Backyard Bird Feeding Guide

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Backyard Bird Feeding Guide What is The Seattle Audubon Society? The Seattle Audubon Society protects birds Bird Feeder Cleaning and the natural environment by involving volunteers and the community in educa- It is important to clean your feeders at tion, advocacy, preservation, science and least twice a year to prevent molds and enjoyment. Founded in 1916, we have never Backyard bacteria from harming the birds. wavered in our commitment to ensure the Use four tablespoons bleach to one well-being of birds and the natural environ- Bird Feeding quart water (equivalent to one cup ment. A Guide from bleach to one gallon water), but only mix The Nature Shop — Your up what you’ll use at one time. It is most Complete Wild Bird Source The Seattle effective to soak the feeders for about one hour. Hundreds of nature-related gifts, books and Audubon It is also advisable to rake the area wild bird supplies can be found here along Nature Shop beneath your feeders to protect ground- with specially formulated seed for Pacific feeding birds. These rakings may be depos- Northwest birds. All proceeds benefit the ited in your yard-waste containers. programs of Seattle Audubon. The Seattle Audubon Center Hummingbird and Nature Shop 8050 35th Avenue NE Nectar Recipe Seattle, Washington 98115 With a few simple changes, you can increase the number and Combine one part sugar and four parts Call: 206-523-4483 variety of birds visiting your yard water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Visit us on the Web: www.seattleaudubon.org and help compensate for the loss Remove from heat and let cool before fill- of precious habitat in Seattle and ing the feeder. Store excess in refrigerator. Monday - Saturday, 10:00AM - 4:00PM King County. Depending upon the season, change the nectar frequently to discourage the growth of bacteria. Have a question about birds? Call our Birdline, 206-523-4483. Seattle Audubon Society is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. All gifts are tax-deductible. The NatureShop N2800.1 black-oil hulled seed w/ Common Backyard Birds sunflower sunflower millet thistle suet Rock Dove (ground feeder) common / year round - X X - - Rufous Hummingbird less common / seasonal - - - - - Anna’s Hummingbird less common / year round - - - - - Downy Woodpecker uncommon / year round - - - - X Seattle’s Northern Flicker common / year round - - - - X Steller’s Jay common / year round X X - - - Backyard Birds American Crow common / year round X X - - - Violet-green Swallow common / seasonal - - - - - By putting up feeders, planting varieties of Barn Swallow common / seasonal - - - - - native plants and providing a water source, Black-capped Chickadee common / year round X X X - X you can increase the number and variety of Chestnut-backed Chickadee common / year round X X X - X avian visitors to your backyard. Bushtit common / seasonal - - - - X Plants to attract wildlife to your back- Red-breasted Nuthatch uncommon / year round X - - - X yard are listed in the Seattle Audubon Bewick’s Wren uncommon / seasonal - - - - - Society’s Gardening for Life brochure and Winter Wren uncommon / year round - - - - - on our web site at www.seattleaudubon.org, American Robin common / year round - - - - - and in Russell Link’s Landscaping for Varied Thrush uncommon / seasonal - - X - - Wildlife. European Starling common / year round X X - - X In addition to these common backyard Yellow-rumped Warbler uncommon / seasonal X X - - - birds, you may see “accidentals,” birds that Wilson’s Warbler uncommon / seasonal X X - - - arrive by bad weather or other factors. Western Tanager uncommon / seasonal X X - - - Avian predators, such as Sharp-shinned Spotted Towhee uncommon / seasonal X X X - - Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles Song Sparrow uncommon / year round X X X - - also visit backyards. White-crowned Sparrow uncommon / year round - - X - - It is always helpful to keep a good field Dark-eyed Junco (ground feeder) common / seasonal X X X - guide handy to help identify that new bird Evening Grosbeak uncommon / seasonal X X - - - for your backyard list. We recommend the House Finch common / year round X X - - - National Geographic Field Guide to North Pine Siskin common / seasonal X X - X X American Birds, 3rd Ed., Petersons Field American Goldfinch uncommon / seasonal X X X X - Guide to Western Birds and Stokes Field House Sparrow common / year round - - X - - Guide to Birds, West. All of these books, and more, are available at The Seattle Audubon Nature Shop..
