Minnetonka Manager Carol Chenault shares how she readies her backyard for the change in seasons. Addressing Nectar Feeders As I bid the Baltimore Orioles farewell the first week of September, the transition to fall backyard bird feeding begins. Taking down the oriole feeders, washing them well with soap and water and disinfecting them with either […]
Category Archives: Seasonal Happenings
Nesting for Many Birds is Not “One and Done”
Nesting season is well under way for our backyard birds. Although “one and done” is not true for some of our backyard birds when it comes to nesting. Just as soon as they have one brood off, they start another brood. American Robins can do 2–3 broods a season; Eastern Bluebirds have 2–3 broods; House […]
Minnesota’s Warblers
Up to 20 different species of warblers pass through the Twin Cities area between mid-April and the end of May, with the bulk passing through between the 5th and 15th of May. If you’d like to catch a sighting or two of these colorful migrants—in your backyard or around town—Minnesota birding expert Bob Janssen has […]
Spring Migrant Arrival Dates
Prepare Your Yard for Spring Migrants To be sure, one of the joys of feeding birds is hosting migratory birds for a brief time each spring as they make their way to summer breeding grounds. With some preparation—and a little luck!—you may be able to entice one ofthese migrants to stay and raise their broods […]
Watch for Returning Waterfowl this Month!
March is a month of transition from winter to areas of open water therefore signaling the return of water fowl. The first week of March often brings the return of the Canada Geese. Pairs claim nesting territory honking noisily. A pair of geese can be seen standing on the ice of the marshes and wetlands […]
February is National Bird Feeding Month
The month of February was designated National Bird Feeding Month by an Illinois congressman, John Porter. In 1994, he read a resolution in to the Congressional Record. The month is an ideal time for promoting and enjoying the experience of wild bird feeding. The theme for 2019 is to ensure that our birds, our harbingers […]
It’s Time Again for Winter-Visiting Finches
Welcome Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls 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 […]
Tips for Easy Winter Bird Feeding
When temperatures drop, trips out to fill bird feeders can be daunting! Here are three tips to make winter bird feeding easier. Watch our brief video for some great tips!
Holiday Treats for Birds
There’s a wide range of foods you can offer on a bird Christmas tree that will attract a wide variety of birds and the more you decorate a tree the more species you will see. Make sure that your bird treat tree is visible from a comfortable spot in your house. What a delightful sight […]
Winter Water
Want to attract more birds to your yard this winter? Supply a source of open water! When temperatures drop, birds are in a constant struggle to maintain their body temperatures. A steady source of fats and proteins will help to nourish and fuel birds’ metabolic needs and keep them warm. But also important—a source of […]
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