Connect with Nature!
Nuthatches are the only birds in our area who are equally adept at going either direction on a tree trunk, upward or downward. Ornithologists believe that nuthatches find insect food by going down a tree trunk that would be missed by birds going up the tree trunk, so the nutty behavior is really an evolutionary advantage. Read more...
Backyard Bird Shop carries Nematodes, and other natural pest control options, to offer responsible alternatives for lawn and garden care. As our customers discontinue use of toxic chemicals in their yards, natural predators such as ladybugs and green lacewings make a comeback. Butterflies, bees and birds become more plentiful. Soon a backyard can be transformed into a natural garden. Read more...
Meet Scott Lukens, Founder of Backyard Bird Shop Read more...
John Rakestraw has worked as a music teacher, farm laborer, and hardware salesman, to pay for his birding habit. He was a naturalist in Kansas and Ohio before finally settling in Oregon. In addition to working at Backyard Bird Shop Sundays through Tuesdays, Rakestraw is a writer and bird guide (hire him! he's great! ). Read more...
Chances are good that the bright flash of yellow you see in your back yard is a male American Goldfinch. This gregarious 5" bird can be seen all across America, along roadsides, in open woods and fields, farm and suburban yards. Read more...
You can make your own hummingbird nectar, with table sugar and boiling water. Read more...
Often the first visitor to a new wild bird feeder (provided it's filled with the #1 favorite seed -- black oil sunflower seed), will be the endearing chickadee! Read more...
Look a little closer among the beautiful spring flowers, and maybe you will see them. Tiny, acrobatic, fearless little flying jewels, hummingbirds are the favorite birds of many Northwesterners. With a little luck, a little patience, and a hummingbird feeder in your yard, soon you could find out for yourself just why that is. Read more...
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Here's how some of our customers, and staff members, keep their hummingbird feeders from freezing in winter ... Read more...
Did you know that the Portland area is the year-round residence of one species of hummingbird? Anna’s Hummingbirds, the largest of coastal Pacific Northwest hummers, are non-migratory! Both sexes are primarily greenish in color, but in sunlight males flash purplish red iridescence on their foreheads, throat patches, and sides of neck. Read more...
Wild bird couples often get an early start on house-hunting, and may have already selected their nesting sites by early March! Get your bird houses prepared now, so they’re out in the environment in time to be checked out by prospective parents. Read more...
Genece is the artist responsible for the great majority of pen and ink illustrations that you see on our website, in our newspaper advertisements, and in our "snail mail" newsletter. Her illustrations are not only great-looking and accurate, they're full of life and and fun! We highly recommend Genece for her artistry and professionalism! Read more...
Why is a crazy Robin banging against my window over and over again, and what can I do about it? Read more...
Go to Steve's websites to see amazing digiscope bird photography, with many beautiful portraits of our local birds! You'll be blown away by Steve's artistry! Read more...
