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Welcome to BirdTracks®
Online!
An e-mail newsletter from
Wild Birds
Unlimited for May 2002.
1. Attract
charming chickadees with ease
2. Safflower can be a
super summertime seed!
3. Shhhhh! Babies
sleeping!
4. Got fruit? If so, you can attract many
birds!
5. Seeking unique Father's Day
gifts? | |
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1. Attract charming chickadees with
ease
Chickadees may be just about
everyone's favorite backyard feeder bird. These petite black,
white and gray birds flit from place to place and bring smiles
to all when they alight on a feeder. Chickadees tend to
feed one at a time because there is a hierarchy that allows
the most dominant bird to feed first. Generally, chickadees
take one seed from the feeder - sometimes choosing with care
to get the heaviest seed - and they fly away to eat it and
return for more. Their favorite food is oil sunflower seed,
but they also eat striped sunflower seeds, peanuts and
suet.
Chickadees are very
vocal as they call to their mate to announce their find of
food or a warning. Because chickadees generally do not
migrate, they are good at finding food sources and other birds
such as nuthatches, kinglets and woodpeckers sometimes join
them in foraging for food. They have particularly strong legs
that let them hang upside down while searching for
food.
Black-capped and Carolina
Chickadees are the two most common chickadees that
feed at feeders. They look virtually identical so you need to
know their range to identify them. Mountain
Chickadees are less common at feeders and often
forage at the tops of trees for spiders and larvae.
Chestnut-backed Chickadees also forage high
in trees and spend quite a bit of time upside down in search
of food. | |
2. Safflower can be a super summertime
seed!
Feeding birds safflower can be a
great way to deter squirrels, grackles and blackbirds from
monopolizing your feeders. Safflower is a small, white seed
that is high in protein and fat. Many of your favorite
backyard birds - including cardinals, chickadees, House
Finches, doves, some woodpeckers, titmice and nuthatches -
enjoy safflower while squirrels, grackles and blackbirds
typically do not. Safflower has a different taste and look
than other seeds, and it may take the birds time to get use to
it. Wild Birds Unlimited can offer customized birdfeeding
solutions for your backyard. Stop by a store soon and talk
with our certified birdfeeding
consultants. | |
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3. Shhhhh! Babies
sleeping!
If you're wondering where your
backyard birds have gone, wonder no more. Most likely, they've
taken to the nest! Most birds are nesting right now - laying
their eggs and rearing their young. The exception is
goldfinches, which generally wait until July when they can get
thistle and milkweed down to construct their nests and ripe
seeds to feed their young.
Some birds like to build
nests in trees or near the ground, while others prefer to nest
in natural holes in trees or in a nest box. Many birds have
specific requirements about how high off the ground and how
far away from woods they will start their families. Bluebirds,
for instance, like their nest spots about 5 feet off the
ground and about 100 feet from woods or shrubs.
With Wild Birds
Unlimited nest boxes, you can keep tabs on your bird families,
discreetly lifting the roof to check when eggs hatch and watch
parents feed the young. Once the little ones fledge the fun
continues! Watch closely for the parents to teach the young
ones how to feed at your feeders and bathe in your
birdbath! | |
4. Got
fruit? If so, you can attract many
birds!
Orioles, mockingbirds, Cedar
Waxwings, catbirds, bluebirds and more love fruit. Raisins,
grapes and even orange halves may attract these colorful and
interesting birds to your backyard. You can place raisins in
any type of dish or platform feeder, and suet cages will hold
grapes or orange halves. | |
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5. Seeking unique
Father's Day gifts?
Look no further
than Wild Birds Unlimited. Give dad a gift that's bound
to keep giving all year long. With a Peanut
Pantry feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited he'll
enjoy watching the birds "raid" the peanuts in the shell
from this feeder! Or consider new binoculars to help dad
spot the natural wonders that live right in his
backyard. Participating Wild Birds Unlimited stores now
carry Eagle Optics binoculars - truly
great binoculars at great prices! If dad enjoys being in
touch with the weather, review the variety of
weather stations available offering
temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and more!
And, for a fun gift the whole family can enjoy, try the
Birdsong Identiflyer. Its 13 song cards
contain the calls of more than 100 birds! Visit your
local Wild
Birds Unlimited store to learn more! |
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Wild Birds Unlimited has more
than 290 locations across North America. For more than 20
years, the company has specialized in bringing people and
nature together by providing expert information and offering
an exclusive line of products designed specifically for the
backyard birdfeeding hobby. The company is committed to
educating the public about the importance of preserving
natural wildlife habitats. For a Wild Birds Unlimited store
near you, call toll-free (800) 326-4928 or access
http://wbu.know-where.com/wbu/.
Thank
you for subscribing to our BirdTracks Online e-mail
newsletter!
Products shown here may
be available at your nearest
Wild Birds Unlimited store or
by shopping online.
Find your nearest sto re:
http://wbu.know-where.com/wbu/
Shop
online:
http://www.wbu.com/shop
ABOUT BIRDTRACKS
ONLINE
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46032.
Images copyright 2002 Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc.
or respective copyright holders. "BirdTracks" is a
registered trademark of Wild Birds Unlimited,
Inc. | | |
