Connect with Nature!

 
Information and Resources

Meet Scott Lukens

Meet Scott Lukens, Founder of Backyard Bird Shop Read more...

Meet John Rakestraw

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...

American Goldfinches

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...

Homemade Nectar Recipe

You can make your own hummingbird nectar, with table sugar and boiling water. Read more...

The Chickadee Clan

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...

Keep Your Hummingbird Feeder From Freezing Solid in Winter

Here's how some of our customers, and staff members, keep their hummingbird feeders from freezing in winter ... Read more...

Anna’s Hummingbird, a Year ‘Round Resident

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...

Birdhouse Hunting Season

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...

Meet Genece Klein, Illustrator

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...

How can I stop a Robin from throwing itself against my window over and over again?

Why is a crazy Robin banging against my window over and over again, and what can I do about it? Read more...

Meet Steve Berliner, Photographer

We are so fortunate to be able to utilize some of Steve Berliner's stunning photographs of local backyard birds on this website! Read more...

Links to Important Websites

Here are some of the organizations that Backyard Bird Shop supports, and that deserve your support as well. Visit their websites and find out how you can help! Read more...

Mason Bees, Our Native Pollinators

Many people have seen them, without realizing their significance: small, black insects feeding on flowering shrubs. These stingless bees can help pollinate your plants, something needed more and more as European Honeybee populations decline in the Pacific Northwest. Read more...

How to attract more birds?  Just Add Water!

It’s a question we get all the time: how can I attract more birds to my yard? One sure-fire way is to add water! Read more...

Running Water Foils Mosquito Production

Attract birds, and foil mosquitos, by having running water in your backyard! Read more...

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