September and Goldfinches
September is a big month for the goldfinch. Their numbers should be increasing daily as fledglings emerge from their nests. Your feeders filled with nyjer and sunflower chips will be busy with lots of these little birds jockeying for position. They will also eat coneflower seed heads (sunflowers, thistle, asters) well into the winter months, […]
Summer is Winding Down
In August, as the summer is winding down, young birds are busy learning to survive on their own. Many adult birds have raised three to five batches of young in the past few months and these young birds are out in full force looking for food. This can be one of the busiest times of […]
American Goldfinch Are Still Nesting
Why does the American Goldfinch wait so late in the year before nesting? Thistle plants, a major nesting material for the American Goldfinch, blooms in July. It’s thought that the blooming period of the Thistle plant may play a part in the timing of their nesting season. As late summer approaches, these Thistle plants set […]
Midsummer Birdwatching
July is an exciting time for bird watching! There should be plenty of juvenile birds to stretch your identification skills and lots of activity as parents help their young to find food and escape predators. Different types of feeders will attract different varieties of birds to your backyard. Here are some examples of birds you will […]
Keeping Hummingbirds Happy and Healthy: The Importance of Fresh Nectar, Especially in Summer Heat
Hummingbirds are captivating creatures with a sugar-centric lifestyle. They fuel their incredible flight and energy needs by consuming flower nectar, tree sap, and even the occasional insect for protein. In many backyards, birders attract these tiny marvels with a simple homemade nectar recipe that mimics the natural sucrose content of flowers. This recipe, combining sugar […]
Summer Time is Hummer Time!
Hummingbirds Add Another Dimension to a Garden that You Won’t Want to Miss As summer approaches, we start to notice an increase in activity with hummingbirds, as breeding territories are abandoned, juveniles are weaned and hummers from up north make their way south. Now is a good time to increase the number of hummingbird feeders […]
Make June Your Month to Fly Away with Backyard Birds!
June is a glorious time to step outside and embrace the beauty of the natural world. With warm days, longer hours of daylight, and a vibrant symphony of birdsong, it’s the perfect season to reconnect with nature. Here at Backyard Birds, we’re passionate about helping you experience the joy of the outdoors, and June offers […]
How to Attract Finches in Your Backyard
You can’t help but notice these active and acrobatic little birds with a short, conical bill and a small, head, long wings, and short, notched tail, especially this time of year. Photo submitted by Floyd Seitz Adult male Finches in spring and early summer are bright yellow with black forehead, black wings with white markings, […]
The Bluebirds are nesting!
We have had several customers reporting bluebirds building nests and several reports of eggs. So the bluebirds are well on there way to another season. Here are some successful features of a bluebird house No perch they may help encourage Sparrows Entrance hole should be 1 1/2 inches in diameter Ventilation by a small hole […]
Here Come the Hummers
For some wildlife and nature enthusiasts, the most wonderful time of the year is almost upon us . . . hummingbirds will be back soon! In this installment of the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie spend a few minutes sharing interesting facts and figures about hummingbirds, courtesy of Cornell’s, Birds of North […]