Blog - Wild Birds Unlimited of GPW

Bird Spotlight: Northern Flickers

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

I love it in the spring when I hear the sound, “wicka, wicka, wicka”. I look to the treetops, especially exposed snags, hoping to find the pair of Northern Flickers engaging in courtship behavior, as tipped off by their calls. With beaks pointed to the sky, they move their heads side to side in unison while calling, tails fanned out. The Flicker Flamenco Dance is one of my favorite local treats to watch. Northern Flickers are a woodpecker, and one of the few that can be found feeding on the ground. Their specialty is ants! There was a study done of the stomach contents of 700 Northern Flickers which showed that 98% of them had eaten only ants, with one count

A Fall Bird Walk at Elmwood Cemetery

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

Who would have imagined, a Bird Walk at Elmwood Cemetery on September 20th with 80 degree temperatures!? Despite the unusual warmth, our crowd of 15 had a delightful time walking around this historic cemetery – and Detroit’s only certified Arboretum. We love our hostess, Joanie Capuano, who fills in the blank on the history of the “who’s who” in the cemetery and what certain headstones mean, and is as engaged in the birds as everyone else. The flycatchers were high in the trees and, with the size of the trees here, that’s way up! Through the scope we were able to identify Great-crested Flycatcher – the rest we chalked up to “flycatcher species”, as they can all look extremely similar. American Robins were in abundance

Maintaining a Clean Bird Feeding Station

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

The onset of autumn is a great time to check your feeding stations for cleanliness and functionality. With feeding the birds comes the responsibility to reduce the risk of disease and illness and keeps pests away (this is good for your birds and for you)! The following tips should help you achieve these goals. This time of year, I find the non-migrant birds such as Chickadees, Cardinals, House Finches, and Nuthatches come to the feeders less often, as they feast on the natural foods that are in abundance. Once those seeds and insects start to lessen, birds look to supplement their diet with feeder offerings. The most favored seed option to offer is black oil sunflower, preferred by more birds

Chimney Swifts – Aerial Artists

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

Perhaps one of the happiest sounds in my yard during the warmer months is the chattering of Chimney Swifts as they race by in the sky. Looking like a cigar with sickle-shaped wings, they are usually seen flying in pairs or family groups. (Photo courtesy of Chuck Slusarczyk Jr.) Their wings quiver in flight, swift and shallow, as they maneuver to catch insects. Feeding “on the wing,” they capture flies, bugs, wasps, and other insects. Chimney Swifts spend more time flying than other species of birds. They copulate in flight, and drink and bathe in the rain while flying. They do stop flying to sit on eggs and to roost at night for sleep. Chimney Swifts previously nested in caves and

Goldfinch Doing the Happy Dance

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

This morning the goldfinch was doing performing his Happy Dance and I watched with delight. It was 7:00 am and I heard short versions of his song being repeated. I looked up to see him making laps around the perimeter of my yard, singing only when his wings beat. With a gentle rolling flight, he finished five laps and then reversed, right over me, much to my delight. Five more laps around the yard in the opposite direction. Per Cher Cher Cher Cher Cher – only on the wing beats, his golden body undulating upward in flight. I am smitten. Does he love my yard for the food it brings to him and his perspective mate? Is he showing her

Cliff Swallows

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

It was a happy day when David Oliver stopped in at Wild Birds Unlimited in Grosse Pointe Woods to show me the photos he had taken of the Cliff Swallows at local Parcells Middle School. I hadn’t heard about these birds so I stopped at the school on my way home to see them for myself. What little beauties, flying about together for insects, their young waiting in the colonial nests these birds build. Cliff Swallows are one of the birds that have adapted to changes humans have made by building their mud nests on bridges, overpasses and many other brick surfaces. Cliff Swallows use their beaks to gather mud, using about 1,000 blobs to complete their nest. The reasons

Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge 2017

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

The following includes a recap of this year’s Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge, a yearly tradition which was started back in 2005. During each challenge, individuals or small teams pair up to count birds within their assigned Grosse Pointe territories. This year’s competition included Bill Rapai in Grosse Pointe City, Mike Florian, Judy Florian and Tina Bresser in GP Park, Mark O’Keefe in the Farms, and Andrea Rose (first timer!) and myself in GP Woods. This year’s event was held later in the month than usual, which accounted for a markedly lower total species count than in years past. However, with a total of 66 bird species seen by all of the teams, and perfect weather throughout, it was still a great day

Elmwood Cemetery – Birding in the D

Posted on May 13, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

Elmwood Cemetery Bird Walk – May 12, 2017 Nothing can make time stand still and yet move so quickly as a Bird Walk in May in the peaceful setting of Elmwood Cemetery in the heart of Detroit, Michigan. The background traffic noise is negligible and the ability to stand and listen to the bird song around you is a tremendous elixir for the mind, body and soul. Our cozy group of ten added the dimension of sound to our morning as we stood and listened to a Rose-breasted Grosbeak behind us, an American Robin to our right, a Parula Warbler in front of us and a Blue Jay off to the left as well as hearing the mechanical trills of

Bald Eagles Nesting at Country Club of Detroit

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

A few years ago, one of my customers came in and asked, “You know about the Bald Eagles nesting at the Country Club, right?” I was so glad she asked me that question as I did not know about them, and she had a superb story to tell. With a house that faces the private club, Ms. Saurbier was able to tell me the story of how she watched the Bald Eagles force the Red-tailed Hawks from their nest in a spruce tree. The hawks relocated and the eagles began to add to the nest in order to accommodate their size. How fortunate for my customer that the lot next to her had some large branches, as she was able

More Cardinals and Cooper’s – Project Feederwatch Results

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Project Feeder Watch, a partnership between Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada, sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited. Through the efforts of those citizen scientists who report the number of birds at their feeders, a comprehensive look at continental wintertime populations of feeder birds has been compiled. There were two noteworthy conclusions that I felt people in this area might be interested to know more about. The first is the data for Northern Cardinals, which shows their range has expanded since 1989. This has been supported by the number of Feeder Watchers who are reporting Cardinals in Minnesota, Michigan, Maine and southeastern Canada. The citizen Science Director of Cornell’s Lab stated that