Connect with Nature!
Connect with Nature!
If you are one of the many backyard naturalists in awe of squirrels' wit and nimbleness, read the article "Nut? What Nut? The Squirrel Outwits to Survive" by Natalie Angier, published July 5, 2010 in the New York Times.
Photo by Ed Berrett, an Honorable Mention in Backyard Bird Shop’s Spring 2010 Photo Contest
“When people call me squirrely,” said John L. Koprowski, a squirrel expert and professor of wildlife conservation and management at the University of Arizona, “I am flattered by the term.”
The Eastern gray tree squirrel, or Sciurus carolinensis, is a spectacularly successful species, according to Natalie Angier. She goes on to describe the amazing abilities of gray squirrels, quoting several experts about why these squirrels have flourished in our modern world.
Read about these fascinating backyard acrobatic geniuses by clicking on this link: Nut? What Nut? The Squirrel Outwits to Survive by Natalie Angier.
Many of our customers are voicing concern about the Gulf Oil Spill and the harm that is causes the area's wildlife. Here is a link to Portland Audubon's website, and a summary of resources and information on how you can help.
Like many others, Portland Audubon staff and members are deeply concerned about the Gulf Oil Spill’s impact on wildlife. Click on this link to Portland Audubon’s list of some resources and information on how you can help:
http://audubonportland.org/news/gulf
An inexpensive, highly functional roosting pockets can be a popular spot on a chilly or breezy night. Made from natural coco fibers, it provides a cozy pocket for small birds to roost (sleep) in at night.
Photo of House Wren in Roosting Pocket by Michele Dupraw
An inexpensive roosting pocket can make a cozy shelter for a small bird, protecting it from rain and wind, or providing a sleeping spot at night. We have heard multiple reports of wrens using roosting pockets at night, and it is possible for a bird to take refuge in a roosting pocket any time the weather might create the need. Nestle a roosting pocket in a tree or bush, or hang it under an eave or off of a fence, and watch the birds take refuge from the elements. Our roosting pockets are woven of natural grasses and straw, and look as charming as they are useful.
Show us how you connect with nature in your backyard by submitting your favorite photos of backyard birds and squirrels. You might win an outdoor Bird Cam or a Backyard Bird Shop gift card! But don’t start snapping your masterpieces until you know the rules and categories! Read on for the Official Backyard Bird Shop Spring 2010 Photo Contest Rules first! Entry deadline is June 15, 2010.
Submit your favorite backyard photos of birds and squirrels. Show us how you connect with nature in your backyard.
Deadline for Entries: June 15, 2010
Prizes:
The top two finishers in each category will receive a prize:
•First Prize: Wingscapes Bird Cam and 128MB memory card valued at $159.95. This weather proof digital camera is motion-activated to capture all the bird and wildlife activity in your garden. See details of the camera at http://www.wingscapes.com
•Second Prize: A $50 gift card to Backyard Bird Shop. Good at any of our 7 locations, and it never expires.
Submission Requirements & Instructions:
•Photos submitted must be entered into one of five categories:
•Suet Feeder- Show us your favorite suet feeder and the birds who frequent it. Do you get flocks of cute Bushtits, flashy Northern Flickers, or maybe you get Pileated Woodpeckers?
•Seed Feeder- Do you offer sunflower seed for your feathered friends? Or maybe Nyjer? Show us your favorite photos of birds at your seed feeder.
•Birdbath-Water attracts an amazing amount of birds to the garden. Who frequents your birdbath? Show us your photos of birds at your birdbath.
•Squirrel-Do you enjoy your bushy-tailed yard visitors too? Submit your photos of their squirrelly antics at a squirrel feeder.
•Kids-For youngsters up to 16 years of age. Show us what you are enjoying in your backyard. Can feature any feeder or bath that brings you closer to nature.
•Photos must have been taken in a Portland/Vancouver metro area backyard or home garden.
•A photographer may submit up to two digital images in each category.
•Photographs will be accepted only from the original photographer who must be the sole author and the owner of the copyright for photos submitted.
•All submissions can be mailed to: or dropped off at any store location. Photos that are dropped at a store must be in an envelope clearly marked “photo contest.”
