Chickadees are nesting too. While they are still eating some seed, they are gobbling up the protein-rich suet in preparation for their young. The pair at my house, who moved into the swallow nesting box, have a nest but no hatched eggs quite yet. I expect there will be young soon since one bird is always in the box, the other off on forays to the suet feeder for food; or plucking moss from the stones in the shade garden to embellish the nest. When the young hatch, I plan to offer meal worms for the parents. Sure, they can raise their young without my help but it’s much more rewarding to watch the mom and dad with beaks full of meal worm treats, heading into the bird house amid the peeping ruckus of their chicks.

So if you really want to embrace Mother’s Day this year, you can extend your wishes to all of the bird moms by making sure your backyard food court is well-stocked with chick-fattening supplies such as mealworms, suet, and fresh Black Oil Sunflower seed. Also, be sure your feeders have been cleaned and that your birdbath is spic and span. It’s best to welcome those chicks into the world with seed and water free from disease. If you don’t have a bird bath, now is a great time to add one. Nesting birds need water too and with the urgency of feeding hungry young a ready source of fresh H2O is much appreciated. Sharing food and drink: now that’s a great way to celebrate Moms!

Wishing a truly Happy Mother’s Day to you all!

Now is the perfect time to add native, hummingbird-attracting plants to your backyard habitat.  Blossoming plants give hummers a break from the monotony of our nectar feeders as you continue to enjoy their spring courtship and child-rearing antics. 

The red-flowering current (Ribes sanguineum) is an early season hummer favorite that’s hard to beat. This beautiful native plant is easy to grow and starts blooming in March. Its long, salmon-pink blossoms bring in both hummers and humans for a closer look. Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) and Bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) also provide an early Spring nectar source.

Continue to fill your feeder but consider planting some hummingbird-attracting plants in your garden. Backyard Bird Shop’s staff has compiled a list of favorite hummingbird-attracting plants. Stop by a shop and ask for a copy, or click here to see it online.  The Audubon of Portland Native Plant sale on April 28-29 is a great place to purchase native plants.

There are a number of practical considerations in birdhouse design: The entrance hole must be big enough for the desired bird to get into the nest box, but not so large that a predator can raid the nest.  Perches are unnecessary; in fact, they just make it easier for predators.  Drainage, ventilation, durability and ease of cleaning are other important design elements.  It is best to choose birdhouses built to Audubon specifications.

Most nesting birds are territorial, so your yard will likely accommodate only one family of a particular bird species.  If possible, mount nest boxes at least 30 feet apart to minimize disputes.  Partly concealed, shady locations are best, with a clear flight path to the house.

To discourage non-native English Sparrows and European Starlings, try mounting nest boxes at the low end of the height range for the desired species.  Both of these non-native species do not like to nest close to the ground.  Another tactic is to keep the entrance hole “tight” – an unnecessarily wide entrance hole invites both of these non-native species.  Thirdly,if you’re purchasing a swallow nest box, consider an oval or diamond-shaped entrance hole to discourage sparrows and encourage swallows.

Another way to discourage predation is to install a birdhouse predator guard over the entry hole.   The tunnel-like predator guard elongates the entrance, making it more difficult for a predator to reach into the birdhouse to access nestlings. 

Consider setting out nesting material for cavity- and non-cavity nesters to line their nests.  Pygora goat fleece is warm, even in rainy weather.  You can also hang a mesh produce bag or unused suet cage supplied with short lengths of yarn or string, or clothes dryer lint (without fabric softener), or pet fur.

Visit your Backyard Bird Shop for a wide selection of practical and attractive bird houses and all necessary accessories.  We’ve also got information and advice on where and how to place your nest boxes, and who will put them to use.  Are your nest boxes ready?  The birds are! 

By now you’ve probably heard of the mason bee, a small native bee that’s a superb pollinator.  Did you know that it is but one type of native bee found in the Portland/Vancouver area?  We also have many varieties of other cavity nesting bees that use tree resin or leaves to make their nests instead of mud like the mason bee uses, and we have bumble bees and other ground-nesting bees as well.  Most of these natives are quite docile and beneficial, but also can require a bit of patience and skill to observe.

