Blog by Wild Birds Unlimited of Grosse Pointe Woods

Tag Archives: Bird Feeding

Squirrel Appreciation Day is January 21st

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Squirrels: An Introduction

Soft, fluffy and entertaining – the definition of a squirrel. In our area we have both Fox Squirrels and Gray Squirrels. You may also see black squirrels, color variants of Gray Squirrels. Both species mate December through February. You may have noticed “chasing”, which is part of the mating ritual. Females give birth to naked, helpless young about 45 days after mating. They nurse the young until about three months of age. They will also mate again in May to June. Males do not help with the raising of the young. Squirrels build nests of twigs and leaves about 35 to 40 feet up, often in the sturdy crotch of a tree.

Food: Dining, Stashing, Chewing

Squirrels are omnivores and will eat all types of seeds including acorns, hickory, walnut, mulberry and hawthorn seeds. They will also consume bird eggs, birds, insects, arthropods and carrion.

Squirrels gather and stash seeds, an important job in the ecosystem. Some of the seeds are never refound, instead sprouting into new trees. These small mammals also serve as a food source for Red-tailed Hawks, Coopers Hawks, owls, coyotes and fox.

Another amazing aspect of squirrels is their teeth. They grow continuously and are very effective at chewing, as those of us who have them around well know.

Other Fun Facts

Those who feed the birds know of the squirrels’ leaping abilities. They can leap ten feet from a solid object such as the side of a tree as well as any man-made structure. It seems as if the only surface that they are unable to climb is glass.

Here is your word of the day – vibrissae. These thick hairs (whiskers) are found on the chin, nose, above and below the eyes, and forearms of squirrels. Squirrels rely on these hairs to enhance their sense of touch.

The Flip Side of Appreciation

However, many people are quick to exclaim about “those darned squirrels!” Who cannot relate to the success of squirrels at our bird feeders? Getting into the feeders is their full-time occupation and they are relentless in their efforts. Looking to keep them out of your feeders? We have answers for you at Wild Birds Unlimited in Grosse Pointe Woods!

Deterrents: Feeders

There are some very effective squirrel resistant feeders including the Eliminator. This feeder has a perch that closes with the weight of a squirrel. The length of the feeder prevents the squirrel from hanging from the top of the feeder or reaching the seed ports below.

Baffles

Placement of feeders that do not have a weight device is important if you do not intend to feed the squirrels. If using a pole system, there are steel baffles that are too wide for their paws to get a sufficient grip and too long for them to over reach the baffle. This type of baffle needs to have its top at five feet off of the ground with all feeders hanging so that the bottom of the feeders are above that five foot position. We do not recommend plastic baffles, as squirrels can easily chew through this material. This type of baffled pole system is only effective if placed ten feet from any object the squirrel can jump from. This includes trees, patio furniture, pots, grills and other feeding setups. When using a baffle above a feeder, the baffle needs to be quite wide or shaped to create a slide assisting the squirrels’ exit. Both types of baffles are carried at WBU GPW.

Seeds

Safflower seed used alone is another effective remedy against feeding squirrels as most do not prefer its’ taste. Hot pepper treated seed is also a good deterrent.

Whether you watch them and have names for the ones in your yard or are among those that wave your fist as you exclaim “Those Darned Squirrels”, let’s commend them on Squirrel Appreciation Day.

 

Fascinating Blue Jays

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Blue Jay with Peanut by Emily Wolfe

Blue Jays – The Sights and Sounds

I find Blue Jays to be fascinating – I’m listening to them now as they sing out their “tootle-oot, tootle-oot” from the oak tree. They have such a rich complexity of vocal sounds. The same can be said about their plumage, a rich complexity of blues of every shade. Such a handsome bird with both males and females looking alike, their faces framed by a dark collar. Perhaps one of their finest features is their crest, raised and lowered at will depending upon their mental state – up when alert, feeling territorial, and down when there’s no reason, giving the back of the head a little “flair”.