•All submissions must include full name, name as you’d like it to appear publicly, address, e-mail, and telephone number, and category you are entering. We always love to hear the story behind the photo too!
•All submissions must be received by June 15, 2010.
Submission File Specifications:
• Limited image modifications are allowed: Watermarks, Signatures, or Copyright Notices must be removed prior to submission.
•Elements or objects not in original scene should not be added.
•If submission requirements are not followed, the application and images may not be judged.
Contest Rules:
•Photographers who receive more than 50% of their income from photo sales are considered professionals and are not eligible.
•Open only to legal residents of Oregon and Washington.
Judging:
•Please allow 7-10 days after submission for photos to appear on our website photo stream.
•Three local photographers who work with the Backyard Bird Shop, Steve Berliner, Rick Brumble, and Richard Dupraw, will judge the photos based on 25% creativity, 25% composition, 25% photography skill, and 25% features a Backyard Bird Shop product.
•Winners will be notified by July 15, 2010 by telephone and arrangements for prize pick up made at that time.
Terms and Conditions on Use of Images:
•Photographers retain ownership of all copyrights. However, by submitting an image for entry in this contest, you automatically give Backyard Bird Shop a non-exclusive, non-transferable, irrevocable license without charge to reproduce and display the image in any electronic, optical, physical, or other medium; to modify its size and resolution; and to use your name as the photographer, without notification or compensation.
•Any one photographer may have only one winning entry. All winning entries will be announced on our website, http://www.backyardbirdshop.com and in our next newsletter. All photos will be available for viewing through our photo link on our website.
Science Daily reports that new research is showing that even tiny patches of woods in urban areas seem to provide adequate food and protection for some species of migrating birds as they fly between wintering and breeding grounds.
Photo of Lazuli Bunting feeding, by Ed Hepp
If the following does not inspire you to go outside and fill your seed, suet and nectar feeders . . . . what could?! This good news is more fuel for the “cause” of habitat restoration; one backyard at a time!
From ScienceDaily on May 18, 2010: “The good news is that the birds in our study seemed to be finding enough food in even the smaller urban habitats to refuel and continue their journey,” said Stephen Matthews, co-author of the study and a post-doctoral researcher in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University.”
Read the entire article by clicking this link: ScienceDaily May 18, 2010
Each year since the Portland City Council adopted the Great Blue Heron in 1986 the region has celebrated efforts to ensure the heron remains an icon for integrating the built and natural environments. This year we also commemorate the launch of The Intertwine Alliance and the Alliance’s efforts to realize The Intertwine vision of creating a world class network of parks, trails and natural areas throughout the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region.
Great Blue Heron, by Rick Brumble, photographed at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
The 24th Annual Great Blue Heron Week is an opportunity for us to take time to celebrate the past year’s successes as well as start working on future challenges. It’s time to explore The Intertwine! Get out in a kayak, on a bicycle or on foot to enjoy our greenspace heritage and to consider what remains to be done. This is an invitation to come along on the numerous field trips and special events. Celebrate the continued existence of this graceful bird and the natural world it represents.
Follow these links to see what is available to do and see during this wonderful celebration of the beautiful place we call home!
Great Blue Heron Week Calendar of Events
The Intertwine Alliance website
What’s almost as small as a hummingbird, has just as much personality, and can swarm on suet so it looks like you’ve got a locust infestation?
Among the smallest birds in North America, Bushtits are beneficial to Northwest backyards, gleaning large quantities of aphids, beetles, leafhoppers and many other insects.
Bushtits are 3-1/2 inches long with tiny bills and comparatively long tails (half the length of the bird). With a body shape similar to that of a chickadee, their upper parts are dark gray in color, with a paler gray underside. The eyes differentiate sexes: females’ are yellow and males’ are dark.
These gregarious birds spend most of the year in busy flocks of up to 50 birds, staying year-round across much of the western U.S. As their name implies, Bushtits frequent bushy areas in mixed woods, parks and backyards. They come to suet feeders year-round, and may build their elaborate, gourd-shaped, sack-like nests nearby.
