Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Spring Migration

Please remember to help our feathered friends in their journey by providing food and water.

Spring will be here soon


Well we are finally on the down side of winter. For the most part the winter was mild here and the birds did not have it to bad. However we're not out of the woods yet so continue your winter feeding.

Spring is my favorite time of year to watch birds. By the end of April the migration is in full swing and it's fun to get out and see birds I would not normally be able to see. There are several species of warblers and a trip about 90 minutes west of where I live allows me the opportunity to see them all. Last year I was amazed at how many birds I got to see for the first time. I even had an oven bird set up shop under the bushes in my back yard for a couple of weeks.

It's kind of a down period right now as I await the spring season. My goal this spring is to post once a week on a different species of bird and try to keep it in a time line with the migration. I will also try to give tips on attracting and keeping certain species to your back yard. If you want a head start now is the time to purchase your nesting boxes and get them put up. Also if you had nesting boxes from last year be sure to clean out the old nest. (should have been a fall project, but it's not to late...lol) I will start by posting probably next Monday probably with the gold finch as they should begin to transform back to their bright gold pretty soon.

Finally those of you who visit this page from the south, I would love to hear from you as the birds start their movement north. The Ruby throated humming bird is my favorite but I also love the blue birds. I look forward to all our feathered friends coming back this year as they complete their cycle of life.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Black-Capped Chickadee


Sorry for being out of circulation so long but things have been crazy lately. It seems what little time I've had that I could post here has been spent feeding our feathered freinds.

The birds have really been plentiful this winter and it's been a handful keeping up with them. On a daily basis (when not at work 12 hours a day) I'm seeing Cardinals, Chickadees, tit mice, house sparrows, Downy woodpeckers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Juncos, Gold finches and an occasional Carolina wren and the dreaded Coopers Hawk. They come through at least once a week looking for an easy meal.

I've really spent the past couple of weeks catoring to the chickadees. My goal is to get them to nest in the yard this year. They were checking out some boxes last year but never nested in them. Hopefully this year will be different.

If your not getting these little gems in your yard your really missing out. They have a wonderful song and are actually pretty easy to hand tame. While I have yet to get one to feed out of my hand yet, they are always with in grabbing distance as they follow me around the yard filling feeders. As you can see from the picture he was just sitting right above my head watching me take pictures and filling feeders.

They are easily found in woods, farmland and suburbs. They prefer eating black oil sunflower seeds, safflower, suet and peanuts. If you want to try to get them to nest try a nesting box with an enterance hole of 1 1/8"-1 1/2", the opening should be 6-7" above the floor with an inside floor demension of 4X4" to 5X5". The total box height should be 9'-12" and hung in a tree or on a post 5-10' high.

They're an active little bird coming into a feeder then flying into a tree and eating it. They are a year round bird that can be found in flocks during the winter. In the spring they disperse into breeding pairs. Males sings and each pair defends a breeding territory. I always know when they are on the nest because I rarely see them for 6-7 weeks. Once the babies are born they once again return to the feeders.

If your not getting chickadees yet you may want to give it a try. They are usually the first bird to find a new feeder and once they become use to you and gain your trust you'll always have a friend near by when your outdoors.