Recommended publications
  • 2014 Winter Bird Feeder Survey
    DAY 1 - NUMBER OF BIRDS DAY 2 - NUMBER OF BIRDS ____ ____ Total number of birds seen Record the highest number seen at one Record the highest number seen at one time for each species. Submit one (1) day of time for each species. Submit one (1) day of ____ ____ Total number of species KANSAS data, for each of two (2) consecutive days. data, for each of two (2) consecutive days. How many of the birds listed above can you ____ Bobwhite (Northern) Quail ____ Bobwhite (Northern) Quail identify? (check one) 2014 ____ Rock Dove (Common Pigeon) ____ Rock Dove (Common Pigeon) ____ Mourning Dove ____ Mourning Dove ____ Less that 25% ____ 75% to 95% ____ Redheaded Woodpecker ____ Redheaded Woodpecker WINTER ____ Red-bellied Woodpecker ____ Red-bellied Woodpecker ____ 25% to 50% ____ 100% ____ Downy Woodpecker ____ Downy Woodpecker ____ Hairy Woodpecker ____ Hairy Woodpecker ____ 50% to 75% BIRD ____ Flicker (all races) ____ Flicker (all races) ____ Blue jay ____ Blue jay Feel free to copy this form ____ Crow (American) ____ Crow (American) for other participants and FEEDER ____ Black-capped Chickadee ____ Black-capped Chickadee ____ Tufted Titmouse ____ Tufted Titmouse THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THIS ____ Red-breasted Nuthatch ____ Red-breasted Nuthatch SPECIAL SURVEY. SURVEY ____ White-breasted Nuthatch ____ White-breasted Nuthatch ____ Brown Creeper ____ Brown Creeper ____ Robin (American) ____ Robin (American) ____ Cedar Waxwing ____ Cedar Waxwing Mail the completed form, ____ Starling (European) ____ Starling (European) no later than February 14, to: ____ Cardinal (Northern) ____ Cardinal (Northern) ____ Tree Sparrow (American) ____ Tree Sparrow (American) ____ Song Sparrow ____ Song Sparrow Ecological Services - KDWPT ____ White-throated Sparrow ____ White-throated Sparrow 512 SE 25th Ave.
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  • Bird Feeding Backyard Habitat for Wildlife
    U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Bird Feeding Backyard Habitat for Wildlife Feeding birds in the autumn and winter is especially rewarding. Following are some helpful hints for satisfying our hungry feathered friends: The Bird Feeder Whole kernel corn is eaten by blue jays, There are four types of seed feeders. woodpeckers (and squirrels), while many The platform feeder is a shallow ground feeding birds prefer cracked wooden box with a screen bottom corn. Be aware that cracked corn is and may be placed on the ground, vulnerable to rot when wet and that on a tree stump or clamped to a many mammals like to feed on corn. deck railing. The hopper feeder is Potential Feeding Problems like a platform feeder with a roof Unclean feeders or rotting, moldy and sides to hold the seed dry bird seed can cause birds to get sick and inside. The last two seed feeders spread disease to other birds. Be sure are tube shaped; one has large your bird seed is kept dry. Disinfect feeder ports for sunflower seed birdseed feeders with dilute bleach and the other has tiny feeder (10%) and water. ports for thistle niger seed. The tube may be plastic, glass, or If many undesirable birds such as metal; may have a wire cage grackles, starlings, brown-headed surrounding the tube; and may cowbirds, or crows are hogging your have a circular tray attachment. feeders, try feeding only safflower and Both tube and hopper feeders can thistle seed (only in thistle feeder with be hung or bolted to a pole.
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  • To Feed Birds Or Not to Feed Birds? Discovers Your Bird Feeder
    This guide is designed to help if you are new to Bird feeding in summer requires more bird feeding, or you are already feeding birds and How to clean a bird feeder planning and responsibility in bear country – have bear problems or bird–window collision bears are generally active from mid-March Empty the feeder and scrub it to get all problems. thru mid-November. It’s important to make food remnants out. Rinse. sure a bear doesn’t get a reward if it Use one part liquid chlorine household To feed birds or not to feed birds? discovers your bird feeder. bleach in nine parts of tepid water (a 10% solution) to disinfect. Feeding birds has benefits and drawbacks. The Hang feeders 10′ high, and at least 4′ from birds get extra nourishment and we humans get to any supporting post or tree. Or put them Make enough solution to immerse the feeder completely. Keep it submerged for enjoy watching them at close range. But feeders behind electric fencing that is at least 6′ two to three minutes. can cause problems by increased transmission of high. avian diseases, predation from cats, and attracting Or take your feeders down and bring them Allow to air dry. bears and other nuisance wildlife into your yard. in at night, or if you leave town. Once or twice a month should do, but weekly cleaning may be needed if you Done right, bird feeding can be good for the birds Only put a small amount of food in the notice sick birds at your feeders (sick birds and not cause undesirable side effects.
