Category Archives: Bird Feeding Solutions

What type of bird food satisfies birds, is easy to use, keeps birds in place for longer views and leaves no mess to clean? The answer to all of the above? Seed cylinders!

One of the true benefits of owning the local Wild Birds Unlimited is that I get to try out all of the products! Seed cylinders are convenient as they are held together with a natural gelatin, easy to unwrap as well as easy to place into a feeder.

With a tray on the feeder there is no seed on the ground which is certainly a benefit when trying to avoid mammals under the feeders. Seed cylinders are available with a hot pepper coating so that they won’t be attractive to mammals with sensitive taste buds, while birds do not react adversely.

Watching The Birds – Nuthatch Style

Birds need to peck the seeds apart from the cylinder, which means they spend more time at the feeder. And that’s one of the true benefits – the long looks at the various behaviors. I love the way the Red-breasted Nuthatch lands upside down and with the thinnest of beaks, chips away at the seed until it can fly away with a piece in its’ beak. I watch the bird then fly to the safety of the foliage in the tree above, further pecking the seed down into smaller pieces.

Red-breasted Nuthatch Chooses The Perfect Seed (Photo by Lisa Vreede)

There’s No Missing those Jays!

Blue Jays are always excited to see the feeder newly filled. It is as if they are prompted by the sight of the pieces of nuts to scream out for Joy! They really hammer at the pieces with their larger beaks, tossing them down their throat and going for more. Jays have a gular pouch in their throat which allows them to store food and then bring it back up for eating or caching.

Blue Jay Proclaiming His Joy! (Photo by Lisa Vreede)

All of the woodpecker species love to eat at cylinders.  It seems as if the pecking at the seed satisfies their urge to feed in a way that is already natural for them.

Chickadees – Crowd Pleasers

Black-capped Chickadees usually grab a loose seed and quickly scuttle back to the safety of tree branches. With a seed cylinder, they have to work a little longer which is a great way for you to be able to observe them for longer periods of time. The one in this photo looks as if it is having a seat while working on its’ meal.

Black-capped Chickadee Hanging On Tight! (Photo by Lisa Vreede)

Enjoy your Birds!

Rosann Kovalcik, Owner

Wild Birds Unlimited,

Grosse Pointe Woods

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In summer, they’re bright yellow bursts of sunshine, in winter, they’re pale sunlight poking through dense clouds of snow… American Goldfinches, backyard beauties we all so love to attract.

American Goldfinch by Andrea Rose

So how do we attract this little drops of sunshine? For years, the conventional recommendation has been to offer Nyjer seed, in tube feeders with small openings specially designed for a goldfinches’ tiny beak. It should be noted, however, that while Nyjer is also referred to as “thistle”, it is actually an entirely different crop from the thistle we see growing on the sides of the road. Thistle, in fact, is a member of the daisy family, complete with purple flowers and prickly parts. Nyjer, however, is a crop which is imported from Ethiopia and Nigeria, and is heat treated for sterilization purposes. This heat-treating process prevents any foreign seed materials from sprouting beneath your feeders.

It is true that Nyjer makes excellent food for finches, including American Goldfinch, Redpolls, Siskins, House Finches, and others. High in fat from oil, it makes for a great energy source, especially during these cold winter months. On the other hand, there are some things to consider when offering Nyjer. Firstly, it works best in our specially formatted finch feeders, designed to prevent spillage and waste. In addition, it is important not to buy more than a few weeks’ worth of seed at a time (though of course the exact amount varies by the level of activity at your feeders). Nyjer is a seed that will spoil after 3-4 weeks’ time, and once it does, it will likely be turned down by finches who are known to have quite discerning palates! Finally, Nyjer contains a shell. Although small, this shell must be cracked open by the finch, leaving a minute amount of uneaten seed.

American Goldfinch by Andrea Rose

Overall, Nyjer is still one of the best types of food to feed your finches, especially when offered in the correct feeders and within the appropriate window of freshness. But are there other options for hungry goldfinches? Turns out, there are!

As a franchise, we are now beginning to recognize the benefits of another kind of food that is well-liked by goldfinches- Sunflower Chips. This alternative has many of the benefits of Nyjer seed, as well as a few of its own added perks.

Sunflower Chips, like Nyjer, are small enough to fit through the openings of our finch feeders, and can also be offered in other specialty feeders such as our Dinner Bell Feeder. These chips are well-liked by goldfinches and other birds, and they don’t have a shell, meaning no mess and no waste! In addition, these chips are even higher in fat than Nyjer seeds, which is so important for birds’ metabolism during the colder months.

American Goldfinch (males) enjoying WBU Finch Blend

Our Wild Birds Unlimited Finch Blend includes a mix of Nyjer and Sunflower Chips, a combo your goldfinches will not be able to resist! Rosann herself has recently made the switch from straight Nyjer to the Finch Blend, and she has found her little yellow friends to be quite pleased with the switch.