I keep a pair of compact binoculars by my back door. They’re handy for helping me identify new birds that visit my yard.  Because they have a close-focus feature (I can focus on things 4 – 5 feet away) they are handy for looking at insects up close, too.  With those binocs I can watch a small reddish bug come into focus and see that it is really a native bee!  Then I can watch without disturbing the bee as it collects pollen, and then I can track it as it heads off to its nest.

What wildlife will be nesting in your yard this year?  Will the violet-green swallows return to their nest box again?  Might you watch a hummingbird collect nesting material from, and choose to nest in, your yard?  Will the mason bees be busy collecting pollen at your blueberry bushes for their next generation?  Or, will you find a completely new and unexpected native bee nesting in the ground in your flower garden?  All of these are possibilities!

But, why leave these possibilities to chance? Now’s a great time to put up a new birdhouse.  For the hummers, it’s not too soon to provide Pygora Fleece nesting material.  Get your bee boxes up and your bee cocoons placed in anticipation of spring.  If you’re not sure what’s best for your yard or patio, stop by one of our shops and our friendly, knowledgeable staff will be happy to advise you.  And I encourage you to always keep watching, taking notes, taking photos, and enjoying the wonder of nature!

I just wanted to let you know that Elaine Murphy came out to Hollydale and did a presentation for my 4th and 5th grade Nature Leaders program yesterday!  She did a really excellent job, and the kids were very interested in all the information about birds that she taught them.

So, I just want to commend Elaine, and also thank you for your wonderful service of providing this presentation to our kids.  I am very impressed with and grateful for your community service to our program.  In this economy, I don’t have too much parent support these days, so this is very much appreciated.  I will be sending out an e-mail to the kids’ parents to make sure they see the coupon Elaine gave them, and tell them of your generosity.  In this picture we are making peanut butter pine-cone bird feeders (they were a big hit with the squirrels!  I really appreciated Elaine’s tip about only one type of seed per feeder ....ah well, live and learn…..)!

Thank you, and I hope maybe we can come in the Backyard Bird Shop and do one of your bird walks one of these days!

Sincerely,

Sally* 
Hollydale Nature Leaders

* Sally works with Hollydale Elementary school in Gresham as a parent volunteer.  Around eighteen 4th and 5th graders grow a garden in the spring, and have a variety of other nature experiences in the winter.  They meet once a week, and their schoolyard sanctuary is certified by the National Wildlife Federation,

The hummer cozies come in different sizes and colors, and with two Little Hottie Handwarmers that work for 8 hours.  It’s a great way to keep that feeder thawed during our freezing days!  Affordable, attractive, and easy to use (no electricity required), this is sure to be a popular item this season!

There are two styles available:

Wrap-Around Cozy —comes in various sizes and is made to velcro around a jar-style hummingbird feeder. (illustrated above)

Pocket Cozy—velcro it to the base of a saucer style feeder, such as a Hummzinger Hummingbird feeder. (see illustration below)

To see this year’s photo contest submissions, navigate to “Photos” ,then click on “2011 Photo Contest” (look toward the upper portion of the right side of the page).  Or click here. 

Fall and winter are opportune times to start bird watching.  The leaves are gone (or going) so the birds are easier to spot and identify, plus fewer birds are singing.  Things are manageable.

A good first step to birding beyond your backyard is to walk a nature trail in a nearby park.  Listen for the dee dee dee of the Black-capped Chickadee.  At this time of year you may see it in a mixed flock of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.

Notice the birds as they forage in a nearby tree.  Each species will look for food in different areas of the same tree.  You’ll probably see birds that you’re already familiar with from your backyard feeders, making identification more rewarding.  Notice too that sound carries well in the winter woods, which will enable you to search out other birds not seen at your feeder.  This is truly a great time to get out and enjoy our wildlife.

Why not join us on a free bird walk? No scrambling through a guide book on your own—our leaders make it easy.  They spot, identify, and give details about the birds you find.  Welcoming beginning birdwatchers especially, Audubon Society of Portland and Backyard Bird Shop co-sponsor free walks to local Portland hotspots on the 3rd Saturday of each month. 

Migrating geese melodiously announce their departure overhead.  Swallows first cluster in trees or on telephone lines, then begin their trip to the southern hemisphere for winter.  Western Tanagers, Rufous Hummingbirds, and Vaux Swifts leave for warmer environs as well.

The ruckus of House Finches at thistle and sunflower feeders gives way to the aggressiveness of Pine Siskins.  Evening Grosbeaks timidly return for an occasional sunflower seed feast. 