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  • Homeschooler's Guide to Project Feederwatch
    Homeschooler’s Guide to Project FeederWatch Project FeederWatch Susan Spear Homeschooler’s Guide to Project FeederWatch The Homeschooler’s Guide to Project FeederWatch is a sample curriculum from the BirdSleuth team at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If you find these activities useful, be sure to investigate theScience Investigator’s Kit for Homeschoolers www.birdsleuth.net/homeschool Production Team for the Homeschooler’s Guide to Project FeederWatch Curriculum Writers: Jennifer Fee, David Bonter, Genna Knight Editor: Miyoko Chu, Ph.D. Design Director: Diane Tessaglia-Hymes Graphic Designer: Susan E. Spear BirdSleuth or Homeschool Activity Questions: Email: [email protected] Phone: 607-254-2489 BirdSleuth web site: www.birdsleuth.net Project FeederWatch Questions: Email: [email protected] Project Phone: 607-254-2427 FeederWatch web site: www.feederwatch.org FeederWatch The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution whose mission is to interpret and conserve the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. This curriculum is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0242666. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Copyright 2008 Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 www.birds.cornell.edu ii Homeschooler’s Guide to Project FeederWatch Inquiry through Citizen Science Through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Citizen Science Program, people of all ages collect data about local birds and send their observations to scientists who study bird populations.
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  • Winter Bird Feeding
    BirdNotes 1 Winter Bird Feeding birds at feeders in winter If you feed birds, you’re in good company. Birding is one of North America’s favorite pastimes. A 2006 report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that about 55.5 mil- lion Americans provide food for wild birds. Chickadees Titmice Cardinals Sparrows Wood- Orioles Pigeons Nuthatches Finches Grosbeaks Blackbirds Jays peckers Tanagers Doves Sunflower ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ Safflower ◆ ◆ ◆ Corn ◆ ◆ ◆ Millet ◆ ◆ ◆ Milo ◆ ◆ Nyjer ◆ Suet ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ Preferred ◆ Readily Eaten Wintertime—and the Living’s counting birds at their feeders during selecting the best foods daunting. To Not Easy this winterlong survey. Great Back- attract a diversity of birds, provide a yard Bird Count participants provide variety of food types. But that doesn’t n much of North America, winter valuable data with a much shorter mean you need to purchase one of ev- Iis a difficult time for birds. Days time commitment—as little as fifteen erything on the shelf. are often windy and cold; nights are minutes in mid-February! long and even colder. Lush vegeta- Which Seed Types tion has withered or been consumed, Types of Bird Food Should I Provide? and most insects have died or become uring spring and summer, most dormant. Finding food can be espe- lack-oil sunflower seeds attract songbirds eat insects and spi- cially challenging for birds after a D Bthe greatest number of species. ders, which are highly nutritious, heavy snowfall. These seeds have a high meat-to- abundant, and for the most part, eas- shell ratio, they are nutritious and Setting up a backyard feeder makes ily captured.
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  • Kansas Bird Feeders
    Kinds of Bird Feeders KANSAS Hummingbird Bird Feeders Feeders Seed Hoppers & Window-Shelf Feeders Suet Sticks & Bin Feeders Bag Feeders Platform Feeders Sponsored By CHICKADEE CHECKOFF Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs described herein is available to all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, and military or veteran status. Complaints of discrimination should be sent to Office of the Secretary, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, 1020 S Kansas Ave., Topeka, KS 66612-1327. 02/12 Website: www.kdwpt.state.ks.us Bird Feeding You may want to provide mixes of cracked containers can provide water but must be corn and sunflower seeds with some millet and renewed often. Small pools should only be a thistle. few inches Inviting Birds to Try to avoid milo unless you want to attract deep and have house sparrows. Put out suet to attract chick- Feeding Suggestions bottoms that Dinner adees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers. slope gradually Hummingbirds can be found in many parts Best ● from the edge. Most It doesn’t take a lot of the state, and many migrate through Kansas Good ❍ yards can accommo- of money and supplies in the spring and fall. Feeding solutions of one date a 4-by-10 foot Sunflower Seeds Proso Millet Cracked Corn Thistle Suet to feed birds success- part sugar dissolved in four parts clear water is white-crowned ● ● ❍ pool, but larger fully. However, there are recommended. Most hummingbird feeders sparrow pools are also some basic things you can have red features, so you do not have to color song sparrow ❍ ● ❍ excellent bird do to entice desirable the solution red.
