Christmas Birds

My Favorite Christmas Bird

Sorry it's been a while since my last post, but I've been busy with the holiday season as I'm sure most of you have

I've had some good ideas for new post, but they will have to stay on hold until after Christmas.

I did how ever want to share with you my favorite Christmas bird. Yes as you can see in the picture it's the F-14 Tomcat. Not only is it my favorite Christmas bird, but my favorite bird of all time.

I had the privilege of working on the Tomcat from 1985-1989. I was in Fighter Squadron1 (VF-1 Wolfpack.) During that time I really came to love the plane. It was so majestic and powerful. In flight it was a thing of beauty. I've still yet to find a bird at my feeders with after burners or that could fly beyond the speed of sound. If I ever do see one I'll know that I've either had to much Christmas cheer or I'm not far from the old age home.

I hope this holiday season finds everyone both healthy and happy. From me and my birds here in Ohio we wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Lessons We Can Learn From Geese

While researching geese online I came across this one day. While I wish I could take credit for it I can't. However it's so interesting I thought this would be the perfect place to share it.

Fact 1: As each goose flaps its wings it creates an uplift for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the entire flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Fact 2: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

Fact 3: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.

Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard task and sharing the leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each others skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

Fact 4: The geese flying information honk to encourage those flying up front to keep up their speed.

Lesson: We need to make sure honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

Fact 5: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help protect it. They stay with that goose and protect it until it is healthy enough to fly or dies. Then they launch out to join a passing flock or try and catch up to the flock the were in.

Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

Dealing with squirrel problems

From some of the responses to post here, squirrels seem to be a problem for most people who feed birds. There are plenty of ways to solve the problem and I'll try and cover some here.

When I first started feeding I constantly battled keeping squirrels out of my feeders. Once I finally started listening to advice from people who had experience, I fixed the problems and squirrels were no longer an issue.

Most of my feeders are set up on pole systems from Wild Birds Unlimited. It's a great system that allows you to design your pole to your liking. I set up one for finches and woodpeckers, another for variety of birds and yet others just support a single feeder like a fly through which attracts cardinals, nuthatches, chickadees and woodpeckers. The rest hang from a huge silver maple tree in my back yard.

With that being said, I had to come up with different ways to fight my squirrel problem. The first thing to consider was feeder placement. Squirrels can leap 5 feet in the air and can jump up to a distance of 10 feet across to get to something. With that being said, common sense says to place your feeders at least 5' high and keep the at least 8' from sources like trees and building where they can jump to a feeder.

From there you'll want to consider a squirrel baffle. They make them for every feeder situation. Whether on a pole, 4x4 post or hanging there's a baffle out there to fit your need. They can be expensive but if you look there are some at decent prices. I found a clear plastic baffle here in Ohio at Home Depot for $9.99. The baffle can either be used for a pole system or used for hanging feeders and they work great. If I can find it online I'll post a link here on the blog.

I eventually switched to the baffles from WBU for my pole systems only because they matched. They did not work any better or worse, just matched my poles. OK so I'm an idiot for spending $22 more just so it matched.lol

You can make your own baffles for pole system real easily. You can cut off the top of a 2 ltr plastic pop bottle and use it as a baffle on a pole system. An even easier way is to get some 4 inch diameter PVC pipe and place it over the pole. Not only will this keep the squirrels out, it will keep raccoons out as well. Just cut it at least 4' long then slip it over the pole.

You can also add cayenne pepper to your seed mix. WARNING: Do not mix it like a maniac or stand directly over it while pouring it into the feeder. I've done this and it is not pretty. I inhaled the hot pepper fumes and looked like the village idiot the next several minutes with my eyes watering, nose running and coughing. Not to mention the pleasant burning sensation in my eyes and lungs. Squirrels can taste the hot sensation of chili peppers but birds cant.

Then there's the feeding safflower. For some reason I've been hard headed towards trying it so far, but everyone who uses it swears by it. I think the reason I have not yet tried it is because there is not as much nutrition in safflower. But as I stated in an earlier post, I am going to dedicate a feeder to it and see how the grackles and starling react to it this winter.

