Attracting Wild Birds

Attracting Wild Birds

As more land is used to accommodate the ever-growing human population, yards and city parks become important bird habitat. Diversified landscaping and feeding stations offer an oasis of resources in the middle of human domain. Feeding and watching birds gives families the opportunity to practice conservation right in their own yards. Children can learn and enjoy the wonders of nature right from the kitchen window. Children will be able to observe the hatching of young chicks and learn how many birds help control the insect population.

One fun aspect of feeding birds is learning what birds are visiting your backyard habitat. There are several good identification field guides such as National Geographic, Peterson's East & West and Birds of North America through which the wild birds can be identified. Birds are grouped by physical characteristics. It is fairly easy to distinguish a duck from a songbird by just looking at body shape and size, as well as the beak and feet shapes. These physical characteristics will help identify birds: size, body shape, colors, markings, beak shape, feet and wing shape in flight. Birds have a variety of calls. Good listeners can learn to tell the difference between "chickadee" and "cheerily - cheerio - cheeriup" calls of the Black-capped Chickadee and the American Robin.

The most important element is the type of food offered to the wild birds. The widest variety of food sources ensures the widest variety of birds.  Ensure that your bird feeder is kept clean.  Old, moldy seed left in the feeder will not attract wild birds. Not only is the food type important, but the time period you feed and the consistency of feeding is very important as well.  Many people will only feed the birds in the winter months, which is when they need it most, however, by feeding throughout the spring and summer months you will attract the migratory birds returning from southern climates.  In addition, by feeding in the spring and summer, parenting birds will have easy access to a food source for their young. Food like seeds, protein rich insects and worms, flies; birds love mosquitoes, spiders, aphids and ants. Do not kill all the bugs in your yard if you want birds. Flowers, shrubs and trees will encourage a rich insect life in your yard that will, in turn, provide necessary food for wild birds. If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden, this can be accomplished in several ways. If you plant honeysuckle, common lilac (with purple flowers), red geraniums, nasturtium, red petunias, red salvia, coral bells, columbine, fuchsia and even scarlet runner beans, there is a good chance that you will see hummingbirds feeding among your flowers.

Fresh, clean water made available year round is an important element of attracting wild birds.  The simplest and most readily available is a shallow birdbath.  Birdbaths can be kept thawed even in winter by a birdbath heater. Most garden birds like a water source far enough from surrounding vegetation to offer surveillance against a surprise attack from squirrels, rats, big birds. If there is water falling or dripping making sound this will attract birds even more towards the backyard.

Birds are dependent on flight for safety; they are most vulnerable when they are “grounded” to rest, feed or nest.  To a bird, protection means staying both comfortable and safe.  Again, a wide variety of plant vegetation and trees will find the best range of habitat for birds.  The selection of plants and their arrangement in the landscape are important in making a bird feel at home.  Protection from cold winds and driving rain allow birds to maintain body heat, and keep healthy.  Birds that are exposed to cold, wet and windy weather are very vulnerable to exposure and resulting death.  Without protective cover near by, wild birds will not frequent bird feeders even if they are the best feeders with the most desirable seed.

Build nest and bird houses for birds to raise their families and provide them with shelter. When the birds will feel that there is a shelter provided to take care of the baby birds they will build their natural nests and start living and heave their family.

If you specially want to attract humming birds then take care that your feeders are full because they will begin moving south as early as July but it will take several months for the birds to begin to reach the southern U.S. and they can use your feeders during the trip. They eat lots of protein in their diets too and that doesn't come from sugar feeders and they need insects too. It is important to leave your feeders up and full. Migrating birds need all the quick and easy nourishment they can find to sustain the incredible energy demands of migration. It is vital that hummingbirds fatten up for their extended trips, particularly those crossing the Gulf of Mexico. For several weeks after your regular summer hummingbirds have left your flowers and feeders, migrating birds could be quickly passing through your gardens unnoticed. Leaving your feeders up for at least three weeks after seeing your last hummingbird is essential.

The fascinating world of Birds

The fascinating world of Birds

Birds are truly beautiful creatures, they are also fascinating and all around us, roosting and nesting on our buildings and feeding in our gardens and refuse dumps, they are easy to find and fun to observe. Birds are probably the most beloved group of wild animals on the planet. Their ubiquitous presence, colorful form, intelligent actions and cheeky mannerisms endear them to us all and they are easy to love.