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  • Cedar Waxwings Seasonal Checklist
    BIRD’S-EYE VIEW Volume 18 Issue 4 | September/October 2011 In this issue... Feature Article ....................1 Chirps .................................2 +Cedar Waxwings Seasonal Checklist .............2 Entice these beauties to your yard Feeder Favorite ...................3 An early autumn to-do list Featured Service .................4 inside > Great Ideas .........................4 BLOOMINGTON FEATURE ARTICLE 816 West 98th St. (Clover Center) Bloomington, MN 55420 952.884.4103 Early Autumn’s Attractions by Minnetonka Manager CAROL CHENAULT and American Robins to feast on fruit from EAGAN 2143 Cliff Rd. Autumn brings an anticipation of change, mountain ash trees, crab-apple trees and high- (Cedar Cliff Shopping Center) a restlessness. As we enter September, bush cranberry shrubs. Cedar Waxwings gather Eagan, MN 55122 in flocks of hundreds to dine, stripping a tree 651.459.0084 dwindling daylight hours trigger shifts in bird populations, some in full migration to South of its fruit before moving on to their next buffet. MINNETONKA 4759 County Rd. 101 America, some just to Iowa and others into Finches and doves finish nesting (Westwind Plaza) Minnesota from points north. Even as the first rafts of American Coots appear Minnetonka, MN 55345 on our area lakes, Mourning Doves care for their 952.935.5892 Summer stunners head south Orioles, like many songbirds, migrate at night. third broods of the season and late-nesting WHITE BEAR LAKE Near the end of the first week of September American Goldfinches still busily feed fledglings. 2703 East Cty. Hwy. E. (Cty. Rd. E. and Hwy. 120) we’ll awake to the realization that the orioles After nesting, goldfinches’ plumage transforms White Bear Lake, MN 55110 have gone.
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  • Use of Project Feeder Watch to Engage Undergraduates in Bird Studies and Behavior Katherine S
    Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education Volume 40, Article 55, 2019 Use of Project Feeder Watch to Engage Undergraduates in Bird Studies and Behavior Katherine S. Wydner Saint Peter’s University, Biology Department, 2641 Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City NJ 07306 USA ([email protected]) Project FeederWatch (PFW) is an annual winter survey of birds that provides information about long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance across North America. From November to April, birds at and around feeders are monitored according to an established protocol and data are reported to a database managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada. Data are collected on species of birds and the highest number of individuals observed for each species. Environmental factors such as weather conditions and snow cover are taken into account. PFW data are useful because they inform on where birds are as well as where they are not. Using information on how PFW has been successfully implemented at Saint Peter’s University, this exercise has been designed to educate and engage students with respect to birds and their behavior. PFW protocol is explained with regard to its use with a team of students. Detailed information is provided, including an introduction to various types of bird feeders and how to identify common feeder birds as well as how to be prepared for the surprise visitor. At the mini workshop, we discussed PFW methods, walked outside, visited feeders, and practiced bird
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  • Build a Bird Feeder Grade Levels: K-8 Vocabulary
    BUILD A BIRD FEEDER Did you know that there are about 10,000 different types of birds in the world? You don't have to go far to see some of them. Birds live outside in backyards and parks and can even be found in a busy city! Do you know what kinds of birds live in your neighborhood? Have you ever taken a close look at the birds you see in your backyard to identify them and observe their behavior? In this activity, you will build a bird feeder to attract birds, so you can study them. GRADE LEVELS: K-8 VOCABULARY Ornithology- The scientific study of birds. Ecology- the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Oxygen- a colorless, odorless reactive gas, the chemical element of atomic number 8 and the life-supporting component of the air. MATERIALS - Plastic milk/juice container with cap - Scissors or craft knife - Wooden dowel, twig, or wooden coffee stirrer - Bird seeds - Mini cup(s) - Water - Tape - Optional: paper plate - Possible decorations: tree bark, shells, stones, stickers, etc. - Note: Make sure that any materials you use to decorate the bird feeders are safe for the birds. If possible, stick to as many natural materials as possible. - Optional: paintbrushes, when using paint - Glue or glue gun - Twine, yarn, or thin rope - Pen or pencil - Binoculars (optional) - Bird field guide (optional) - Lab notebook PROCEDURE P R E P W O R K 1. Clean out the milk or juice container with warm water and soap.
