The crazy, hazy, lazy days of late summer call for a great reading list! Bird lovers will enjoy these selections by local resident, naturalist wildlife photographer and prolific author; Stan Tekiela. A Year in Nature with Stan Tekiela—a Naturalist’s Notes on the Seasons Learn from the expert in this collection of some of the 500 newspaper columns from Stan’s 20…
We’re so excited about this clever new product! Nectar Dots allow you to feed hummingbirds out of your hand. Simply sit or stand still with the nectar dot in your hand near an existing nectar feeder where hummingbirds frequent (it’s helpful to wear sunglasses while you do so!). Take a look a the video for more details! Pick up your…
This article is from our Bird’s-Eye View Newsletter Archives: May/June 2011 By White Bear Lake Manager Bob Ellis One of the most striking songbirds to visit backyards is the oriole. The vivid orange and black coloring of a male Baltimore oriole is unmistakable and dramatic. While both sexes display a white wing bar, the female’s palette is more subdued, with…
Hosting Eastern Bluebirds in your yard is rewarding. You get a close-up look at these beautiful, iridescent birds. You also get the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping to restore bluebird populations. It’s not difficult to host bluebirds, but you should be aware of what’s involved before you get started. This video gives you an introduction to hosting bluebirds. For more information,…
Happy Valentine’s Day! Are you wearing red as a symbol of romance today? A lot of male songbirds wear red to enhance their attractiveness to potential mates. Take a look!
Both reddish-colored finches, House Finches and Purple Finches are frequently confused for one another. We prepared a brief video to help you get to know the defining characteristics of each species to aid in your identification efforts. Take a look!
This is the time of year when you may begin to see some less-common visitors to your backyard feeding stations. Every few years, we experience an “irruption”—an influx of typically northern-dwelling birds—into our Twin Cities Metro Area and beyond in Minnesota. The irruption is often due to poor crops of conifer seeds (pine and spruce) and catkins (birch and alders) that…
Backyard Bird’s Alarm Call Network Real-time reports from backyard birds can give those around them advance warning to seek cover. Alarm calls can be wide-bandwidth, loud and short to attract birds from farther away to come mob a predator. Other calls can be shorter bandwidth, high-pitched “seets”that don’t travel as far as individual sounds, but spread quickly from bird to bird…
Many times people are surprised by some of the birds they can see in their backyard during our harsh winter months. If there are sufficient natural food sources on their breeding grounds even American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds will sometimes remain in the area where they spent the summer. Our beautiful cardinals will remain with us all winter. It’s wonderful…
We know the backyard birds that usually nest in our birdhouses: House Wrens, Chickadees, Bluebirds, and House Finches. But what about our other backyard birds, like the Cardinal, Blue Jay, Goldfinch, Robins, Hummingbirds or Orioles? Where do they nest? Cardinal nests are usually very well hidden in dense shrubs or trees, about 3-10 feet above the ground. The cup-shaped…
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/
Bob Janssen Shares His Favorite Spots in the Twin Cities Birders to Look for Warblers Note: this information is an addendum to the article about seasonal warblers in the May/June 2017 Bird’s-Eye View Newsletter. Southern Twin Cities: 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 Minneapolis Area: Roberts…
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. Open nesters include birds like: Northern Orioles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Northern Cardinals, American Goldfinches and Blue…
A Novice Bird Feeder’s Journey to Successfully Attracting Birds by All Seasons Wild Bird Store (in Eagan) employee, SANDRA TOCKO If you are reading this, you are either currently feeding birds or aspire to do so. Hopefully you are not in the same position I was four years ago—throwing money into the bird feeding industry, but not seeing any birds…
This Video Debunks 5 Winter Bird Myths Common to the Twin Cities Metro Area For more information (including two additional myths), see our January/February 2017 edition of our Bird’s-Eye View Newsletter! Save Save