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Welcome to BirdTracks®
Online!
An email newsletter from
Wild Birds Unlimited
for November 2005.
In This
Issue:
- Holiday Gift Giving
-
Bird of the Month: Pine Siskin
- Fun Facts
About Pine Siskin
- Sights and Sounds At
Sapsucker Woods | |
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It's not too early . . .
.
. . to start your holiday gift-giving plans. Consider
gifts of nature this year when planning for your
family, teachers, clients, employees and associates. This
year, share the wonder of attracting beautiful songbirds with
birdfeeding and nature-related gifts from Wild Birds
Unlimited. Let us create a special corporate gift or holiday
basket for the special people on your list and they'll
remember you all year long!
You can count on your Wild
Birds Unlimited store to meet your gift-giving
needs this holiday - or any time of
year! | |
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Pining for Pine
Siskin
They say
"absence makes the heart grow fonder" . . . maybe that is why
so many people yearn to have Pine Siskin return to their
feeders each fall!
The Pine Siskin's erratic winter
visits to the United States occur mainly in years when the
seed crops of hemlocks, alders, birches and cedars have failed
in the boreal forests. So, in some years they show up in large
numbers, while in others they may not make an appearance at
all.
When they do arrive, they mix in with flocks of
goldfinches at Nyjer® (thistle) feeders, and brighten up a
drab winter day with their loud and cheerful "z-i-i-i-p"
song.
Unfortunately, Pine Siskin seem prone to an
avian disease known as Salmonellosis. This bacterial infection
is often fatal and is primarily transmitted by fecal
contamination of food and water or from bird-to-bird
contact.
You can play a crucial role in helping to
prevent this disease with a few simple techniques:
- Give the birds more space. The
addition of more feeders, spread far apart from one another,
will reduce the birds' stress and the potential for disease
transmission.
- Periodically, move your feeders
to new locations in the yard to avoid the build up of waste
materials and feces. Regularly clean the ground by raking
around the feeders.
- Sanitize feeders and birdbaths
every few weeks with a 10% bleach (one part bleach to nine
parts water) solution. Rinse thoroughly and allow to
completely dry before refilling feeders.
These techniques will help assure
that the only pining for Pine Siskin is for their safe return
next year. | |
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Fun Facts About Pine
Siskin
- At the onset of winter, Pine
Siskin become considerably plumper through accumulation of
fat. Each bird can pack sufficient seeds into its expandable
esophagus to support itself through five hours of rest at -4
degree Fahrenheit temperatures.
- Pine Siskin have difficulty
opening the large seeds of striped sunflower, but will
readily accept black-oil sunflower seed or chips and Nyjer
seed.
- If an Evening Grosbeak is eating
larger seed (such as striped sunflower) a Siskin may take up
a position near its head to pick up dropped particles and
will even defend the position vigorously against other
siskin that try to barge in.
- Pine Siskin may nest in loose
colonies, and will tolerate the occasional visit to one
another's nests after their young are hatched.
- The Pine Siskin is the most
common of the "winter finches" to be found at your feeder .
. . but not every year. An "irruption" migration usually
takes place every two or three years that can bring large
numbers of Siskin to your backyard.
- An irruption migration can bring
large flocks of Pine Siskin as far south as Florida.
- Some "irruptive" Siskin may stay
near a dependable food source and nest far south of the
normal breeding range.
- Pine Siskin, like most northern
finches, are fond of salt. They seek out natural salt licks
and in the winter they can be found along highways eating
the salt used to melt ice and snow.
- Siskin, crossbills and other
finches have been observed eating flaking mortar as a source
of sodium and
calcium.
| |
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 Pathways To Nature® Travel Log: Cornell
Laboratory of Ornithology Cornell University -
Ithaca, New York
Sights and
Sounds At Sapsucker Woods - The Cornell
Laboratory of Ornithology is well known as a
source of information for everything about birds,
but it's also a great place to go birding. Now,
thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Wild Birds
Unlimited Pathways To Nature Conservation Fund,
visitors to this legendary Lab will know just
where to go to see the best birds.
Start your exploration
of the 220 acre Sapsucker Woods at the Information
Kiosk. The map here illustrates more than four
miles of trails that stretch through woods,
wetlands, and along the edges of Sapsucker Woods
Pond. It is here that you may check the bird list
for the latest sightings, and you may also add
your own observations.
Don't miss the chance
to visit the Lab's new building, where you can
learn about the many scientific and education
activities that take place there.
For more information:
take the virtual tour at http://media.ornith.cornell.edu/qtmedia/vrtour/VRtour_clo.html
The Pathways To Nature
Conservation Fund is a partnership between Wild
Birds Unlimited stores and the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation to fund environmental education and wildlife
viewing projects. We encourage all of our
customers to visit these incredible places. Your
patronage helped make these projects
possible! |
|
This is a Pathways To Nature® Travel
Log | | | |
 |
Wild Birds Unlimited® has more
than 300 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.
Pathways To Nature® Conservation
Fund: All Wild Birds Unlimited stores donate a
portion of proceeds to this fund to support education,
conservation and wildlife viewing projects at wildlife
refuges, parks, sanctuaries and nature conservancies
throughout North America. More information is available
at
http://www.pathwaystonature.com
.
We Bring People and
Nature Together®
For a
Wild Birds Unlimited store near you,
call (800)
326-4928 or access
Store Locator.
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