Come talk to us today about switching to Finch Blend, and keep your yard full of sunshine all year long.

Enjoy your Birds!

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A snag, in the language of forest ecology, refers to a standing dead or dying tree.

Preserving or creating snags on our property provides habitats for birds, and can be interesting and rewarding.

Important wildlife habitat is provided when dead wood is available. Birds evolved in forests where dead wood was never removed as part of woodland management. Dead trees are virtually absent in many urban neighborhoods as we have a tendency to view dead wood as without value. On the contrary, dead and dying trees are used for shelter, foraging, nesting and other uses for many species of birds.

Think of a snag as an airport for birds. Flycatchers, Cedar Waxwings and numerous other birds use snags as launch sites as they sally out again and again after flying insects. If the snag is close to a field, it may be used by Hawks and Owls that sit and wait patiently for mice and voles. Near water, snags are used by Kingfishers, Eagles, Herons, and Osprey. At least 30 species of birds commonly use snags as foraging perches.

Snags are also used as singing perches. Perhaps the acoustics are better from a snag? Certainly acoustics are great from a tall dead branch that does not have foliage to absorb the sound. Think about when you see a crow sending out an alarm to his family members, head stretched forward and beak open wide, – that’s always from a prominent perch, isn’t it?

Nothing could be better than a snag for purposes of acoustics in the mind of a woodpecker. Think of a hollowed out drum, just right for hammering. That’s what woodpeckers are doing on those dead branches that resonate so well – letting the female know he has a great territory and is ready to help her out with breeding season.

Snags allow smaller birds to use them as a lookout post. It pays to peek out from a perch to get a complete view in either direction, making sure the coast is clear.

Small snags are invaluable to birds that have bathed in your bird bath and need a place to shake dry and preen. This became a real lesson to me when I placed a bird bath near cedar trees that had dying branches at their lower edge. Each time that a migrant warbler approached the bath, it approached from those branches. Needless to say, I began to look at those branches in a different way.

Creating a snag can be as simple as leaving a tree that has started to die. If you have concerns about the location of the tree in relation to your house, have a landscaper trim the height for safety. Girdling a tree involves removing a ring of bark around the circumference of the tree, which will eventually kill it. Choose an invasive tree or one that is crowded by fellow trees.

The snag in my yard was acquired when the neighbor was taking down a black walnut tree. The tree crew was very helpful in getting one of the large trunks of the tree over the back fence. A deep hole (1/3 of the height of the snag) was dug and the snag was “planted”.

If you have concerns about the appearance of your dead tree in the neighborhood, plant Virginia Creeper at the base. It is a beautiful showy green vine all summer and turns to crimson in fall, with berries the birds love to eat.

Remember- even dead branches within your larger shrubs will serve the purpose of a snag for many of our songbirds.

Have fun with this new aspect of Birdscaping in your yard.

Enjoy your birds!

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During the hot and sometimes dry conditions in the summer, birds can use a reliable source of water.

We know that water is essential to all living creatures. In the case of birds, it is vitally important when it is extremely hot and a bird’s ability to regulate its body temperature can be stressed. Birds do not sweat and must remove excess body heat through their respiratory system. When the temperature rises, a bird’s respiration rate increases, sometimes to the point where it can be seen panting like a dog. Panting in this way can dehydrate a bird and increase their need for a reliable source of water to replace lost fluids.

Birds that are familiar with your yard will know where the birdbath is and take advantage of your generosity. Those birds that migrate for purposes of nesting, such as orioles and catbirds, will locate water with their sense of hearing. A moving spring will bring in birds like a magnet. By using a mister or dripper, you can entice birds more readily as they will hear the water dripping into the bowl. Misters have been known to attract hummingbirds and small migrant birds, such as warblers and vireos. They will either fly through the mist or roll in the water that has collected on leaves. Small pumps that cause the water I the bath to move will also make the birdbath more attractive to the birds that are passing by!

Birds drink water by dipping their bill into the water, holding the water in their mouth, and then tipping their head up at a sharp angle, causing the water to flow down their throat. The exceptions to this rule are doves and pigeons, which have the ability to suck water into their mouths.

Bathing serves a different purpose for birds, keeping them “groomed”. The dust and dirt are removed as you would guess, but the preening that follows afterward is essential for feathers to function at their best. As birds preen, they grasp the feather at the base with their bill and move their beak along the feather, smoothing the feather barbs so that they lock together. Any dirt or oil that remains in the feathers after bathing is removed during preening.

Robins are vigorous bathers. They take up the entire bath, dipping down into the water and throwing it over their backs with their wings. Other birds are not quite so boisterous. Chickadees approach the bath with caution and will enter from the edge. The water needs to be shallow for them to feel safe enough to actually bathe. Adding a few small rocks to the edge of your birdbath can entice smaller birds to feel safe enough to bathe as well as drink.