Millet consumption increases in the fall as sparrow populations return from nesting sites in Canada and higher elevations.  White-throated Sparrows, White- and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and American Tree Sparrows forage on the ground in mixed flocks.  Oregon Juncos return to our yards in small, single-species flocks.

For protection and increased food-finding success, individual crow families join much larger single-species flocks.  The large, late-summer flocks of goldfinches thin down from hundreds to tens in number.  Goldfinch males lose their brilliant yellow coats, molting back to olive-green garb.

Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker visits to feeders increase as natural insect food sources become less prevalent.  Suet becomes more attractive to these birds as well as chickadees, nuthatches, bushtits and jays.

Late autumn is a great time to gear up for birdfeeding in a big way!  Our year ‘round resident birds, plus returning migrants like White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, Varied Thrush, and Dark-eyed Juncos, will all be tempted to make your backyard a regular stop on their daily foraging rounds.

Autumn Offerings:

• Fresh Seed - offer plenty of the favorite,  black oil sunflower seed;  add white millet for the migratory sparrows who have recently arrived, nyjer for goldfinches, and mixed nuts.
• Suet - insect eaters love suet all year, and almost all birds visit suet feeders during our cold months when insects are scarce
• Hummingbird nectar - in cold months, year ‘round resident Anna’s Hummingbirds become very loyal to never-empty never-frozen hummingbird feeders
• Water -  some people don’t realize that a source of water is attractive even in our rainier months!
Less Gardening = More Habitat

Many of us once spent hours in our yards on a large “fall cleanup” effort, removing annual flowers and cleaning up perennial beds, plus ridding the yard of dead leaves and other vegetation, and sticks. The good news is that if we do less cleaning, we leave more natural food and cold-weather shelter for wildlife. Let autumn leaves remain in places that won’t kill your grass, and they’ll insulate those areas.  Leaf-covered soil is a better home to insects and beneficial microorganisms, and helps to prevent soil erosion in our rainy season.  Collect the leaves you must rake into a few piles that could be used by hibernating backyard creatures like lizards and frogs. 

Even your firewood pile can provide shelter for backyard wildlife. I regularly see birds hanging out around our woodpile in the winter, utilizing it both for shelter and for insect-hunting.  Dead tree limbs and even whole trees can be very helpful to backyard wildlife, so if you can leave them without threat of danger, consider doing so!  Woodpeckers hollow out snags to use for nest sites, and those woodpecker holes are re-used in cold weather as roosting sites by other birds.

Now is the perfect time to organize your backyard bird feeders (but maybe not as much organizing and cleaning of your backyard) to host wildlife through autumn and winter!  It’s a wonderful season to enhance the beauty of your yard by hosting the birds and other wildlife that can benefit so greatly from your feeders and habitat creation!

During the winter, seed feeder activity increases, and suet and nectar feeders get lots of attention!  What seeds should you offer?  Cornell Lab of Ornithology says that high-energy black oil sunflower seed is the flock-pleasing favorite of birds that visit feeders.  It has a high meat-to-shell ratio; it is high in fat; and its small size and thin shell make it easy for small birds to handle and crack.  Try starting with sunflower seeds, then experiment with other seeds like millet, cracked corn, and nyjer “thistle.”

Welcome your wintertime diners with an open screen feeder, low or on the ground, with millet, cracked corn and some black oil sunflower seed. Then watch for interesting birds that may appear at those feeders!  Some of the newcomers may be:

White-crowned Sparrows— 6-1/2 to 7-1/2” long with a clear grayish breast and a puffy crown striped with black and white. 
Golden-crowned Sparrows—similar to White-crowned Sparrows without the black and white head stripes.  There’s a light yellow central crown stripe instead. 
Varied Thrushes—nicknamed “Alaskan Robins”,  they look like orange robins.  Watch for an orange eyestripe, orange wing bars, and a wide black (male) or gray (female) band across a rusty breast. 
Spotted Towhees—often on the ground, rummaging among dead leaves.  Slightly smaller and more slender than a robin, the male’s head and chest are black with white spots, its sides are red, its belly is white, its eyes red.  The female is a more muted version. 
Dark-eyed (“Oregon”) Juncos—sometimes said to be sparrows wearing black executioner’s hoods. They’re 6” long, with brownish sides and a black head.