, birds are horribly treated by those people only interested in the profit of raising and selling pet birds.

The next time you want to enjoy the world of your backyard birds, you will certainly want to celebrate in the spring, not in January.