The Brains

Blue Jay by Emily Wolfe

Jays play an important role among the birds in our yards. They will sound the “Jay! Jay!” alarm when a potential predator is nearby. This allows all of the birds to be on the lookout for the hawk, cat or human that caused the Jay to give the neighbors a warning. One of the most amazing vocalizations of the Blue Jay is their ability to vocally imitate hawks – they have turned my head with the calls of a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Broad-winged Hawk, only to spot them in my binoculars. And just a few short minutes after I wrote that, I heard a Cooper’s Hawk calling from the rooftop – except it was a Blue Jay. Perhaps he was using this as a scare tactic to keep the other birds away so he could swoop down and feed on the seed cylinder I had just put out. Smart move.

Blue Jays can be entertaining and unafraid in your yard. They will come quite close when any kind of a nut is involved as they naturally seek the mast of trees. Capable of storing a few acorns in their gular pouch, a holding area in the throat, they will transport the acorns to an area to stash away. Placing the acorns on the ground and covering them with leaves, or pushing them into the soil with their strong beaks, they hope to save them for future food. Many of those acorns will grow into trees and in this way, the Blue Jay plays forester for us.

Peanuts in the shell evoke the same mental response in Jays.  They simply cannot resist them when offered and will carry them away where they can hold them with their feet and use their beak to break away the shell and eat the protein-packed nut inside.

Blue Jay

Baby Blue Jay by Samantha Mason

The Babes

Both male and female Blue Jays take an active part in raising their brood of two to seven. They are quite secretive during nesting season as they find food for their young and deliver it to the nestlings. Jays are omnivorous and will eat a wide variety of plants and animals. Once the young fledge the nest, they will travel in family groups for feeding purposes. You can hear their contact calls to each other as they move about the trees.

Movement

Blue Jays take part in their spring and fall migration in very large numbers. They migrate in daytime flocks, unlike many of the small passerines that use the cover of night for migration. We have seen these flocks of hundreds of Blue Jays flying over us at the Ford House during our bird walks. The wing beats blink light and dark flashes as they travel along – a magnificent sight.

Enjoy this adaptable, gorgeous bird and all of the vocalizations that make Jays so unique.

Baby Blue Jay by Samantha Mason

Enjoy your birds!!

Rosann Kovalcik, Owner

Wild Birds Unlimited, Grosse Pointe Woods

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Where Have My Goldfinches Gone?

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American Goldfinch male

Where have my Goldfinches gone? This is a question that we hear often at the store this time of year. Goldfinches nest later than many other birds in our area. When they establish their territories, they don’t allow other pairs in that area. So, unlike the spring when they were migrating through in large numbers, you will have one pair that calls your yard part of their territory (if you are lucky)!

Nesting Prep

Goldfinch on Sunflower (Photo by Jill Eoff)

The male advertises his territory with a beautiful, long, sweet melodic song. Part of the territorial behavior consists of him flying in large circles around the area, singing as he flies, advertising that the area is his and available to one female to share with him. This behavior continues as she constructs the nest and she sits on their eggs.

Because she alone incubates those eggs, the male will bring her food as she continues to sit on the nest. How sweet is that? If you are seeing a single male at your feeders, this is the reason why. With natural food sources becoming abundant this time of year, these fresh resources are used by the finches in addition to quick stops at the feeder.

American Goldfinch male (Photo by Rosann Kovalcik)

Time to Hatch!

When the young hatch, the female will now come to the feeder for short periods, to feed herself and to carry seed back to the nestlings. When you see her at the feeder, you know the eggs have hatched. Both parents feed the young birds seeds, from feeders and natural sources.

Within a few weeks after they hatch, young goldfinches are following parents around, begging for food with a characteristic, high-pitched “chippee, chippee” call. Seeing them beg with open beaks and wings fluttering is a summer delight.

