Birds and Bird Feeders

Archive for May, 2010

Purple Martins make wonderful backyard neighbors! Want to learn how to attract them? Start by reading these very important tips.

• Wide Open Space. Purple Martins love wide open spaces . To attract these birds, you will ideally need to be able to position their ‘homes’ in the middle of an area that has 30 to 50 feet of open area on all sides. This helps the birds find you. Plus, it gives additional comfort to the birds as they can keep an eye out for natural enemies . Purple Martins particularly love to be in areas with close access to water  (creek, bay, river, etc).
• Purple Martins need leaves, grass and feathers to build their nests. Having a ‘cache’ of this material around for them is great idea. We have some products on our site that will do just the trick.
• Purple Martins like human beings. They seem to find comfort or safety being around human activity. You will find best success if you place your martin housing withing 100 feet of your own household.
• Keep in mind that Purple Martins are communal in nature – they like to live together in their Purple Martin Houses. Mounting several ‘apartments’ or gourds together about 15-20 feet above ground will keep your birds coming back. Keep vines and wires away from the housing to cut down on predator access.
• There will be competition for nesting materials from other birds, specifically house sparrows and starlings. Making sure that the entry hole in your purple martin gourd or house is placed correctly. It should be 1/2 inch or less from the floor of the house with a height of exactly 13/16 inch tall. Also, agressively keep your martin houses clean of any nesting materials from these competiting birds.

Those are some basic tips for those who are ready to start attracting these fantastic birds!

Here are some old bird pigeon racing tips that I think you might find thought provoking.

If you are racing your pigeons on the natural system, and a hen and male pigeon show clues of getting together, separate the 2 for a couple of days and then put them back together for about thirty to 40 minutes just prior to basketting. The female will stop her cycle because of the separation, and this will delay her from the laying process. The separation will also increase both birds’ desire for one another. Letting them see each other for just a couple of minutes before basketing will reinforce the bond and also increase their desire for home.

Here is another racing pigeon natural system tip. When your pair of pigeons have laid eggs and has been sitting for several days, try adding an egg to the nest every other day until they are sitting on five or six eggs. Then take the male pigeon and place him in a box or spare cage so that he will not be able to see his loft, his mate, or his nest. This should be done the night before basketting. Let me explain, if you crate on Friday night, take the cock away on Thursday night. The hen won’t realize that the male is gone until it is his time to sit on the nest the next day. She will be very hesitant to leave the nest, or even to eat, because of the added eggs and the fact that her mate is not available to take his turn, so she will become even more attached to the nest than normal. You may have to physically take her from the nest and feed her in another nest box so she can eat and drink.

When I take the female away, if time permits, I like to let the male into the loft. He will discover that his nest is unprotected and will hurry to take his turn on the eggs. I let him settle on the nest for a few minutes and then take him away PRIOR TO allowing his hen back into the loft. Both pigeons will race extra hard to come home to protect those eggs when a question has been put into their minds regarding their responsibility for the nest!

Another trick when racing pigeons on the natural system, when a pair starts to nest, take away one of the mates. This can be either the cock or the hen, but I prefer to take out the hen. Let the male take another mate, and then take away that mate. When shipping day arrives, let both hens in with the male for twenty to thirty minutes, but don’t allow the hens to begin a heavy battle because they could lose form. Ship them all to the race. This trick can be used all season long to motivate either or all of the birds at different times.

 see Buckazoo and post pet ads, dog ads, puppies for sale, dogs for sale. If your looking – you will find it easy to find good deals on pets, dogs, cats. Post the following breeds on our ontario classifieds :
 Affenpinscher  Afghan Hound  Airedale Terrier  Akita  Alaskan Malamute  American Eskimo Dog  Cocker Spaniel  Collie  Curly-Coated Retriever  Dachshund  Dalmatian  Dandie Dinmont Terrier  Doberman Pinscher  Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever  Old English Sheepdog  Otterhound  Papillon  rector Russell Terrier  Pekingese  Pembroke Welsh Corgi  American Foxhound  American Staffordshire Terrier  American Water Spaniel  Anatolian Shepherd Dog  Australian Cattle Dog  Australian Shepherd  Australian Terrier  Basenji  Basset Hound  Beagle  Bearded Collie  Bedlington Terrier  Belgian Malinois  Belgian Sheepdog  Belgian Tervuren  Bernese Mountain Dog  Bichon Frise  Black And Tan Coonhound  Black Russian Terrier  Bloodhound  Border Collie  Border Terrier  Borzoi  Boston Terrier  Bouvier Des Flandres  Boxer  Briard  Brittany  Brussels Griffon  Bull Terrier  Bulldog  Bullmastiff  Cairn Terrier  Canaan Dog  Cardigan Welsh Corgi  Cavalier King Charles Spaniel  Chesapeake Bay Retriever  Chihuahua  Chinese Crested  Chinese Shar-Pei  Chow Chow  Clumber Spaniel  English Cocker Spaniel  English Foxhound  English Setter  English Springer Spaniel  English Toy Spaniel  study Spaniel  Finnish Spitz  Flat-Coated Retriever  French Bulldog  German Pinscher  German Shepherd Dog  German Shorthaired Pointer  German Wirehaired Pointer  Giant Schnauzer  Glen Of Imaal Terrier  Golden Retriever  Gordon Setter  Great Dane  Great Pyrenees  Greater Swiss Mountain Dog  Greyhound  Harrier  Havanese  Ibizan Hound  Irish Setter  Irish Terrier  Irish Water Spaniel  Irish Wolfhound  Italian Greyhound  Japanese Chin  Keeshond  Kerry Blue Terrier  Komondor  Kuvasz  Labrador Retriever  Lakeland Terrier  Lhasa Apso  Lowchen  Maltese  Manchester Terrier  Mastiff  Miniature Bull Terrier  Miniature Pinscher  Miniature Schnauzer  Neapolitan Mastiff  Newfoundland  Norfolk Terrier  Norwegian Elkhound  Norwich Terrier  Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen  Pharaoh Hound  Plott  Pointer  knock down Lowland Sheepdog  Pomeranian  Poodle  Portuguese Water Dog  Pug  Puli  Rhodesian Ridgeback  Rottweiler  Saint Bernard  Saluki  Samoyed  Schipperke  Scottish Deerhound  Scottish Terrier  Sealyham Terrier  Shetland Sheepdog  Shiba Inu  Shih Tzu  Siberian Husky  Silky Terrier  Skye Terrier  Smooth Fox Terrier  Soft Coated whole-wheat Terrier  Spinone Italiano  Staffordshire Bull Terrier  criterion Schnauzer  Sussex Spaniel  Tibetan Mastiff  Tibetan Spaniel  Tibetan Terrier  Toy Fox Terrier  Vizsla  Weimaraner  Welsh Springer Spaniel  Welsh Terrier  West Highland White Terrier  Whippet  Wire Fox Terrier  Wirehaired Pointing Griffon  Yorkshire Terrier