By following these simple tips your squirrel problems will go away. Baffles and feeder placement is really the key to keeping them out. If for some reason these do not work for you, there's always specialty feeders. There are the weight sensitive feeders talked about in earlier post that for the most part seem to work. Also I've seen video of a feeder from Yankee Droll called the Yankee Flipper. It's their version of a weighted feeder. But it's calibrated so that when the weight of a squirrel is placed on it the motor activates. The squirrel now finds him self on an amusement park ride on the midway. It sends him twirling around until the little criminal is flipped off. There is also a baffle made to to the same thing using your feeder. If I remember correctly it's called Twirl a squirrel. These are expensive but if you want a good laugh and pay back for all the seed they stole it may be worth the price.

So there is hope and you can keep the squirrels out with out having to place a neighborhood watch on your feeders. Also if you look online I'm sure there are plenty of great ideas to keep unwanted critters out of your feeders.

Red-Bellied woodpeckers

I thought it would be nice from time to time to share some of my favorite birds. Seeing it's winter and my red-bellied woodpeckers have returned to feed on suet and peanuts I thought I would start with them.

Named for the often and easily overlooked Rosy red belly patch. It mostly prefers shady woodlands but is no stranger to back yards in neighborhoods with plenty of trees. It can also be attracted with the proper sized nesting box.

The male (like in the picture) has a Zebra type pattern on his back with a white rump. It's red crown extends down the nape of the neck like a red Mohawk. It has a tan breast with a small amount of red on the belly which is often hard to see.

Female: Same as the male, but has a grey crown.

Breeding Period: April into July

Eggs: 4-5 without markings

Incubation: 12-14 days, by male and female. The female during the day, the male at night.

Nestling phase: 25-30 days

Fledgling: about 30 days could go longer

Size: 9 1/4"

Broods: 2 per year

Food: insects, nuts, fruit and will come to suet and feeders with nuts.

Migration: basically a non-migrator. Will move in search of food and may migrate south from northern range.

Other than using suet and peanuts to attract them to your yard you can also try providing a nesting box. The correct dimensions for attracting them are as follows.

Entrance Hole diameter: 1 3/4" to 2 3/4"

Height of hole above floor: 10"-14"

Inside floor dimensions: 5"x5" to 6"x6"

Total height of box: 14"-16"

Placement

Habitat: in or at the edge of woods

Height: 6'-20' up on a tree, fence, post or building.

The red-bellied woodpecker is truly a wonderful bird to watch in the back yard. Their range seems to be as far north as Michigan, as far west as Texas, as far south as Florida and finally all up the east coast.

If you live in a wooded neighborhood or in the country where your property is bordered by woods, this is definitely a bird you'll enjoy seeing.

If there are any birds you would like to see featured here please feel free to contact me via e-mail or by using the the comment section. If it's a bird that is not common here in Ohio, I'll be more than glad to research it and report my findings. Also anyone living out west where there's Golden Fronted woodpeckers or the Green Jays and have pictures you would like to send me, I would be more than happy to see them. I think they are two of the most beautiful birds I've seen pictures of but we are not fortunate enough to have them here in Ohio. I'll give my email address following this, and thanks again for checking in.

ohiohunter@windstream.net

First Real Snow Of The Winter Today

We got our first real snow today. As you can see by the picture I took this morning, this Tufted titmouse in my front yard is taking advantage of the food I just put out. He sat in the tree waiting the entire time.


As happens every year, the first snow also brings in the first grackles and starlings. As any of you know that feed birds, they can be worse than squirrels. They show up in flocks and do not leave until the feeders are empty. While the problem usually is not bad this time of year, once February rolls around it becomes a daily battle.


There are a couple of actions you can take to help prevent needing to fill the feeders every day. When feeding suet try using an upside down feeder. While woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches and titmice don't mind feeding upside down, starlings and grackles do not care for it. It's not to say some will not figure it out because I have seen it, but for the most part it will eliminate that problem.


When feeding seed you can purchase a feeder that adjust to bird weight to close the ports. These are also used to feed squirrels and from what I hear work pretty well. You adjust the tension on the bar where the bid sits to feed. If the bird is to heavy the weight of the bird closes off the feeder. It's a pretty neat feature that I consider getting every year yet never have. Perhaps this year.

Finally you can switch all your feeders to safflower seed. It's more bitter and they are less likely to try and empty your feeder. There's no guarantee it will work but anything is worth a try. I am going to try one feeder with it this year and I'll post the results here.

