Blog for the Birds

Virignia Purple Martin Festival a Success

The first Purple Martin festival was a huge success in Richmond VA on July 26.  Bottom is a stopover for Purples as they make their way to South America for the winter. The crowd got an unexpected show of raw nature when a red-tailed hawk ate 3 of the Martins! All in all, it sounds like a blast and worth attending next year.  If you still want to see the Martins, you can go there until about mid August. The sighting area is in Shockoe Bottom.

Festival a treat for bird lovers

A Peacock Hitchhiker?

Just when you thought you’ve heard everything.  A peacock on the side of Route 307 in northeast Pennsylvania thumbed a ride with two people. Well not exactly:

Jerry Dimick and a friend were driving along Route 307 near Clarks Summit on Wednesday when they spotted a peacock standing by the edge of the road. Dimick said he stopped and “went ’smooch, smooch, smooch, smooch’ and the bird came over,” so he “reached out and grabbed him.” With no room in the back of his pickup truck, Dimick put the peacock in the front seat. He said, “The bird was sitting in between the two of us. He sat there.” Dimick took the bird to his home in Taylor and is trying to find it a safe place to live. So far, he’s had no luck with the Game Commission, animal control, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or the local zoo.

Peacock hitches ride with pair along Pa. roadway

The Birds of Central Park

If you live in or near Manhattan and want to start enjoying Central Park birds, the website for New York City’s Central Park provides a handy downloadable PDF document for you. It’s only four pages, but packed tight with information on the birds that inhabit and pass through Central Park.  It’s easy to print out and carry with you.

Birds of Central Park

Feed the Squirrels or Not?

There is some ongoing disagreement among birders about whether to deter or accept squirrels in the yard. Squirrels will be attracted to bird feeders pretty much no matter what you put in them. Some say give them their own feeder! That works for some people but you need to need to keep it stocked with squirrel goodies that supersede the bird goodies in the feeder. For example, if you put a squirrel feeder loaded with squirrel corn in the same area as a bird feeder loaded with Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, the squirrels will largely ignore the corn until the bird feeder has been emptied (or destroyed).

Another option is to use a squirrel resistant bird feeder. Some of these feeders work simply by design. Some of them are cage style which makes it difficult or impossible for the squirrel to get to the food. But the birds have no trouble. There are also high tech options like the Yankee Flipper that literally flings the squirrels away when they try to perch on the rest. It’s weight sensitive so it allows for birds, but not Squirrels. I like this feeder because it also keeps the larger scavenger birds like Pigeons and Crows away from you feeder. Anyway, it’s a debate with no clear answer - it just depends on your preference I suppose.

Green Cars Get less Bird Droppings

We all know the feeling of having that freshly washed car getting dropped on by the local aviary friends.  For some reason, green cars are less likely to be the subject of bird droppings according to a study from Zurich Insurance.  Now we’re talking about green the color here, not green as in hybrids and environmentally friendly cars.  Now who thought to study that? If you’re shopping for a car and can’t decide on a color, maybe consider this advantage to green shades!

Green cars suffer less bird poo

Squirrel in UK Breaks into Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder

File this under ‘Can not win them all’.  A young squirrel was apparently small and agile enough to squeeze between the bars of the supposedly squirrel proof bird feeder. I suppose this is why they call them ’squirrel resistant’ rather than squirrel proof.

Squirrel breaks into squirrel-proof bird feeder

Have the House and Eat it Too!

Can a bird have a house and eat it too? Yes, with edible birdhouses from Bottomlands Naturals. The houses are made from various edible material on the outside (such as dried fruits, millets, seeds, corn, and grains). But they are constructed with yellow pine and blandex lumber in the interior. When the edible portion is gone, you’re left with a sturdy natural looking birdhouse that will last for years.  It’s a birdfeeder, no it’s a birdhouse, no.. it’s both!

Bay Area Bridge Signs Educate on Birds

The Tunnel Avenue Bridge in Brisbane, CA will get some new signs.  But not ordinary traffic signs!   The adjacent lagoon is a natural wildlife habitat where many species of migratory birds stop over.  These include birds like the great blue heron, the egret, and the red-tail hawk.  The signs will be placed to educate people on the variety of birds in the lagoon.  The educational bird signs are paid for by donation. Anyone interested in donating to this bridge sign network can contact Jim Skeels at (415) 508-2141.

Bird signs proposed for Brisbane bridge

Join the Birds in the Trees

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could be high the trees to see the birds up close - or at least a horizontal view? If you live in the Pacific Northwest, maybe you can! An amazing tree-top walkway through the lush coastal rainforest canopy of conifers at the University of B.C. Botanical Garden in Vancouver will offer just that. It’s an aluminum walkway that meanders 308 meters (1010 feet) and offer incredible views. It’s even wheelchair accessible so that everyone can see what it’s like high in the forest canopy! It’s a trail like no other.

Bird’s-eye view of coastal rain forest

Photo courtesy of the Vancouver Sun

Birding Trails New Jersey

The Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary used to be a closed area - for birds only! Now that is all changing as the sanctuary will be getting trails. It took a change of ordinance but there will 4 trails completed by end of summer. Do the trails and people walking through bother the birds? As long as the people behave and stay on the trails. According to Pete Dunne, director of natural history information for New Jersey Audubon Society:

Many species are forgiving as long as people adhere to a certain pattern of movement. The birds acclimate themselves.

Bird sanctuary will be human-friendly