Birder’s Guide to Wind Chimes

Wind chimes add to the ambiance of a backyard that has been carefully groomed and outfitted for feeding backyard birds. Chimes are often ornate and decorative and can be hung on porches or from a tree by a favorite spot in the backyard where they can be seen and heard, complimenting the calls of the chickadees or the mechanical sounds of a cardinal.

Gift Suggestions for Backyard Birders

…your goal in giving an outdoor gift is to show you care and that you know they love their backyards. The only question becomes “Will they like it or will they think I am totally nuts?”

The Cat Sat on the Mat (if only it was true…)

Cats and diseases are the most preventable dangers to backyard birds. A third danger is less severe but is also preventable and that is collisions with windows.

Bird Houses, Nesting Boxes, and Feeders

Attracting wild birds, feeding them and wondering about their nesting requirements is time honored. An active nest in the backyard can quickly become a focal point for the entire household as cats are restrained, yard detours are posted, children are advised not to touch the eggs and adults become amateur naturalists intent on protecting the young.

Purple Martin Communities – Condos for Hirundos

“Conscious of her fixed times” the Purple Martins returning to their ancestral breeding sites on the East Coast of North America are now almost completely dependent upon manmade nesting facilities.

For Rent, cozy 1 bdrm apt, no plumbing

Boxes or bird houses that are customized to meet the needs of specific “cavity nesting birds,” such as the traditional favorites; Purple Martins, bluebirds, Tree Swallows, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, and to some extent owls and birds of prey such as the Kestrel are distinguished from each other by the interior dimensions and the size of the hole.

Bluebirds – A celebration

Part of the excitement with Bluebird boxes is checking on the progress of the babies.

Raising a Bird House

Reasons to build a bird house to attract nesting birds run the gamut from it being a requirement to earn a merit badge to a parental bonding experience to an artistic expression to it being a potential money earner.

Form over Function

Although very popular, I do not consider highly stylized nesting boxes found in the houseware sections of department stores or in some craft fairs to be “decorative birdhouses.”

Hang it and they will come

Birds do not have teeth to snap open a husk, instead will pry open the shell and swallow the contents whole, using grit in their gizzards to grind it up.