For now I'm going to go sit by the window and enjoy the birds. So far today I've seen the following birds in the yard. Cardinals, Blue Jays, Tufted Titmice, A Carolina Wren, House Sparrows, House Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, Gold Finches, Starlings,both White & Red Breasted Nuthatches and dark eyed juncos. I'll try to get some pictures and share them here later this week. I work the next four days so I may not post as much. I'll try to post something as well as keep my eyes open for something new in the yard.

Things to do to keep your birds happy this winter

With Winter on our door step I wanted to post some tips to help keep your birds both happy and more importantly healthy.

The first thing you should do in the fall before winter hits is check and clean your feeders. I try to clean my feeders twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. However it usually requires more. While feeding inspect the feeder to make sure it's still in tack. Also look for mold that may have formed due to rain. If you find it, take the feeder in and wash it. I use simple green as it's safe for the birds. Usually just a few sprays and let it sit a while. The rinse well, let dry and it's ready for use again. In the spring and fall I do a thorough cleaning with a power washer. While not necessary, it does do a great job. Keeping the feeders clean is a must for healthy birds. Also when the weather permits, clean the mess below the feeders. By doing this you'll assure the birds are getting clean, healthy food.

As I stated in my earlier post, water is an absolute must for winter birds. Birds need water to help maintain their body heat and during the winter months we all know how little open water there is. While birds may be able to find other food sources other than your yard, open water can be difficult at best for them to find. If your going to spend the time and money to feed them, also spend some money to purchase a heated water bath. You'll be doing the birds a great service as well as see more birds in your yard.

Few people think of providing shelter for their birds during the winter months. Shelters can be provided by purchasing a roosting box. Roosting boxes are like a wooden bid house except the entrance hole is located at the bottom and it has perches inside. The theory behind this is that warm air rises. The birds go inside and sit at the higher perches to enjoy more warmth. If you do this place the entrance away from the prevailing wind in your area. Here in NE Ohio the wind is usually from the NW so the entrance face SE. I had my doubts about the box when I bought it but the birds loved it.

Another idea for making a shelter is save your real Christmas tree after the holiday instead of just throwing it away. If you can lean it against a garage, shed or out building and use that to block the wind it's great. If there is nothing to lean it against you can just lay it on the ground again trying to pay attention to your wind. If you grab a neighbors as well and stack them together the birds will love you. They climb inside the pine and it makes a perfect shelter for them from the elements. My neighbor does this every year and the birds love it.

If you were just feeding seed during the summer, now is the time to switch to a high protein food source. Suet and peanuts are great sources of high protein. Also continue feeding black oil sunflower seed and just plain sunflower hearts are great as well. Like I said in my last post, protein turns into warmth for the birds. Stop in a local bird store and see what they recommend for your area. If they are to expensive, try making your own suet or buying it. Suet and usually be purchased for about $1.50 or less a cake.

Finally keep a bird watching journal. When did your humming birds leave? What date did you spot your first dark eyed junco? What birds did you see on the ground or at a feeder during migration? Keeping records of these types of things can be fun and useful. Things I note are as follows. Type of bird? Date arrived and date departed? Was it in a flock or alone? what was the weather like? What time of day? Things like this can be very useful and gives you an idea from year to year what to expect. By doing this the past two years I can almost plot the week my humming birds leave and return. Some day you'll sit back and refer to the journal just to see when the last or first time you saw a give species of bird. I think once you start it that it will only make the entire bird feeding process that much more enjoyable.

Attracting and feeding Birds In Winter

I decided to start with this because as I sit here the temperature outside is a balmy 34 degrees with snow falling and the wind screaming at about 30 mph. It's days like today that our feathered friends really need a helping hand. By providing the birds with a feeding station as well as fresh water and shelter from the elements, you can enjoy their beauty from your window and the warmth of your house.

During the winter months, most of the birds I see in my back yard are seed eaters. This is because there are no bugs this time of year and birds that diet consist of just bugs have long since headed south. But there are some hold overs who will eat nuts and suet like woodpeckers.

If I was to cover the entire process in one post, I would be writing for hours and you would be reading for hours. So what I'll try to do is break it up over different post so this does not become a novel.