Sunflower Chips, black oil sunflower seed without the hulls, is a great food to offer if you'd like to attract oodles of birds to your feeder while being lazy about sweeping hulls.
Photo is an Evening Grosbeak dining on Value Sunflower Chips
by Molly Evans
I’m a lazy gardener. I don’t really want to sweep up seed shells from underneath our black oil sunflower seed feeders. But that seed is by far the most popular that we offer, so for years I regularly swept a good many hulls left behind by our backyard diners.
That was then. Now I fill some of my feeders with Sunflower Chips, sunflower seeds without the hull. There is less mess to sweep from underneath those feeders, and sunflower chips attract a wide variety of seed-eating birds! Hulled sunflower chips are very nutritious, and their high oil content equates to a high energy boost for our bird feeder regulars. I fill the elevated feeders located near our patio and walkway with the chips, to keep the areas looking neat and tidy.
In a ground feeder I offer Pacific No Waste, a blend of sunflower chips (black oil sunflower pieces), hulled white proso millet peanut pick-outs and hearts, and cracked corn. Birds that prefer to feed low to the ground, like Spotted Towhees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Varied Thrushes, sparrows and others, will find it to contain all their favorite seeds. I recommend Pacific No Waste as a great no-shell substitute for Northwest Nature Mix, which has something for everybirdy.
It seems to me that offering sunflower chips and Pacific No Waste is energy and cost efficient. The hulls, which are not useful, are left behind at the seed plant instead of transported to our shops in the Portland area. I like to think that when I buy these products, I’m paying only for bird food, not for shells that will not be eaten.
One of our customers suggested that we get the word out to our North Portland friends that you don't have to travel far to buy your chicken feed -- you can find it at Backyard Bird Shop!
All you chicken-lovin’ birders can enjoy the convenience of buying your 50 lb. bag of Layer Pellets, or a 50 lb. bag of Organic Layer Pellets, at the N.E. Fremont location of Backyard Bird Shop.
These unaggressive, beneficial bumblebees are native northwesterners. Their range is from British Columbia to California and as far east as Idaho. Orange-rumped bumblebees will sometimes nest in a birdhouse. Consider yourself lucky, and contributing positively to the environment, if you play host to them this year!
Photographs by Penny Pearson
We need all the pollinators we can get! Some people are surprised to discover bees taking up residence in a birdhouse. Since many species of bumblebees are in decline, you may want to consider the presence of Orange Rumped Bumble Bees (Bombus melanopygus) a positive! Before you decide to reclaim that house for the birds, consider these facts:
* We need all the pollinators we can get! Orange Rumped Bumble Bees, native to the Pacific Northwest, are important pollinators. Since many species of bumblebees are in decline due to pesticides, loss of habitat, and human intervention, there is a growing interest in encouraging and preserving our native bees.
* Bumble Bees Nest Spring – Fall Each spring, queen bumblebees search for a new nest site. Once a site is established, bumblebees visit flowers for nectar and pollen to eat, and to use to feed an initial brood of larval worker bees. In the summer the bumble bee queen produces a few generations of workers who then take over the task of collecting nectar and pollen. The summer generations help the queen rear the final generation of the colony—queens for next spring, and males to mate with them.
* The Bees Vacate the House by Fall By late fall, the colony has died out except for a few final workers and males, and the new queens burrow into the ground to wait for the following spring.
For detailed information about Orange-rumped Bumble Bees, we like this link:
Originating hundreds of years ago in Japan, rain chains act as linked funnels that guide rainwater from the roof to a rain barrel or the ground.
Shown, the Lily Rain Chain by Achla
The City of Portland encourages the installation of rain chains—less rainwater winds up in the sewer system if you disconnect your downspouts and install rain chains instead. Rain chains can direct rainwater to the ground, or to a collection barrel so it can be used later to water your yard and plants. You may even get a credit on your water/sewer bill for converting to rain chains! Call 503-823-5858 to verify.
Rain Chains are a decorative alternative to downspouts. Rain chains hang from a hole in the gutter, and water playfully dances down the links to a rain barrel or other drain system. While downspouts are rather boring in appearance, pretty rain chains can enhance the appearance of your home. Another bonus: they won’t clog with leaves the way gutters will in our part of the country!