In order to draw in a lot of birds, you will need to know where to locate the bird feeder pole and the bird feeder. Once you make the seed more available to the birds, they very easily find it and visit on a regular basis. You may be confused as to exactly where to locate your feeders though. Below is some information that really should assist you to figure it out.

Birds find their food by sight rather than by their sense of smell. So be sure that the birds can see the feeder. This way they’re going to rapidly get used to coming to the feeder.

Place the feeders in areas of the yard that happen to be fairly peaceful, but where you can nevertheless observe them. It is wonderful to be able to see them as you look out the windows of your home. This way you’ll be able to watch the birds for hours if you would like. So remember this when you are ready to place the wild bird feeder.

You would like the location to be easy to get at so you’ll be able to fill the feeder. Even in bad weather, you want to be able to quickly replenish your feeder.

Also, locate your feeders near some form of shelter like trees or shrubs. This way the birds have a spot where they can be protected while they wait to get at the feeders. You need to keep the bird feeder pole and bird feeder far enough away from this shelter so squirrels aren’t encouraged. Additionally, your outdoor cats will have a lot more trouble pouncing on the birds if you give some thought to where you put your bird feeders.

Pick a spot where the overflow of seed, feathers, and bird droppings will never matter. Some of the commercial seeds have additives so they’ll not germinate. This could also cause other plants not to sprout. Remember this when selecting the area.

Don’t place all your feeders on the identical height. The height that the bird feeder pole ought to be will depend on which birds you are trying to attract. Perform a bit of study so you will have all your feeders at the proper heights.

Now understand that some birds favor platforms to feed on rather than the hopper or tube feeders. So be sure to have a few platforms scattered about. These platforms can sit on top of the bird feeder pole, hang from one, or hang from a tree.

Several other birds are ground feeders and may eat up the seeds the other birds push out of the feeder. This might help clean up part of the mess the birds make. No need to put out additional seed for these birds. The other birds will drop enough to feed them.

With the information above, you should better understand where to position a bird feeder pole and bird feeder now. You will enjoy many hours of watching the birds come and go. It is also fun to make a list of the birds that visit your yard. This is called a life list by professional birdwatchers. So have fun today and set up some feeders for your feathered friends.

- Craig enjoys bird watching and writing at sites like Wild Bird Feeders

Why not check out this site Environmental Blog

So many today love beholding a visit of the beautiful Hummingbird to their garden or a Hummingbird feeder.

A Hummingbird can flap their wings at an amazing speed some flap their wings at about 90 times per second depending on the species. The fastest Hummingbird can fly about 34 miles per hour.

The smallest Hummingbird is the Bee Hummingbird. This small bird is not much  larger that a large insect and has a nest about the size of a thimble where two chicks would reside. These brave little birds will ward off animals much larger than they are and will even dart at humans that get too close to their nests.

Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of a flower just like bees. Since nectar can be a poor source of nutrients these small birds will get the nutrients they need from feeding on insects and spiders.

You can feed Hummingbirds by using a Hummingbird feeder when you use a feeder you can view these wondrous birds up close. A feeder can also help these small birds when there aren’t many flower blossoms available.

When feeding a Hummingbird use only white granulated sugar. How much sugar is in a the liquid feed to Hummingbirds? A common recipe is 1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water. You boil the water and mix in the sugar, be sure to cool the liquid before putting it into the feeder. Some will us a little red food dye to give the liquid some color.

Hummingbirds have straight long bills but some humming birds such as the Thornbills have a short sharp bill designed for short flowers and if there is a long flower they will pierce the base of them.

A Hummingbird dosen’t spend every minute flying since the sum of energy they would use up would  be too much for them. They like small meals and consume up to five times their body weight each day. The feed up to 15% and sit digesting their food up to 80% of the time.

Please visit my blog on pets and animals at www.lovemypets.info for more selective information about our friends birds and animals.