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Welcome to BirdTracks® Online!
An e-mail newsletter from
Wild Birds Unlimited for September 2002.

In This Issue:
1. Nifty and nimble nuthatches.
2. Migrating blackbirds causing problems? Change the menu!
3. Whoopers in flight training.
4. A tip about birdseed.

1. Nifty and nimble nuthatches!
Nuthatches are probably one of the easiest backyard birds to identify. If you see a bird creeping downward on a tree, it's a nuthatch. It's the only species that can "walk down a tree." It needs no tail support because it has incredibly strong feet!

That said, generally you won't see too many nuthatches in your yard. Most nuthatches visit feeders in ones and twos. They are feisty and aggressive birds, and pairs generally defend a territory of 10 to 30 acres. They feast on seeds and insects found in trees, and many times will hide seeds from feeders in tree bark for a snack later in the day or breakfast the next morning.

Red-breasted and White-breasted nuthatches are the most common visitors to feeders in North America. They enjoy suet, sunflower seeds and peanuts. Red-breasted Nuthatches are pickier than White-breasted Nuthatches, and their diet is made up mainly of conifer seeds. During years when these seeds aren't plentiful, Red-breasted Nuthatches will move south (or irrupt) in search of food.

Pygmy Nuthatches live in ponderosa forests in the West and survive the bitter winter nights by roosting with 50 to 100 or more other Pygmy Nuthatches in tree cavities. With so many birds in the cavity, they stay warm and can lower their metabolic rate to conserve energy.

Another species, Brown-headed Nuthatches, live primarily in the Southeast United States in mature pine forests. These birds live in flocks, although they do not have the "sleepovers" the Pygmy Nuthatches have.

To attract nuthatches to your yard, try a suet or peanut feeder as well as a blend high in sunflower.

2. Migrating blackbirds causing problems? Change the menu!
Crows, grackles and blackbirds are on the move, and they could be migrating through your yard monopolizing your feeders! If so, there are a few things you can try to discourage this practice.

Feed safflower: Safflower is a small, white seed that is high in protein and fat. Many favorite backyard birds - including Blue Jays, cardinals, chickadees, House Finches, House Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches - savor safflower. Typically, blackbirds do not.

Downsize your feeders: Try seed tube or smaller feeders that the big birds can't access. If blackbirds are a problem, it may be best to put away your wooden hopper feeders until closer to wintertime. Also be sure you are offering the highest quality seed. Many times birds will "sweep" through seed on a hopper feeder searching for just the seed they want. In the process much of the seed may wind up on the ground. The certified birdfeeding specialists at Wild Birds Unlimited can help you determine the right seed for your situation.

Create "small bird" and "large bird" feeding areas: Spread out your feeders throughout the yard so the small songbirds have an area to feed that's far away from larger birds. You can also try putting cages around some feeders that allow the small birds to access the feeders but keep out the larger birds.

Wild Birds Unlimited prides itself on being able to help offer a customized birdfeeding solution for any backyard situation. Stop by soon and chat with our certified birdfeeding specialists. Find a store nearest you.

3. Whoopers in flight training!
Seventeen Whooping Crane "kids" are earning their wings, so to speak, at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. They are preparing to follow an ultra light aircraft on a migration journey to Florida. The 1,200-plus mile flight should begin next month.

It's the second time around for the folks of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. Last year the group led a small flock of the endangered birds to Florida, and the birds returned on their own to Wisconsin for the nesting season. While these birds are still too young to be parents, five members of the original flock are expected to migrate to Florida on their own this fall.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working hand in hand with the conservation groups represented by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership to establish a second flock of these birds. They are creating captive flocks, and people dressed in crane costumes and using crane puppets are raising the young birds.

Wild Birds Unlimited has supported this reintroduction program in a variety of ways. Through the company's Pathways To Nature® Conservation Fund, grant money has helped provide the enclosures where the Whooping Cranes live while learning to follow the ultra light aircraft, a viewing blind that allows people to remain out of sight while watching the young birds learn to fly and educational materials for schoolchildren. This year an additional grant to Operation Migration helped to provide a second ultra light aircraft and more educational materials.

To learn more and follow the cranes' progress, access www.operationmigration.org or www.bringbackthecranes.org.