There are about 9 703 species of birds divided up into 23 orders, 142 families. Birds can be found on all major landmasses from the poles to the tropics as well as in or over all our seas and oceans and their accompanying islands. The total number of birds on the planet is very difficult to estimate because their populations fluctuate seasonally, but scientists have suggested that there may be between 100,000 and 200,000 million adult or near adult birds on the planet at any one time. Of these the most common or populous wild bird in the world is the Red-billed Quelea from south of the Sahara in Africa. These birds are so prolific that they are serious pests of grain and millions are killed at roost sites every year in a vain attempt to control their numbers.

The most common bird in the world is the Red Jungle fowl most regularly seen as the common domestic chicken. The most widespread commonly seen wild bird in the world is probably the European House Sparrow which has been transported all over the world by European settlers and can now be found on 2/3 of the land masses of the world including New Zealand, Australia, N. America, India and of course Europe. There are 3 possible ways of measuring largest in birds; heaviest, tallest and or longest wingspan. The heaviest bird ever was probably the extinct Dromornis stirtoni from Australia. This flightless giant lived between 1 and 15 million years ago and probably stood nearly 3m/10ft tall and weighed in at a massive 500kg/1100lb. The tallest bird ever was, as far as we know, Dinornus maximus, a Giant Moa from New Zealand. Another extinct bird, this time from S. America, has the record for largest flying bird and longest wingspan. The Giant Teratorn had a wingspan of at least 6M/19.5ft and could possibly have been as large as 7.5m/25ft.

Whereas the smallest bird in the world is generally agreed to be the Bee Hummingbird from Cuba, which weighs a mere 1.6g, or 0.056oz. Shortest wings and body length are not really appropriate measurements because they are disproportionately affected by whether or not the bird is flightless or not and its beak length respectively. Another major contender for smallest bird is the Little Woodstar from S. America. Both these tiny miracles of life fly very competently. The smallest flightless bird is the Inaccessible Island Rail. Reaching a mere 12.5cm/5inches in length and weighing 35g/1.45oz this little beauty can only be found in the southern Atlantic Tristan da Cunha Islands.

One of the most notable things about just about any bird population is that some of the birds are only present for some of the time. Between 1500 and 4000 species of birds migrate. Some birds travel south in some winters but not others. This is not migration, but dispersal resulting from a population boom. These population booms can occur regularly, i.e. every 4 or 10 years perhaps, but there is no return in the spring. Destruction or loss of food resources can also cause the irregular eruptions of birds to new habitats.

Seasonal migration is a major factor in the life of many birds. In some cases this migration is very obvious and involves huge distances but at other times it is much more subtle. In the UK most people know that Swallows, Swifts and many small passerines such as Wood Warblers and Redstarts are migratory birds. They are present in the summer, but fly south along with many other species to warmer climes for winter. Similarly, many ducks and geese are only present in the UK during winter while they return north to the near arctic in summer to breed. What is less well known is that a number of our more regular birds are migrants as well. Birds that we see all year such as Robins and Starlings either leave or come to Britain during the winter. For some of these species, birds move south a certain degree over their whole range so that though my local birds have left and gone south their more northern cousins have also moved south and arrived. The overall effect can be that to a cursory observation, the population is sedentary when in fact it is quite dynamic. A further complication to this picture is that in some cases only part of the population is migratory.

Bird Watching

Bird Watching

Birds are the most visible form of wildlife, they are found in every part of the world that is not permanently covered by ice, and you can see them in any weather, any time of day or night, anywhere you go. Whether you live in the country or the city, there are birds nearby, 835 species of birds spend at least part of the year in North America. You can go out looking for birds or attract them to your home. Birding is one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities all around the world. The Verb ‘To Bird' would serve as an excellent jumping off point for a feature, which highlights the growing popularity of birding.

More than 70 million Americans are feeding and watching backyard birds.

Success in bird watching is, to a large extent, based on location, either by venturing to locations or habitats where birds are plentiful, or by devising ways to attract birds to your own back yard. Birds seen at a distance may be enjoyable to watch, but the true excitement of the hobby is greatly enhanced when you can see the birds up very close. Some of the most useful tools that enhance your bird-watching experience are those that makes birds easier to see in striking detail.

There are numerous ways to participate in the hobby of birding. Aside from simply viewing birds in nature, avid enthusiasts engage in numerous other activities. Some of those may include: feeding birds, providing nesting sites or birdhouses, growing specialized plants and gardens to attract birds, traveling to nature sanctuaries and other bird-watching locales, keeping lists and notes on birds seen in the wild, making diagrams and sketches and spending hours trying to snap the perfect photograph of a favorite bird species.