I'll start with what food I've found to work best during the winter months. The first and main staple actually year round is black oil sunflower seed. This seed is like a steak in the bird world. I have not found a bird yet that does not like it. I offer it in several feeders. I use it as a base in my fly through feeders. I also have a lantern type feeder you can purchase for around $8 at Wal-Mart that is constantly in use. I usually go through around 5 lbs a week just in that feeder during the winter months. You can also use a cage type feeder that birds can cling to and pick them out. However you decide to feed it, you can be assured they will love it. The black oil sunflower seed has a thinner shell is easier for birds to open. The seed inside is also larger than that of the stripped sunflower seed making it more attractive. Most of all it's a high source of protein that birds need to stay warm during the winter months.

Peanuts are my next favorite. You want to feed the de-shelled unsalted variety. You can either get the dry roasted, or what I use the raw peanuts. Again almost every bird that comes to my feeders love these. They are an extremely high source of protein and along with black oil sunflower seeds are usually the first to go. You can also feed unsalted peanuts in the shell. These are not as popular, but I do feed them for blue jays and red bellied wood peckers. It's fun to watch them grab one and fly into a tree and work them open.

Next I fill tube and hopper feeders with a GOOD mixed seed blend. The seed blends usually found at department stores or drug stores are usually junk. You will find more on the ground than what is eaten. That's because most of it is fillers the birds will just not eat. I look for a blend that has white millet, black oil sunflower seed, safflower, peanut hearts, sunflower chips and even some stripped sunflower seed. Avoid the mixes with red Milo, died seed for pet birds and wheat. Go to either a bird store or hardware/feed store for this mix. The price is usually still reasonable and you'll feed more of it than wasting it.

Another specialty feed I use is Nyjer thistle seed. This is an expensive source of food, but the gold finches love it. If you see the gold finches in your yard this is definitely worth the investment. If you keep the feeder clean an filled, you will have gold finches year round. Also Pine Siskins are attracted to it. The final benefit is you will usually always have dark eyed juncos feeding under that feeder through out their winter stay.

Suet is another great choice during the winter. I've had less success with it in my yard, however they do eat it. I use both suet cages and the suet logs to feed it. The cages take the suet cakes while the log uses the suet plugs. The nice thing about suet is you can be creative and make it your self. In future post I'll try and give you some different recipes and ideas such as melting it down and putting it in ice cube trays to make little suet cakes for your feeders. Again when it comes to suet I prefer something with nuts in it. Usually a woodpecker blend works nice.

Water is the ultimate key to keeping winter birds. Most people put their bird baths away in the winters and offer no water source. Birds must have open water to drink in order to survive. This can be accomplished by either buying a heated bird bath or a bird bath heater. Either way they start at about $30 in most stores but I'm sure you can find better deals online. If your going to make the effort to feed the birds in the winter, make the effort to provide them water. By doing so you will be providing them with what they need while enjoying more birds in your yard than your neighbors.

Finally you can just be creative. Try smearing peanut butter on a pine cone or tree trunk. Add some sunflower hearts or tiny pieces of fruit to it. (most people make the mistake of cutting the fruit to big. think how small their mouths are.) If your going to use fruit bananas always have seemed to work for me. Also raisins but you need to rehydrate them first. Allow them to soak in some warm water and re-plump. Then take some scissors and cut them into smaller pieces. Don't be afraid to sit out most any slice fruit in the winter months. There is always some bird who will pick at it.

If your just getting started feeding it may take time for birds to find your feeders. Don't be discouraged if you do not see birds right away. Give it time and if the feed sits for a couple weeks with no visitors empty it and put in fresh feed. Also try moving the feeders around. I was amazed when I first started feeding birds that moving a feeder just a few feet sometimes made a huge difference. There were times I though the birds would never use my feeder. The I would move it 5 or 10 feet and it would become their favorite feeder.

Now to what birds have I attracted using these foods. First I'm in North east Ohio just west of Cleveland. I live in a suburban area with plenty of trees. What I get in my back yard may differ from yours. However using these foods you will attract birds. The birds I see on almost a daily basis in my back yard are the following. Cardinals, Chickadees, White breasted nuthatches, Red breasted Nuthatches, House finches, Gold Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, House Sparrows, Dark Eyed Juncos, Tufted Titmice, Pine Siskins and the occasional Coopers hawk, Carlina wren and brown creeper. Also I see the occasional odd bird just by chance.

I hope this helps getting you started in feeding birds this winter. I'll continue to add new post weekly to help you as much as I can. Also please feel free to email me your questions or tell a friend about this blog. I'll do my best to post as much useful information here as possible. Enjoy your winter birds this year.