Blog for the Birds

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!

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

Bird Dropping Facials?

We love birds but generally we don’t like it when one of them drops their waste on our heads, much less our faces! Well, now there is a bird dropping facial - oh boy. A certain spa in New York (where else?) called Shizuka calls the treatment the Geisha Facial which of course sounds much better than what it really is: nightingale droppings!

Bird-Poop Facial New Trend In Skin Care

Man Teaches Heron to Fly

Isn’t this backwards? Didn’t humans learn flight principles from birds?  Now Gary Zammit of Cornwall, UK turned that around and taught an orphaned Heron how to fly.  He did this by running alongside it, flapping his arms, and squawking (like a Heron I guess). Eventually, the Heron caught on and now flies on his own.

Man teaches bird to fly

Lost Parrot Blabs Name and Address

And doesn’t stay lost for long!  If you have a talking bird, what’s a good thing to teach it?  The name and address!  That’s what the Nakamura family of Tokyo did.  And when the bird became lost, it had no problem rattling off its name and address to veterinary staff (who were then able to reunite it with the family).

Lost bird speaks name and address to get home

Feed the Birds not the Bears

This time of year is a bad time of year for bears.  They’re hungry and those bird feeders are going to look mighty tasty.  Just ask Eunice Sanville of Alexandria, VA. She lost a home-made birdfeeder to a hungry bear. They’re just waking up and filling up. So if you live on the fringes of town where bears can show up, check with your local wildlife experts to see if it’s OK to hang your feeders. Otherwise you may have to take them down for a bit.

Trouble is ‘bruin’ for area bird feeders

Photo courtesy of FoxIsland.Net

Tired of Radio? Try Bird Radio

A UK broadcasting company has come up with a new idea for an alternate to that mindless chatter you often hear on commercial radio. It’s called the Birdsong Station and as the name implies, it plays nothing but birds signing.  It’s a 20 minute audio recording that plays in a loop.  Now that I would tune into!

Bird radio a real tweet

Stop Feeding the Birds Judge Orders

Usually birdfeeders are a good thing.  But you can overdo it! An Illinois couple has been ordered to take down their bird feeders after the neighbors complained of it attracting other animals.  Other guests included birds and raccoons, opossums because in addition to the hanging bird feeder, this couple was putting food on the ground for the ducks.  No no.  Moderation is key in all things!  Keep these number of feeders to a minimum and don’t place food on ground (unless you have a (watch) dog who can attend to the overcrowding that will occur.

Prospect Heights couple obeys judge by removing bird feeders

Do Owls have Bad Eyes?

The other day I was driving down a road in our neighborhood and a pigeon flew across my path.  I smacked it unfortunately.  I usually don’t bother slowing down (I was only going about 25 because it’s a residential street) because they usually get out of the way. Pigeons seem to be the slowest of all. Maybe this one just ate too much and couldn’t get out of the way in time? But Pigeons are tough birds; I looked back only to see it fly off after it gathered its composure. What about owls? I rarely see them let alone hit them. This truck driver reports hitting them on a regular basis and the explanation (part humor and part common bird sense) is really worth a read!

Even owls can be blind-sided

Bad Seed?

Have the birds in your yard been dying? Maybe it’s in the seed. Lloyd Shook of Lake Elsinore (CA), thinks it’s the seed he purchased from WalMart. He said some 50 birds got sick and died after eating the seed.  But he was unable to produce anything but accusations and WalMart is not paying him back.

Bird Man accuses Wal-Mart of selling bad seed