While there is less activity at your feeder, fill it only part way. The seed needs to be fresh if it is going to compete with the natural food sources that are available. Using a mix of nyjer and fine sunflower chips is a good strategy as the sunflower chips offer high protein and fat content, which the birds need this time of year. Using Feeder Fresh, a silicate additive, will help your seed stay fresh and moisture free. When filling the feeder, add the new seed and mix it about with the older seed to avoid clumping. Once finch activity picks up and those goldfinch families are coming to eat, you can start filling the feeder with a greater quantity of seed.

American Goldfinch male (Photo by Jill Eoff)

Enjoy your birds!!

Rosann Kovalcik, Owner

Wild Birds Unlimited, Grosse Pointe Woods

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Red-breasted Nuthatch, A Predicted Winter Visitor

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Red-breasted Nuthatch

When we went birding at the Ford House at the end of September, we were greeted by the unique calls of Red-breasted Nuthatches, who sound like squeaky toys. We heard this sound many times and in many different spots along our walk.

Irruption

This year marks an irruption year for this species. An irruption is a heavy movement of a bird species from their usual wintering grounds. Experts have predicted this particular irruption based upon a lack of food supply in Ontario forests. Listen for the nasal “toot, toot, toot” calls, and check the cones of evergreens. You may just be rewarded with a look at these 4.5” birds, their striking eye lines running from beak to nape, with a distinct white supercilium (“eye brow”) above that. Red-breasted Nuthatches have slaty blue-gray backs and wings and, true to their name, a wash of brick red color on the breast. Check out the tail length – it is only slightly longer than their wings.

Nuthatch on a Bird Bath (Photo by John Graffius)

Red-breasted Nuthatches have a distinctive flight pattern, with an undulating movement as a result of quick bursts of the wings, followed by a glide. Watch them in flight and notice the shortness of the tail.

Feeding

These birds are fairly tame and can be watched very closely as they forage for food. In fact, I have had them land on my feeder pole, waiting patiently for me to fill the feeder. Offer them sunflower, suet loaded with peanuts, and peanuts out of the shell to keep them coming back for the fats and protein they will need this winter. Now is the perfect time to try Bark Butter Bits, a small suet nugget that works well in the squirrel-proof feeder shown in the photo below. Spreadable Bark Butter also works well, either spread onto a tree trunk or a bark butter feeder.

Red-breasted Nuthatch on Squirrel-proof Feeder

Behavior

When feeding in trees, Red-breasted Nuthatches stay preoccupied with cones, extracting the seeds with their long, chisel-shaped beaks. They tend to place seeds in the cracks of tree trunks, using their beaks to chisel the shells away. This motion is responsible for the British-derived name, “Nuthatch” as “hatch” was a term used instead of “hack” back when the bird was named. Perhaps the most unique aspect of Red-breasted Nuthatches is their habit of walking down the trunks of trees as well as under the limbs of the tree, in search of insects to consume.  The toes of Nuthatches are perfect to accomplish this bark climbing – very long with sharp, long claws for gripping.

Shelter

During winter, it is not uncommon for groups of these birds to shelter together in a tree cavity or nest box to maintain warmth. Remember to keep your nest boxes up after cleaning them, for you may be visited by this little sprite (and a friend or two).

Enjoy your birds!

Rosann Kovalcik, Owner

Wild Birds Unlimited, Grosse Pointe Woods

 

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House Finches – A Beautiful Introduction

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House Finch male (Photo by John Graffius)

 

One of the most surprising facts about House Finches is that they are not native to the Eastern United States.  They were originally found only in the western U.S. and Mexico. In the 1940’s, humans intervened, capturing a small group of these birds to sell on Long Island as pets. After the sellers got caught, the finches were released, leading to their eventual expansion.

House Finches “Branch Out”

Taking advantage of the friendly habitat, House Finches bred and have since become one of our most populous birds, with an estimated 267 million to 1.4 billion individuals. Their presence is always a welcome addition. Their songs are cheery and melodious and their colors warm and beautiful.