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  • Winter Bird Highlights
    Winter Bird Highlights FROM PROJECT FEEDERWATCH 2017–18 FOCUS ON CITIZEN SCIENCE • VOLUME 14 Focus on Citizen Science is a publication highlight- Gray Jay renamed Canada Jay ing the contributions of citizen scientists. This is- sue, Winter Bird Highlights 2018, is brought to you by Project FeederWatch, a research and education pro- n 1957, the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) ject of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies changed the name of the Canada Jay to Gray Jay, Canada. Project FeederWatch is made possible by the efforts and support of thousands of citizen scientists. much to the dismay of the Canadian birding com- I Project FeederWatch Staff munity, whose members were also disappointed that the American, rather than Canadian, spelling of “gray” Cornell Lab of Ornithology Emma Greig was adopted. This past spring, the AOU voted to re- Project Leader and Editor store the name to Canada Jay, putting an end to the de- Anne Marie Johnson Project Assistant cades-long debate. The new name will appear in this Holly Faulkner issue of Winter Bird Highlights and on FeederWatch Project Assistant David Bonter checklists this fall. Welcome back, Canada Jay! Director of Citizen Science Wesley Hochachka Senior Research Associate Diane Tessaglia-Hymes Design Director Bird Studies Canada Kerrie Wilcox Cover: American Goldfinch by Bob Vuxinic Below: Canada Jay by Tamara Reiser Project Leader Rosie Kirton Project Support Kristine Dobney Project Assistant Denis Lepage Senior Scientist Join Project FeederWatch! Anyone in the United States and Canada with an in- terest in birds and a feeder to watch is welcome to join.
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  • Learn About Texas Birds Activity Book
    Learn about . A Learning and Activity Book Color your own guide to the birds that wing their way across the plains, hills, forests, deserts and mountains of Texas. Text Mark W. Lockwood Conservation Biologist, Natural Resource Program Editorial Direction Georg Zappler Art Director Elena T. Ivy Educational Consultants Juliann Pool Beverly Morrell © 1997 Texas Parks and Wildlife 4200 Smith School Road Austin, Texas 78744 PWD BK P4000-038 10/97 All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems – without written permission of the publisher. Another "Learn about Texas" publication from TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE PRESS ISBN- 1-885696-17-5 Key to the Cover 4 8 1 2 5 9 3 6 7 14 16 10 13 20 19 15 11 12 17 18 19 21 24 23 20 22 26 28 31 25 29 27 30 ©TPWPress 1997 1 Great Kiskadee 16 Blue Jay 2 Carolina Wren 17 Pyrrhuloxia 3 Carolina Chickadee 18 Pyrrhuloxia 4 Altamira Oriole 19 Northern Cardinal 5 Black-capped Vireo 20 Ovenbird 6 Black-capped Vireo 21 Brown Thrasher 7Tufted Titmouse 22 Belted Kingfisher 8 Painted Bunting 23 Belted Kingfisher 9 Indigo Bunting 24 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 10 Green Jay 25 Wood Thrush 11 Green Kingfisher 26 Ruddy Turnstone 12 Green Kingfisher 27 Long-billed Thrasher 13 Vermillion Flycatcher 28 Killdeer 14 Vermillion Flycatcher 29 Olive Sparrow 15 Blue Jay 30 Olive Sparrow 31 Great Horned Owl =female =male Texas Birds More kinds of birds have been found in Texas than any other state in the United States: just over 600 species.
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  • Feeding Birds in Your Yard – the Basics
    Feeding Birds in Your Yard – The Basics A Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Publicity Committee Fact Sheet Christine Reel – WSO Treasurer You can join the millions of people who attract birds to their yards by offering a wide choice of foods that are high in fat and protein at a variety of feeders for most “backyard” birds throughout the year, and nectar for hummingbirds in the summer. Keep in mind that bird feeders supplement the natural food provided by plants, and don’t worry that birds will have trouble surviving if you stop feeding for some reason. No research has shown that birds will starve if feeding is stopped during normal weather. Birds need water for drinking and bathing. Increase your chances of attracting birds by providing water in a birdbath, a small pond, a recirculating waterfall or a shallow dish. Choosing feeders Uninvited guests Various types of feeders are available to accommodate specific types of Cats. Keep them indoors, and encourage your neighbors to do birds and their diets. Choose more than one to help attract more species the same. Cats kill hundreds of millions of birds annually in and avoid feeder congestion. the United States, often pouncing on ground-feeding birds and 1. Ground feeders – simple screen-bottomed trays that sit several those dazed by window collisions. Responsible and caring cat inches off the ground to help keep seeds and bird droppings from owners keep their cats indoors, where they are also safer from traffic, disease and fights with other animals. coming in contact with each other. Doves, juncos, sparrows, goldfinches and cardinals are likely to visit them.
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