Here’s a guide to selecting the right feeder or feeders for your yard. As always, ask any of our local backyard birding experts for help finding the perfect feeder for they types of birds you would like to attract.
Orioles Out; Hummers Still HereWe lament the migration of the orioles as they leave this week. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will continue to visit feeders well into October. Male hummingbirds migrate first so we will be seeing mostly females and juveniles at the feeders. Change your nectar every three days or so. Apply mint extract to the nectar ports to deter bees and wasps.
Dark-eyed Juncos arrive in September and forage on the ground under the feeders. Sprinkle a little Finches’ Choice on the ground to welcome them.
American Crows are seen in noisy communal roosts as we move into autumn. American Coots begin to arrive on area lakes.
Welcome Dark-eyed Juncos sometime this month by sprinking some Finches’ Choice below feeders.
Migration begins in earnest for monarch butterflies, various warblers, sandpipers and Broad-winged Hawks.
By CAROL CHENAULT, Manager of the Minnetonka All Seasons Wild Bird Store location
Stone or ceramic birdbaths are best cleaned with a solution of 9 parts water and 1 part bleach. Lime deposits can be removed from plastic birdbaths with a mixture of half white vinegar and half water.
Nectar can go bad after 2-3 days in hot summer temperatures.
There’s more to attracting Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds to your yard than just putting out a nectar feeder. Keeping your nectar feeders clean is essential to keeping the hummingbirds in your yard and keeping them healthy. Nectar can turn bad in as little as a day or two depending on the on the outdoor temperature. Experts have said that hummingbirds will starve rather than consume spoiled nectar. Hummingbirds can also develop a fungus infection from improperly maintained feeders.
We carry the Best Hummingbird Combo Brush Set ($8.99), which has a variety of brush sizes for everything from cleaning the bottle to ports.
We recommend cleaning a hummingbird feeder every two to three days during the summer. The nectar can last a bit longer if it is hung in the shade, but never more than a few days. The easier a hummingbird feeder is to clean, the more likely it will be cleaned regularly. After taking the feeder apart, a simple wash with hot water and vinegar or with a drop of bleach will do. Some styles of feeders will require using a bottle brush to thoroughly clean. There are also very small brushes that can be used to clean the ports. Make sure to rinse the feeder well. There’s a new product called Hummeze that makes cleaning your feeders easy. Add Hummeze to hot water and let your feeders soak. It uses safe, hydrogen peroxide bubbles to sanitize and kill black mold. No need to brush or scrub and it gets into all the crevices.
By Guest Contributor MELISSA BLOCK
Northern Cardinal Nest
Cardinal nests are usually very well hidden in dense shrubs or trees, about 3-10 feet above the ground. The cup-shaped nests are loosely built of twigs, plants, leaves and lined with fine grasses and hair. The nests are about 4-5 inches in diameter. Cardinals usually lay 3-4 eggs, which are pale, bluish to greenish white with brown spots and blotches. They will raise 2-3 broods a season.
Blue Jay nest
Blue Jays will nest in trees, usually 10-25 feet above the ground. The nests are bulky, cup-shaped and made of fresh twigs, bark, dry leaves and grasses. Their nests are 7-8 inches in diameter. Blue Jays will lay 4-6 eggs, which are shades of olive, blue and tan, spotted with brown near the larger end. They raise 1-2 broods a year.
American Robin Nest
Robins nest on any tree branch, in a shrub or on any substantial ledge. Nests are made of grass, twigs, and feathers, strips of cloth or paper, moss and held together with mud. The nest is 6-8 inches in diameter. Robin’s eggs are easily recognizable by the blue color. Three to four eggs are laid at a time, with 2 broods a year.
American Goldfinch Nest
Goldfinch nests are 4-10 feet above ground in trees, shrubs and even tall weeds. The nests are cup-shaped and small, about 2 ½ to 4 inches in diameter. Goldfinches use twigs, spider webs, and plant fibers and lined with thistle down. Goldfinches are our latest nesting bird, waiting for the thistle down to bloom. The average Goldfinch nest contains 5 eggs. The eggs are pale bluish white or greenish blue and are unmarked.
Hummingbird on nest
The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird nests 10-20 feet above the ground. Their small nests, about 1-2 inches in diameter, are usually found attached to and near the tip of a down-slopping branch of a tree. They make their nest from plant down and bud scales. The nest is attached to the tree limb with spider webs, and covered with lichens. Hummingbirds lay 1-3 eggs per brood and the eggs are less than an inch long and white. They will raise 1-3 broods a year.
Baltimore Oriole nest
Baltimore Oriole nests can be found in any deciduous trees, but they are especially fond of cottonwood, willow and apple trees. Their nests are commonly found 25-30 feet above ground. Orioles build an intricately woven deep pouch made of plant fibers, hair, yarn, and fine grasses. They lay one brood of 4-5 eggs. The eggs are a pale, grayish white or pale bluish white, with streaked, blotched spots of browns and black.