House Finch male (Photo by Tim Lintz)

Fun Facts

The red coloration of the breast and eye-stripe in the males comes from pigments contained in their diet, which consists of nuts and seeds. House Finches dine enthusiastically on dandelion seeds, their bright red plumage contrasting against the yellow blooms – a cheery sight indeed! Females prefer to mate with the brightest, reddest males. Females are much less conspicuous, an overall gray-brown color with indistinct streaks. According to bird banding data, the oldest known living House Finch was a female, reaching 11 years and 7 months.

House Finch female (Photo by Tim Lintz)

Nesting

According to the book, Birds of Michigan, the first House Finch nest was found in Southfield, MI in July of 1981. House Finches are very adaptable when it comes to nesting, building in trees and shrubs near human habitation and, to the delight of many homeowners, even on door wreaths! Their nests are constructed of grass, twigs, leaves, hair and feathers.  Leave plant material in the yard this spring instead of cleaning up, and place hair and feathers in suet baskets to help House Finches create their nests.

Nesting begins in late March and can continue through August. The females lay 4-5 eggs which they incubate for 12-14 days. House Finches breed 2-3 times per breeding season. The young fledge from the nest approximately 9-11 days after hatching. This is one of the few bird species that feeds their young only plant matter, as opposed to adding insects, a common food source for most fledglings.

Attracting House Finches

House Finches are frequent feeder birds; attract them by offering Sunflower Seed (either in or out of the shell).  These birds are adaptable enough to also eat Safflower or Nyjer Seed (thistle). For some reason, this species is more prone to conjunctivitis than other species of birds – a good reminder to keep those feeders clean! Sterilize feeders using either vinegar (my personal preference) or a diluted bleach solution. Rake areas under feeders (if offering seeds with shells) to prevent the spread of disease, especially since House Finches are known to feed from the ground. Better yet, use Sunflower Chips (sunflower out of the shell) and add a tray under your feeders so the area stays relatively mess-free.

House Finch on a Seed Cylinder (Photo by John Graffius)

 

As the days get longer and the sunlight prompts territorial song, listen for the cheery, long song of House Finches, a welcome addition to any yard (click here to listen)!

Enjoy your birds!

-Rosann Kovalcik

Owner, Wild Birds Unlimited, Grosse Pointe Woods

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Northern Cardinal – A Crimson Jewel in the Garden

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male Northern Cardinal by Kathi Hince

One of the moments I like most about late winter is hearing the Northern Cardinal beginning to sing. Prompted by the length of day, the Northern Cardinal sings to mark its territory.

If we’re lucky, we can hear two male Cardinals calling in tandem in a hormonal duel. Unlike many other songbirds, the females also sing. Often in response to the song the male initiates, the female will sing from the nest. Many times, her song is longer and more complex than the male’s! During nesting season, this is her way of asking her mate for food, as she is the sole incubator and does not leave the nest. Cardinals have an amazing physiology within their syrinx which allows for their complex song. Click here for a link to recordings and explanations.

Northern Cardinals appeared in Michigan in the late 1800’s, expanding their range due to deforestation. Cardinals prefer the opening of forest edges as well as low shrubs, so our yards make great habitat for these birds!

female Northern Cardinal by Kathi Hince

Nesting

The female Cardinal is responsible for nest building. She bends twigs around her body and uses her feet to push them into a cup shape. There are four layers to the nest including: coarse twigs, a mat of leaves, thin bark, and a soft top layer of grasses, rootlets and pine needles.

In Michigan, Northern Cardinals start to nest in mid-April, laying 2 to 4 eggs. Incubation takes up to two weeks. After hatching, the young stay in the nest another few weeks fledging. The young are fed protein in the form of caterpillars and other soft-bodied insects. Adults are omnivorous, adding seeds and fruits to their diet of insects.

male Northern Cardinal by Kathi Hince

More Fun Facts

These birds are named for their bright red plumage thought to be reminiscent of the cleric by that name. The have the distinctive honor of being the State Bird of no fewer than seven states, which is more than any other bird.

