ToddSpace: John's Birding Page

Provide water for birds

When people are thirsty they can seek something to drink from the nearest water faucet or refrigerator. Birds do not have that luxury. They must rely on nature or people to provide water for them.

Bird baths come in a variety of sizes, shapes and prices. They range from the very ornate to a simple garbage can lid. They may be purchased at most lawn and garden stores or be made at home with a variety of materials. Terra-cotta saucers used under large plants make excellent bird baths. A garbage can lid with a few stones placed inside also can be used. Whether you decide to purchase your bird bath or make it from items found at home, follow these guidelines for success.

Depth: Bird baths should be no deeper than 3 inches at the deepest point and should have sloping sides down to this point. An edge along the top will provide a place for birds to perch while taking a drink. If your bird bath is deeper than this, provide some rocks in the bottom to lessen the depth.

Surface: The surface of the bath should be rough so that birds can maintain sure footing. Pebbles, stone and concrete all provide the needed traction. Plastic is generally too slippery.

Height: Bird baths may be placed on the ground, on a raised pedestal or hung from a branch a few feet off the ground. Ground level baths have the added benefit of providing water for many small mammals such as squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits. However, bathing birds are extremely vulnerable to predators. If cats are in or around your yard, your bird bath should be raised above the ground.

Dripping Water: Nothing attracts birds as quickly as dripping water. Some bird baths have fountains, but a water drip can be made easily. Take a bucket, large jug, or can and make a hole with a nail in the bottom or along the side just above the bottom. Attach the container to a branch 3-4 feet above the branch and fill it with water. This should provide a slow steady drip that will attract birds to your bath. Once they have found the bath, they should continue to visit it even when the water isn't dripping.

Location: Ideally your bath should be placed near a tree with overhanging branches so the birds will have a place to sit and preen after bathing. If cats are present, place the bath away from dense shrubbery where cats can hide and surprise the birds. Different species will be attracted to the bath depending on the height and location. You may want to experiment to see what works best for you. But, don't forget to put the bath in a location where you can watch it.

Care: Keep your bird bath filled with clean, fresh water at all times. A reliable source of water is important for attracting birds. Dump the water out and refill it every couple of days. Use a brush to remove any algae that may have grown. Never use any chemicals to control algae.

Now sit back and enjoy your bird bath. Once the birds have located this water source, they will visit it on a daily basis and give you a welcome diversion as you watch them enjoy the water.

Keeping woodpeckers off your house

Ellen wrote and asked how to keep woodpeckers off of her house. There are no sure fire ways to do this, but here are some suggestions that may help.

The best way to keep woodpeckers from hammering on your house is to begin damage control as soon as you hear the first tap. And you should continue these measures even after the woodpecker has left to ensure that it does not return. Any holes the bird has made in your house should be immediately repaired and painted to avoid attracting more woodpeckers.

Aluminum foil strips, reflective tape, windsocks and plastic owls sometimes work to deter the woodpecker.

Set up a suet feeding station in your yard, and always keep it filled.

Here is an easy homemade woodpecker suet feeder:

Find a small log, approx 24" long by several inches in diameter. Drill several 1 1/2" holes half way through the log on the bark side. Attach an eye hook to one end. Fill the holes with your favorite suet. Run a wire or piece of rope through the eye hook and attach to a tree branch in a tree in your yard.

Sometimes, but not always, the presence of suet feeders may keep woodpeckers from damaging your home.

Playing it by ear

Birds and other animals are often obscured by their surroundings. It is common to hear many more species than are ever seen. Identifying birds is as much sound as it is sight. Many organizations, when doing yearly bird counts, will allow identification by sound.

To use bird sounds as an effective means of identification, you need a way of representing bird calls and songs. One way to do this is phonetics. The words chickadee and bobwhite remind you of the sound that the birds actually make.

Different people hear the same song or call differently. If a phonetic does not make sense to you, make your own up. Even if you know one of the traditional representations, make up a new one and write it down. The more active you are about learning bird songs, the quicker your learning is likely to progress. Be creative, often the most bizarre representation are the ones you will remember.

There are many websites that have bird vocalizations that you can listen to. The best I have ever come across is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site All About Birds. Not only does this site have bird sounds, but a wide variety of resources, such as detailed descriptions, range maps, cool facts, sex differences, and much more.