Backyard Bird Shop offers a nice selection of rain chains. We invite you to drop by one of our 7 local shops and let us show them to you, and explain how they work.
Greetings to all! it's that time of year when out of the woodwork die-hard birders appear . . .
Birdathon 2010
by Todd Kapral
Greetings to all! It’s that time of year
When out of the woodwork die-hard birders appear
They gather and all pile into the van
To venture and see all the species they can
In rain, snow and sleet out on roads paved with gravel
These intrepid and die-hard birders do travel
We go out to find all the birds we can see
A Coot or Merganser or Northern Pygmy
It’s BIRDATHON time and you know what that means
Portland Audubon needs help fulfilling its dreams
Of helping the wildlife held in its care
There are raccoons, robins and raptors found there
They spread the word of preserving the land
But they need your help, the time is at hand
To sponsor a birder, PLEASE make a donation
The timing is right, it’s spring migration!
You love your beautiful backyard, and you work hard to keep it that way. The bad news is that soil- and leaf-dwelling pests love it, too! If you see brown patches in your lawn, or notice sickly plants, you may need to re-establish your beneficial insect populations, and then limit your use of insecticides to preserve them.
Nematodes are microscopic worms that eat about 200 different garden pests, including the larvae of crane flies, fleas and root weevils. They’re easy to apply: simply use a garden sprayer to cover your lawn and help clear a lawn infestation. Just visit a Backyard Bird Shop to pick up a container of nematodes, and start your “green pest control” regimen.
Ladybugs eat aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies, spider mites, moth eggs, and even plant and pollen mildews. Release ladybugs in your garden to help control these pests. Backyard Bird Shop offers these beneficial insects to help you use fewer chemicals, and more natural methods, to control lawn pests.
If your lawn has unsightly brown patches, or if there are half circles in your rhododendron leaves, lawn pests may be feeding on roots. Don’t douse your yard with chemicals! Use beneficial nematodes, Mother Nature’s secret weapon!
Harmless to humans, animals, plants, and earthworms, beneficial nematodes are voracious predators of over 250 soil dwelling pests, including root weevil, European crane fly, grubs, ants, fleas, and cut worms. The drizzles of autumn make it the best time to put Beneficial Nematodes to work in a Portland-area lawn. A “sponge” of one million nematodes covers 3,000 square feet of lawn and can be applied through a hose end sprayer, pump sprayer or with a watering can. Local garden centers and big chemical companies still spend millions of dollars each year marketing the quick, easy fix of picking up a can of insecticide, holding our breaths and spraying. But more and more people who care about their lawns and garden also understand the personal and environmental risks associated with the use of toxic chemical insecticides. These chemical killers tend to be indiscriminate, killing off beneficial insects that would naturally help to control pests. And, many of the pests homeowners wish to control are developing a tolerance to the chemicals sold to eliminate them. Prior to the introduction of toxic insecticides in the 1940’s, the use of Beneficial Insects for pest control was standard practice. Both the California citrus crop and the Hawaiian sugar field were saved with the use of Beneficial Insects. Every pest has a natural enemy— successful pest control is as simple as releasing the natural enemy when pest levels are low and letting nature take it’s course.
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.
Helping wild birds and other backyard wildlife benefits all living creatures. In our urban area, wild bird feeding is the principal connection many people have with wildlife. Watching birds foraging around a backyard feeder in the morning can relieve stress and can start the day on a positive note. Bringing birds into the backyard adds a welcome flash of color, dash of motion and splash of sound to “decorate” a backyard garden!
Backyard Bird Shop is a proud sponsor of Oregon Public Broadcasting's TV program, Oregon Field Guide, from April through July.
In its 21st season, Oregon Field Guide remains a valuable source of information about outdoor recreation, ecological issues, natural resources and travel destinations. Oregon Field Guide airs Thursday evenings at 8:00pm on the television stations of Oregon Public Broadcasting and repeats on Sunday evenings on local channel 10. See a program guide and overview of the show by clicking here.
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