Another endearing aspect of Cardinals is how the male feeds the female as part of courtship display. This is a change from their behavior in the winter, when it is every bird for itself.

Juvenile Cardinals look like the females, a warm brown with golden overtones, and a lighter belly color, sporting red in their tail feathers,  wings and crest. The difference between female Cardinals and the young is the females have a bright red beak, whereas young birds have a gray/black beak.

The males have a prominent black facial mask larger and more striking than the females’. The beak is a distinctive characteristic in Northern Cardinals. It is very short and robust – a true seed cracking tool. The cardinal holds a seed in the beak, with a crunch down to crack the shell, then a roll of the tongue to rotate the seed until the shell falls away. This leaves the nut “meat” for the bird to consume. This method of eating allows the Cardinals to stay at feeders and eat. Other birds like Chickadees must instead fly off to a perch where they can hold the seed in their feet in order to extricate the edible portion of the seed.

Window Strikes

Northern Cardinals are one of the species of birds that are known to attack their reflection in a window or car mirror, repeatedly striking the surface, much to our frustration and dismay. This behavior takes place because the bird believes it is attacking another bird, an intruder in the nesting territory. In order to stop this behavior, block the birds’ reflection on the outside of the window. A product aptly named Stop Bird Attack is sprayed on the outside of the window, easily removed when no longer needed (this product sold at Wild Birds Unlimited in Grosse Pointe Woods).

male Northern Cardinal by Kathi Hince

Attracting Northern Cardinals

To attract Northern Cardinals, offer black oil sunflower either in or out of the shell, safflower and shelled peanuts. All of these seeds can be place in a hopper feeder with a larger ledge or a tube feeder with an added tray, essential for their body size if they are to reach the feeding ports.

Take a listen for this beautiful songster, filling the days with sound that will lift your spirit.

Enjoy your birds!

-Rosann Kovalcik

Owner, Wild Birds Unlimited, Grosse Pointe Woods

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Attracting Orioles to Your Yard

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Graffius Oriole 3 small

Baltimore Oriole by John Graffius

In search of an adequate food supply to raise a family, thousands of Baltimore Orioles migrate from Central America to Michigan during springtime. What does it take to attract these vibrantly plumaged orange and black birds to our yard?

When the male arrives, he is in search of a territory that will provide the basics – food, water, shelter and places to raise young – those elements allow him to carry on his genetics, the sole purpose of migration.

Undoubtedly, you will hear Orioles before you see them. The male Baltimore Oriole’s song consists of a short series of paired notes, repeated 2–7 times, lasting 1–2 seconds. The pure, liquid, flute-like sounds have a full, rich tone. Once you accustom yourself to its song, you will be able to search for them visually.

Orioles can be found in open woodlands, woodland edges, and riparian woodlands and in our shade trees in suburban neighborhoods. They do not prefer deep forests.

Graffius Oriole 6 small

Baltimore Oriole by John Graffius

Because of Orioles’ habit of feeding at treetop level, consummate birder Pete Dunne nicknamed them The Eastern Arboreal Oriole. So why the nickname? This is a bird that is wedded to dense leaf canopy. Males sing from exposed perches to warn other males of proclaimed territory. Both the male and female land on the tallest point of a tree before slipping into the dense canopy to begin foraging for insects. These include caterpillars that emerge to eat unfurling new growth on trees.

Oak trees in particular offer more diversity of caterpillars than any other tree in Southeast Michigan. While an oak may not mature to full size during your lifetime, planting it for its food value to birds is an investment in the future of birds. Orioles eat many pest species, including tent caterpillars, gypsy moth caterpillars, fall webworms, spiny elm caterpillars, and the larvae within plant galls. Larger caterpillars are a challenge for some birds, but the Oriole has many strategies for eating them. The birds’ beak is quite pointed and is used to slice through the exterior of a caterpillar, allowing it to eat the nutritional insides. Orioles often have a feeding limb, a favored place to feed, as can be attested to by dried caterpillar skins accumulated on the branch. Orioles eat other insects as well including beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, moths, and flies and non-insects including spiders, snails, and other small invertebrates.