In order to enhance your beautiful experience of bird watching in winter one can learn bird’s song. Birds’ strongest senses are sight and hearing, and they have evolved ways to communicate and to recognize their own species by using signals based on those two senses. Because we are also creatures of sight and sound, we can tap right into all the fascinating distinctions of color and shape that birds embody, and just as naturally we can appreciate the sounds that are so important in their lives. As you begin to recognize bird songs, your own backyard will become a much more interesting place. For me, it was like gaining supernatural vision, being able to see through the leaves and around buildings. I was amazed at how many birds were all around me and how much I had been missing out on.

To broaden your bird-watching experience beyond your own backyard, consider incorporating some bird-rich locales into your next vacation. Serious bird enthusiasts actually plan trips around visiting bird sanctuaries, nature parks and other natural locations where they can view birds in large numbers, in diversity of species and in their native habitats. Traveling to a region of the country other than the one in which you live will allow you to see species you may have never seen before for e.g.

The southeastern Arizona Mountains known as "sky islands" and in particular the Chirachua mountains are home to many impressive species such as the acorn woodpecker

One of the most distinctive attractions in this area, however, is the diversity of hummingbirds. As many as 14 different species may be observed here. The large magnificent hummingbird can only be found in the Southwest.

Some of the basic tips for bird watching are:

• Try to observe the birds so they don't know you are there. Move slowly, make as little noise as possible, and keep your distance.
• Going too close to a nest or repeatedly scaring a bird off its nest can cause the parents to abandon their nest leaving the eggs vulnerable to predators. Do not touch the eggs or young birds.
• Avoid trampling fragile natural areas to get a closer look. Stay on paths and trails.
• Don't litter.

Now once you have started on the bird watching its important to build bird house, start the proper bird-feeding all year around, provide them with water either through bird bath or providing water specially in extreme weathers. In this way the birds would be attracted and would keep coming back to the backyard.

Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

Although similar to the goldfinch, this warbler lacks the black wings and tail. Its cheerful, bright call can be heard by urban dwellers from willows, small trees, and shrubs growing on wet grounds and in residential areas that contain an open growth of small ornamental trees.

A tropic winterer, he breeds from the tree limit in Canada to the southern states. When plagued by cowbirds laying eggs in its nest, this warbler builds a second nest on tip of the first, completely covering the cowbird's eggs, and any of its own in the bottom layer.

Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

This is a gay little warbler that is abundant, at least in summer, across the United States and most of Canada wherever there are moist shrubby areas. It's a permanent resident in southern-most United States and northern Mexico--and north up the Pacific coast to San Francisco. The yellowthroat lives in shrubs in moist areas, showing its distinctive markings to passersby. The female doesn't have a black mask, but otherwise looks much like the male.

These warblers nest on or near the ground in moist areas and eat mainly insects, including plant lice; don't look for them in the tops of tall trees. Adults are about 5 inches long. There are, of course, a lot of warblers over the continent, but the yellowthroat is widely distributed and widely admired. Keep your wet areas if you want to keep yellowthroats around.

Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)

Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)

This bird is at least fairly common in suburban groves all over the eastern United States. Adults are a bit over 7 inches long and their song is like a flute phrase followed by a soft trill, heard usually at dawn or dusk.

There are a number of other common thrushes. The hermit has a wide range, summering up into mid-Canada and wintering in the southern United States and Mexico. Very, Swaison's, and gray-cheeked thrushes are also widespread. The wood thrush is the largest and probably the most citified, at least in terms of living in woody areas near cities. It is also the only one with a heavily spotted breast.

The nest is similar to a robin's, but without so much mud, and is usually twenty-five feet or less from the ground in a tree or shrub.

Wood Pewee (contopus sp.)

Wood Pewee (contopus sp.)

The bird of this painting ranges from the east coast through the Mississippi Valley, where its range meets that of the western pewee. They are hard to tell apart visually, although the songs are quite different. Both species also look like eastern phoebes, so spotting this bird with assurance requires some study. The names of all these birds are based upon their calls, and all are flycatchers.

The pewees like groves of mixed trees, and at twilight the eastern species sings a plaintive whistled song that is longer and more varied than its daylight song. You are much more likely to see or hear these birds in outer suburbia housing areas than in the inner city or on shopping center parking lots, since they require tall trees and cannot be heard above traffic noises.