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April 3, 2021 White Bear Lake store open until 6pm weekdays! We’re delighted to report that we’re able to extend our Monday–Friday hours at our White Bear Lake store! The new hours for White Bear Lake are identical now to all of our other locations. Mon–Fri: 9am to 6pm Sat: 9am to 5pm Closed Sundays Same-day curbside delivery for orders…
All Seasons Wild Bird Store (wildbirdstore.com) put together recommendations for nest boxes based on information from the following sources: http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/fact… https://bbrp.org/wp-content/uploads/2… https://bbrp.org/ See also: https://wildbirdstore.com/resources/a… https://wildbirdstore.com/2021/03/08/… This video discusses placement for bluebird nestboxes, selection of bluebird houses, monitoring bluebird nests, and resources for learning more about hosting bluebirds. Special thanks to George Brown, the BBRP and Ray Marshall for photographs…
Last month, I had an opportunity to interview George Brown, the Ramsey and Washington counties coordinator for the Bluebird Recovery Project. I’ve been aware of the work that Brown has down in coordination with the White Bear Lake All Seasons Wild Bird Store location—setting up their successful bluebird nest boxes and hosting in-store bluebird seminars. I’ve also seen the incredible…
In this quick video, you’ll discover where and when you can find Minnesota’s 12 owl species. Some, like the Barred Owl or Great Horned Owl, are permanent residents and can be found throughout the state. Others, like the Burrowing Owl or Snowy Owl, are only found in isolated locations at certain times of the year. For more information about where…
Minnesota Hosts 12 Species of Owls By Minnetonka Manager CAROL CHENAULT Twelve species of owls can be found somewhere in Minnesota but not throughout the whole state. These are the Barn, Barred, Boreal, Burrowing, Eastern Screech, Great Gray, Great Horned, Long-eared, Northern Hawk, Northern Saw-whet, Short-eared and Snowy Owl. Not all owls are strictly nocturnal. Owls can see perfectly…
Report by guest contributor MELISSA BLOCK (Minnetonka, Minnesota) This has been a crazy winter irruption this year—for some locales. It was predicted that we would not get a big influx of Pine Siskins this year, but we did, only early in the season. Most of them have now moved farther south. I know I was excited when I saw some…
When is a flock of birds not really a flock? Not every group of birds is automatically called a flock. The two characteristics that constitute a flock are numbers and species. Two or three birds are generally not thought of as a flock, but there’s no set number of birds that is needed to call it a flock. For birds…
Minnesota’s occasional winter birds An irruption is defined as a sudden change in population density of a species in a location. Simply put, it’s an influx of a bird species (or multiple species) that we don’t usually see in our area. Irruptions can occur in response to an increase in a species populations or a change in movement patterns based…
The Blue Jay is one of our loudest and most colorful backyard songbirds. The mighty jay is fearless, great at mimicking and an outstanding survivalist known for intelligence, complex social systems and tight family bonds. Here are some insights into the life and habits of this gregarious species. That Amazing Color and a Fantastic “Mohawk” This large-crested bird has various…
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is often confused with the Red-headed Woodpecker because, despite its name, it has a rather prominent red cap. The Red-bellied Woodpecker is also often confused with the Northern Flicker because it has a similar size and markings. In this video, we point out the distinguishing characteristics of all three species to help you become a master in…
The Downy Woodpecker, at about 7”, is the smaller version of the Hairy Woodpecker (I always remember that it’s “downsized”). The males have a small red patch on their back of their heads, females do not. These woodpeckers remain with us all winter and are frequent visitors to our suet and sunflower feeders. Their main diet, however, is insects. Downies…
Have you heard any of these common myths about migration? Our newest video separates myth from fact! Based on an article by Minnetonka Manager CAROL CHENAULT in the Sept/Oct 2017 edition of our Bird’s-Eye View Newsletter.
Are you prepared for influx of feathered guests to your backyard in the coming months? Now is the perfect time to clean your birdhouses and feeders in anticipation of the great Minnesota birding get-together known as Fall Migration. A clean feeder not only looks good, it prevents the spread of disease among backyard visitors—and entire bird populations, for that matter.…
When we get ready for a trip, we pack a suitcase. When birds prepare for their migration trip, they pack on the fat! Birds migrate to find the most abundant food sources. As the length of daylight changes, the birds prepare with a few physical adaptations. Their hormone levels change now that their breeding season is over, and their sexual…
Birds spend a great deal of time caring for their feathers because their lives really do depend on them. A bird’s feathers keep them warm and dry, camouflage them from predators, attract mates during breeding season and, most importantly, give them flight. Here’s a video based on guest contributor Melissa Block’s article in the September/October 2013 edition of our Bird’s-Eye View newsletter. Here, she explains…