When you are out and about, whether it be in the city, the woods or the marsh... listen. You never know what you may hear!

Barn Owls LIVE!

It is totally amazing what can be found on the net these days! I have come across a LIVE feed of a barn owl and its chicks in a nest box in Italy, Texas.

You must have a broadband connection to view the video. (Sorry dial-up).

Nesting Boxes

Nest boxes for birds should be set out now. If you have not done so, here are some tips on placing them.

For nesting boxes with small entrance holes:

• Height: whether attached to a tree, post or wall, the height above ground level is not critical to most birds. Just remember when placing the nesting box to place it where there is little human traffic, and prowling cats.
• Aspect: If there is no natural shelter, it is best to mount your nesting box facing between southeast and north, to avoid direct sunlight and heavy rains. The nesting box should be tilted slightly forward so rain can run off the top.
• Predators: If placing a box on a pole or post, attach a baffle so predators can not climb up and have access to the box. Squirrels and woodpeckers will enlarge a nesting box hole for their own use. Attach a metal plate with the same diameter hole over the nesting box hole.
• How Many: The number of nesting boxes which can be placed in an area depends on the species you wish to attract. Many species are fiercely territorial, such as cardinals, and will not tolerate another pair close by. About 2 to 3 pairs per acre is the normal density for cardinals. Other species such as Tree Sparrow, which are colonial nesters, will happily nest side by side. Do not place nesting boxes near a feeding area! With all the birds coming to eat and going, it will likely prevent nesting.
• Cleaning: At the end of the breeding season, which is usually October or November, all nesting boxes should be taken down, old nesting material removed, and the box cleaned. The best way to clean a box is to use very hot water, this will kill any parasites that may be present. Do NOT use insecticides or any chemicals, boiling water is adequate! Remember, it is illegal to keep bird nests and bird eggs, even if you find late in the season that they failed to hatch.
• Winter: Leave the nesting box up in winter as it will be useful as a roosting site for birds in bad weather.

Here are some recommended nesting hole sizes for various bird species:

• 1" to 1 1/2": Wrens
• 1 1/8 to 1 1/2": Chickadee, Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Titmouse
• 1 1/2": Bluebirds, Sparrows
• 1 1/2" to 2 3/4": Hairy Woodpecker
• 2" to 2 1/2": Purple Martin

Be sure all of your nesting boxes have no front landing perches. If your nesting box has a perch, remove it. Front landing perches give predators an unfair advantage when raiding nests.

Hummingbird Migration Maps

The hummingbirds are coming! Reports of the ruby-throated hummingbird have been received from southern Connecticut and it wont be long until they are throughout New England.

The average date of the first ruby-throated hummingbird in New England is the April 12th to April 25th time frame. Weather plays a huge factor in the migration northward. During years when springs are very cool, first sightings have been as late as the second week of May!

Two great websites show migrations maps that were put together from reports on the ground of those who have seen this tiny bird.

Journey North Hummingbird Spring 2006 has some great interactive maps. It shows the most recent map of reported sightings. And by clicking the map, it will take you to a zoomable map of average first sightings of not only the hummingbird, but also of orioles, robins, eagles, whales, leaves of specific trees and even earthworms!

Hummingbirds.net has maps of reported sightings. The last I checked, the site was down, but it should be an active site. When it comes back on line, I will report more on it here.

In my opinion, those in southern and central New England can go ahead and put out their hummingbird feeders. Northern New England can probably wait until the first of May.

Just like seed feeders, hummingbird feeders need to be kept clean and their nectar kept fresh. Please do not hang out the feeder and forget about it! Nectar must be changed or used at least twice a week. If not, it will ferment, which threatens the health of the hummingbirds visiting your feeder.

Always place your hummingbird feeder with your birds safety in mind. Place it in a spot out of the sun and wind, approx. 6-7 feet from the ground, and away from access to cats. With the feeder this high, as long as there is nothing a cat can jump onto the feeder from, it should be safe.

You don't need to buy nectar! Here is an easy recipe for making nectar your hummingbirds will enjoy:

• 1 part sugar (such as one cup)
• 4 parts water (such as 4 cups)
• Combine the ingredients into a pan. Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil, removing from the heat as soon as the boil begins. Allow to cool at room temperature. Pour nectar into feeders and enjoy! You do not need to add food coloring to the nectar! It does not need to be red. Left over nectar may be placed in a glass or plastic container and refrigerated. Please do not store in a metal container!

