When we shop for groceries we often find ourselves reading labels to see what ingredients are in our food. When we purchase food for our pets we read labels to assure we are buying a quality product that provides the nutrition they need to keep healthy. When we purchase wild bird feed for our backyard…
Dave of the Wild Bird Habitat Stores published a series about the 7 Basic Backyard Bird Feeders. These different types of bird feeders will help you attract the largest variety of birds to your backyard. Birds have different feeding characteristics, and each of these bird feeders are designed to attract specific groups of birds. And…
The easiest way to clean a birdbath is to ensure it doesn’t get dirty. While all birdbaths will eventually need to be cleaned, there are steps that can be taken to minimize the need for frequent cleanings. When refilling the birdbath, dump out the stagnant water instead of just adding more. Position the birdbath away…
The Ruby Throated Hummingbird arrives in the middle latitudes of the United States about the first of May and departs in October. If you live in an extensively wooded area or along a river, you may see them all summer long. Generally we can expect to have them most of May and then returning in…
How To Attract Orioles Most birds migrate at night, spending daytime hours to forage for food and rest. When they arrive at a location in the early morning hours these birds are cold, tired, and hungry. The first thing they will do is to locate a source of food. This is why timing is important when…
Suet is rendered animal fat. The rendering of the animal fat kills bacteria preventing the suet from becoming rancid. This animal fat is what attracts the woodpeckers and other birds to the suet feeder. It’s a great supplement for birds that flourish on insects. Feeding birds suet was traditionally a way to provide a high…
As spring approaches, bluebirds will prepare to nest and explore their natural habitats in Nebraska and across the country. Three species of bluebirds are found in North America. The Eastern Bluebird, Mountain Bluebird, and Western Bluebird. If you want to attract these beautiful ‘birds of happiness’ to your property, you should plan now to set…
If the calls of the Sandhill Cranes, or the sound of flocks of Snow Geese overhead, send a tingle down your back and gives you goosebumps – then you have the onset of spring bird migration fever. Once you’ve witnessed the Sandhill Crane migration and heard those calls it will lure you back again and…
Nebraska’s Lillian Rowe Sanctuary SANDHILL CRANE CAM From late February to the first week os April watch over half million Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River in Nebraska View crane cam early mornings and late afternoons Savanah GA GREAT HORNED OWL CAM Decorah, IA BALD EAGLE CAM Cornell Bird Lab FEEDER CAM
Platform Bird Feeders Continuing Wild Bird Habitat Store’s series on the “7 Basic Backyard Bird Feeders” to attract the largest variety of birds to your yard, our third bird feeder of the series is one of my favorites, the platform bird feeder. Platform bird feeders, also called tray feeders, are excellent for attracting a large variety of…
When I opened the Wild Bird Habitat Stores in 1993, there weren’t any commercially produced ground bird feeders on the market. At first, I just tossed wild bird feed on the ground for those birds that fed primarily on the ground. That included Mourning Doves, towhees, native sparrows, and juncos. Occasionally wood thrush and thrashers…
SEED TUBE BIRD FEEDERS The second bird feeder in Wild Bird Habitat Store’s “7 Basic Backyard Bird Feeders” series is the seed tube bird feeder. A seed tube bird feeder is just that – it is a tube with seed ports and perches where the birds sit to access the wild bird feed. This is probably…