Graffius Oriole 5 small

Baltimore Oriole on a WBU Oriole Feeder, by John Graffius

Baltimore Orioles sometimes use their slender beaks to feed in an unusual way, called “gaping”: they stab the closed bill into soft fruits, and then open their mouths to cut a juicy swath from which they drink with their brushy-tipped tongues. Fruits that are especially attractive to Orioles are those that are dark in color. A variety of these plants can offer the high lipid fat that the birds need for fall migration – dogwoods, chokeberry, elderberry, and viburnums. Native plants grow native caterpillars in abundance and therefore, are the perfect choice when planning your bird-friendly yard.

Orioles also have an early spring feeding strategy– they drink from the wells of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (related to the woodpecker family). These woodpeckers create purposeful holes to encourage sap to run, which in turn attracts insects, an additional food source for the birds.

Graffius Oriole 4 small

For a closer look at Orioles, you can place feeders in your yard that offer the same types of foods they find in the wild. Dark grape jelly can be offered in plastic and glass dishes, oranges can be placed on pronged feeders and nectar feeders will round out the offerings. Mealworms are another great food source to offer – the birds will take the worms back to their young as well as bring the young to the feeders once they are fledged. Your feeding station will be most successful if it is some distance away from other feeding stations. Your feeding station should be set up the first week of May to attract the abundance of Orioles that migrate at that time. Once migration is over and the local birds have established their territory, you may find that the mated pair (or two if you are lucky) near your home can be very skittish at feeders. As a bonus, other birds will enjoy these offerings including House Finches and Cardinals.

Oriole Father feeding baby

Baltimore Oriole feeding baby

Female Orioles are responsible for the building of the nest that will hold their eggs and resultant young, usually four in number. Long strips of plant material are the backbone of their nest. Most frequently they use milkweed and dogbane, clipping the plant at the base just above where they are holding it firmly in their feet. Pulling up, they create strips that are then flown to the nest site and tied in place. Leave last years’ milkweed and dogbane standing into the spring so that these birds can utilize them, or clip it and add it to your nesting material basket. Elms were the favorite trees of Orioles for nest building before Dutch elm disease took its toll on them. Now, they favor maples, willows, poplars and oaks. Placed at the tip of branches, the sock-like structure has the advantage of being difficult for predators to reach.

The nest is a work of art, a suspended pouch woven as two separate walls. The female uses a shuttling motion to create the walls and then stitches the two halves together. The inside plant material can consist of dandelion fluff, the downy material from willows and poplars and short strips of grape bark. Natural materials can be placed in a suet basket and placed where you can enjoy these beauties helping themselves. Short strips of natural fibers (avoid polyester), hair, and string may be used by Orioles in nest construction. Fishing line and dryer lint are two materials not to be used. The fishing line is too thin and can easily entangle the bird. Dryer lint has materials that will hold moisture and would cool eggs and babies instead of keeping them warm as natural materials would. The female builds the nest over a period of about eight days. Nests are not reused, although some of the nesting material might be used in the new structure.

Graffius Oriole 2 small

Baltimore Oriole by John Graffius

Males keep a watchful eye on the female as she works, mating with her when she allows. Incubation is done by the female entirely, lasting a period of 12 to 14 days. Both parents feed the young for the next two weeks, during which time the naked hatchlings develop into fully feathered adult sized birds.

Now it is the male’s turn to take over as the young follow him for lessons on where to look for food. The female spends her time eating to regain the weight she lost and preparing herself for fall migration. We are happy to share photos of a male feeding his youngsters mealworms!

Orioles leave early back to their southerly home, our yards quieter without their songs as early as the end of August.

Well worth the effort to attract, Orioles make our time in the yard a special time indeed!

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