Ideally, the water in the bath should be dumped out daily, and refilled with fresh water for the birds. When emptying the bowl, use a scrubber brush to clean the bowl and rinse thoroughly before refilling. This is necessary to prevent the build-up of algae and mineral deposits. Once a week, I recommend using Microbe-Lift Bath Cleaner, a soybean based liquid that you spray onto the birdbath bowl, scrub thoroughly and then let sit for a minute before rinsing with clear water. In addition, once a month your bird bath should be sterilized. After cleaning, use a solution of one part vinegar (or bleach) to nine parts water and let the solution sit in the bath for 15 minutes. Rinse very well and let sun-dry for a few hours if possible before refilling the bath.

There are liquid solutions that can be added to the birdbath water, designed to help prevent the buildup of stains and mineral deposits on the birdbath surface, such as white scale deposits, iron, copper and hard water stains. Microbe-Lift Bird Bath Clear is soybean based and works well for that purpose. It is not meant as a substitute for the aforementioned cleaning process (click here to order or read more about Microbe-Lift products).

Remember that there will be bird droppings in the water as birds defecate when they bathe, making the water unhealthy for them to drink. This is why it is important to make daily cleaning part of your responsibility to maintain a bird-friendly yard.

Fresh water not only benefits the birds, it prevents mosquito larvae from developing into mosquitoes. The process takes 7 to 10 days from the time a mosquito lays her eggs on the surface. Since the water needs to be stagnant for a mosquito to develop, changing the bird bath water prevents this from happening.

Offering a dependable source of water is probably the simplest thing you can do to increase the variety of birds in your yard. It can also significantly increase your enjoyment of birds as it allows you to watch their antics as they drink, bathe and preen.

Enjoy your birds!

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The American Goldfinch remains one of the most beloved birds at our feeders.  With their bright yellow color, their dainty behavior and uplifting song, their popularity is understandable.

Their flight pattern is distinctive as well; bouncy and undulating, often accompanied by their flight call which sounds as if they are saying “perchickaree” or “potato chip”.

Often referred to as Wild Canaries, these birds can be easily attracted to your yard with their favorite plants as well as bird feeders.  The Goldfinches’ natural habitats are weedy fields and floodplains.

Goldfinches are not an aggressive bird in their feeding areas, both natural and at your feeders.  Giving them a space where their feeder is not as close to others will decrease the chances of them being chased away.  Goldfinches will eat both nyjer (thistle) and sunflower seeds.  A combination of both sunflower and nyjer (thistle) seed is a great way to satisfy their need for fat and protein.

American Goldfinches are the only finch that molts their feathers twice per year.  March is the time to look for the males to appear with sporadic bright yellow feathers replacing their khaki camouflage feathers.  Goldfinches will also grow new tail and wing feathers, unlike many birds that molt feathers with the exception of those two areas.  Creating these additional feathers requires a great deal of food and energy, with the molt taking six weeks to complete.   This explains why they may use feeders so heavily in the Spring as a supplement to natural foods.

Nesting soon after the monumental physical change of molt would be additionally draining, and is the reason that Goldfinches nest in late June and July.  The female selects the nest site, builds the nest, lays the eggs, and incubates without the help of the male.

Constructed of small grasses and soft, downy material, the base of the nest is attached to the twigs with spider webs for strength.  The average clutch size is five eggs which are incubated for twelve days. The fledgling period that the chicks spend in the nest while being fed by their parents is also around twelve days.

Young goldfinches are one of the few birds that are fed a diet of seeds only, with no protein in the form of insects.  Young goldfinches are very vocal in their efforts to be fed.  Listen to the birds in your yard and you will hear the babies chiming out their “chippee, chippee” quite regularly.

If House Sparrows with their large flock numbers are becoming a challenge to your Goldfinches, try using the feeders designed for the Goldfinches to feed upside down.  A goldfinches’ body is built so that they can readily adapt to feeding upside down, something which is more challenging for House Sparrows.  You can further make your finch feeders more sparrow-resistant by trimming the perches down to one inch.

Having a total seed diet creates a real thirst in these birds.  A birdbath with a shallow area gives goldfinches the ability to bathe at a depth that they can handle.  Placing a few rocks inside your birdbath to copy a natural streamside setting is a perfect way to entice Goldfinches. Clean, fresh water is essential to the birds’ health; therefore, a daily brushing, rinse, and refill of the birdbath is your best strategy.

Creating a garden for Goldfinches is easy.  The seeds of plants in the Asteraceae  (Compositae) family  area a sure bet.  Try Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hirta), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium), Cutleaf Coneflowers (Rudbeckia laciniata), and Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum).  A favorite in my yard is Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) – sometimes I can count a dozen of these golden beauties mixed in with the equally bright flowers.

Native thistle is very attractive to Goldfinches not only for a food source – the down of the plant is used as a lining for their nest.  Try Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor), Flogman’s thistle (Cirsium flodmanii) and Wavyleaf Thistle (Cirsium undulatum).

Enjoy the beauty that Goldfinches add to your yard.

Enjoy your birds!

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