If you sight a hummingbird, let us know. Click on "Comments" at the end of this article.

Sharing some pictures

I thought I would share some pictures I took over the weekend while my wife and I visited Rockland, Maine. Not the best pictures, was pretty dreary out.

Saturday was very cold and windy, with temps in the 30's and windchills much below that. We did see a wide variety of birds and ducks. All these pictures were taken at Owls Head, and Spruce Head Island, Maine. Hold your cursor over the picture for info. Enjoy!

Another Eagle Cam!

Lynn has made me aware of another eagle cam at Barton Cove in Turners Falls, Massachusetts.  Here is a link for it. It shows the eagles from a different perspective, and you can see the eggs clearly (when the parents move!!!).  They're expecting a hatchling by April 9.  Both cameras (the Maine camera and the Barton Cover camera), being from the different angles, make for a wonderfully complete picture of nesting eagles.

Many thanks Lynn, for sharing in this great site!

**UPDATE -- 4/11/2006**

Received some exciting news from Lynn about the eagles at Barton Cove, Massachusetts.

Happy to announce that we have a hatchling as of about 1:30 PM Monday, April 10, baby is actively eating, and I was able to watch the "changing of the guard" a few minutes ago as one parent flew off and the other took over.  The other egg is expected to hatch on or about April 13.  How wonderful and fascinating this all is!

Many thanks Lynn for keeping us updated!

Types of bird seed

The following chart shows different types of bird seed for a wide variety of wild birds. Most birding stores will carry these seeds/mixes.

Fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus which causes respiratory infections in birds, can grow in the feeders.

Always remember to use a feeder that is covered in some way to keep the seed dry. Get into the habit of cleaning your bird feeders once a month, year round, as it is important in the health of wild birds. It is recommended that hummingbird feeders be cleaned every four days.

Around my home

This is one of the many feeding stations I have around my home.

Nestled amongst the lilac bushes, many birds have come to have a meal. The top right feeder holds two cakes of suet. The next two, (going counter-clockwise) holds a special mix of safflower and sunflower seeds, without the shells, the hearts if you will. The platform feeder that is hung on a broken branch holds a mix of sunflower seeds, peanuts (without shells), safflower, dried cherries and almonds.
The last feeder, near the center of the picture, holds the same mix as the previous feeder, and a cake of suet on each end.

This feeding station is my newest, it was placed about 10 days ago. Several birds are visiting, including a pair of cardinals. The cardinal breeding pair are vigorously defending their territory.

The female has been known to attack her reflection on the neighbors rear view mirror of their car! She does this on a daily basis. The male sits in the lilac bush looking at her as if she is crazy. I am trying to get a picture of this comical bird, and when I do, I will post it here.

This picture shows a breeding pair of house sparrows. These two are funny to watch also. The male will do a dance to get the females attention. Along with the dance comes flaring of the tail feathers.

Some people group the house sparrow with the starling, as a "pest" bird. Both of these birds were brought over from Europe, and as all things do, got out of control. Both these species will take over your nesting boxes if the hole is big enough. DO NOT kill these birds. If you notice them trying to nest in your nesting box, open up the box and dump out the materials they placed in there. After several times doing this, I have found that they give up.

As a homeowner, you’ll want to do what you can to discourage them from building a home in your house. For one thing, they use copious amounts of straw, twigs and grasses to make their nests, making a fire hazard for you. The proper sized nest box, along with the proper sized entry hole will do a lot to discourage starlings and house sparrows from building their nest. Remember, this only applies to house sparrows, not other sparrows, such as song, fox, marsh, etc. Ask at your favorite birding store about what hole sizes are right for the birds that you want to encourage to nest.

I took this shot today of a chickadee playing peek-a-boo with me. It amazes me how trusting these little birds are. With some patience, you can have them eating seed from your hand. Since moving here, I have been gaining their trust, and hopefully soon, I will be able to share with you one of these beautiful birds eating out of my hand.

Last summer, I had a humming bird land on the rim of my glasses whilst filling his nectar feeder. I must admit, I was a bit surprised!

That's it for today. If there is a subject on birding you would like to see here, please feel free to click on the "Comments" link, and make your suggestions. Feedback is always welcome!