You Can Help Us Raise Money for Audubon MinnesotaAll Seasons Wild Bird Store is excited to announce that from June 14 through June 30, customers can round up their purchase at any All Seasons Wild Bird Store to donate to Audubon Minnesota. The store will then match contributions dollar for dollar!
Audubon Minnesota works to reduce bird window strikes through the Lights Out project as well as other program efforts.
As migratory birds travel thousands of miles, many of them migrate at night to avoid predation, use celestial cues for navigation, and maximize daylight foraging hours.
Bright city lights lure nighttime migrants into urban areas and confuse them by obscuring the moon and stars. Once trapped in the bright, windowed maze of the city, birds may crash into buildings or circle buildings until they collapse from exhaustion.
Turning out unnecessary lights at night can reduce bird mortality from collisions by over 80 percent. With your support, Audubon Minnesota will work with building owners and managers across Minnesota to help birds to safely navigate the night and make it to their breeding or wintering grounds. See the above video for simple tips to help migrating birds.
Many varieties of trees and shrubs depend on pollinators to reproduce, such as apple, pear, plum and cherry trees. Insect pollinators include bees, butterflies, beetles, moths, flies and wasps. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources we have about 400 native wild bee species.
A bumble bee pollinates an Eastern Redbud Tree © Russ Ensley | Dreamstime.com
While insects play a critical role in the fitness of our tree and plant species, they are also essential to our backyard birds. Insect eggs, larvae and adults are valuable sources of protein and other nutrients for our backyard birds and their offspring. For information on attracting bees, butterflies and birds to your yard, see Lori Lundeen’s top 10 picks in the May/June 2017 edition of our Bird’s-Eye View Newsletter.
Article by Minnetonka Manager CAROL CHENAULT
As we enter birds’ nesting season, it’s good to be prepared for what to do if you find a baby bird in your yard. Here’s a short video that explains your options.
The Minnesota Wildlife Rehabilitation Center phone number is: 651-486-9453. They also have an excellent FAQ resources page on their website: https://www.wrcmn.org/
Mourning Warbler
Note: this information is an addendum to the article about seasonal warblers in the May/June 2017 Bird’s-Eye View Newsletter.
Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge
http://mrvac.org
Fort Snelling State Park
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fort_snelling/index.html
Old Cedar Avenue Bridge over Meadow Lake
http://oldcedarbridge.com
Roberts Bird Sanctuary at Lake Harriet
https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks__destinations/gardens__bird_sanctuaries/roberts_bird_sanctuary
Note: They run weekly bird walks in May!
Theodore Wirth/Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary
https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks__destinations/gardens__bird_sanctuaries/eloise_butler_wildflower_garden_and_bird_sanctuary/
Lake Elmo Park Reserve
https://www.co.washington.mn.us/502/Lake-Elmo-Park-Reserve
Harriet Alexander (fka Larpenteur) Nature Center
Harriet Alexander Nature Center
Vadnais-Sucker Lake Regional Park
https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/parks-recreation/parks-trails/find-park/vadnais-sucker-lake-regional-park
Bay-breasted Warbler
Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter hosts field trips every week in May, often led by volunteer Craig Mandel, who provides expert guidance. See http://mrvac.org/events for details.
The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary hosts several guided walks in May. Visit: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks__destinations/gardens__bird_sanctuaries/eloise_butler_wildflower_garden_and_bird_sanctuary/
Robert (Bob) Janssen is a noted Minnesota ornithologist and author of Birds of Minnesota State Parks (2015), Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin (2003) and Birds of Minnesota (1987). For many years he was editor of the quarterly journal of the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union and is a past president of that organization. Bob is a coordinator of the Minnesota Breeding Bird Survey for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and consults for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Our favorite songbirds can be open nesters or cavity nesters. Open nesters build or weave nests out in the open in cattails, bushes, trees or on top of ledges. Cavity nesters use a bird house/nest box or hole in a tree to raise their young.
You can assist open nesters by leaving V-shaped branches when trimming trees and shrubs. Plant arborvitaes, yews and other evergreens to provide year round cover and spring nesting sites. Providing nesting material like The Best Nest Builder will assist goldfinches with nest building. Place human and pet hair along with moss and grasses in a suet feeder. Hang the suet feeder in a bush or tree in the regularly used flyways to and from feeders and bird baths. CAUTION: Do not use dryer lint as it hardens when wet and will not wick water away from the nestlings.
The competition for natural cavities is fierce between cavity nesters. You can help by providing bird houses for wrens and chickadees. They are the most likely to use backyard bird houses. Hanging a bird house from a shepherds hook with a baffle on the pole to prevent predation is a best practice. Clean out the bird house between nestings. House wrens will raise two broods a year and will reuse the house if you clean it out. See our Nesting Notes for more information.
Cedar chickadee house
Natural cedar wren house
1-866-72BIRDS (722-4737)