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Cedar Waxwings Seasonal Checklist

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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. As we feel their absence, these into the more subtle fall color of dull yellow- 651.653.8705 nectar-loving birds will be on their way to their brown, a change that helps them avoid predators. WAYZATA & WILD BIRD DELIVERS winter homes in climes from southern Mexico Populations shift 15710 Wayzata Blvd. to northern South America. This time of year, our backyards serve as a (394 Frontage Rd.) Ruby-throated Hummingbirds travel from Wayzata, MN 55391 revolving door to flocks as they stop in for a treat 952.473.4283 areas throughout northern Minnesota and on their way to warmer destinations, or settle in into the metro area, en route to their winter WILDBIRDSTORE.COM for the winter from homes further north. destinations. Provided with fresh nectar, visits Crows gather in noisy communal roosts and Bird’s-Eye View is published by these minute beauties continue into October. huge flocks of Common Grackles and Red-winged to share the joy of backyard birds with All Seasons Wild Bird Store’s Flocks feast on fruit Blackbirds travel through our backyards. customers and friends. Autumn’s bounty brings flocks of Cedar Waxwings Loose flocks of Blue Jays, (continued page 4 . .) All Seasons Wild Bird Store | Your local backyard birding experts | WILDBIRDSTORE.COMWILDBIRDSTORE.COM ❈ page 1 CHIRPS SEASONAL CHECKLIST SEPT. Join Us & Early Autumn Our Frequent Feeder Member OCT. by Minnetonka Manager CAROL CHENAULT program pays for itself! Never before has our Frequent Feeder Keep hummingbird feeders up until you don’t see any Member program been a better value than it is today. With the inflation that’s taken hummers for a week (or until the nectar freezes). place in grain commodities, your $15 Fill Nyjer™ feeders; goldfinches are here all year, though they may membership fee yields a much greater return be hiding in plain sight once they lose their bright yellow plumage than ever before: at current prices, you’d only need to buy four bags of Joe’s Mix for your following nesting season. membership to more than pay for itself. Planning to update or add to your pole system? Do it now So if you’re thinking of becoming a Frequent before the ground freezes. We’ll be glad to help you choose Feeder Member, now is a great time! Members save 10% on every merchandise what’s best for your yard. purchase with the exclusion of gift cards, Keep watch for robins and Cedar Waxwings feeding on berry labor fees and membership fees. You even trees, like mountain ash, viburnums and dogwoods. Draw them save an additional 10% on any sale items! And, a few times per year, we have Member- in for better viewing with a birdbath. Only promotions, so you can save even more Install a heated birdbath for the upcoming winter. Birds that don’t than your usual discount. ordinarily go to bird feeders, like over-wintering robins, will always To our current members: thank you for your business and understanding that enjoy a water source. Already have a heated birdbath? Use white this program has great value to you as vinegar to remove any lime-scale build up from last winter. a consumer and backyard bird-feeding Provide a seed mix with dried fruit, like Berry Nutty, to provide a hobbyist. treat for migrating birds. Add some dried mealworms to any seed mix ~Al and Dave Netten for an extra energy boost. ❈ Provide peanut pick-outs and suet for birds such as migrating Red-breasted Nuthatches. Worry-Free Guarantee! Juncos are coming! Scatter seed or fill a ground feeder with Finches’ We want our customers to have a worry-free Choice or Spectrum Mix for these winter visitors. White-throated experience with every purchase. If you’re Sparrows, White-Crowned Sparrows and Mourning Doves will enjoy not completely satisfied with any item this treat. Note: some cities have ordinances restricting ground feeding; make purchased from our store, simply return a quick call to city hall to see if this is an option in your area. it to us for an exchange or refund. No worries . ever. Clean out or take down birdhouses. If you leave houses up over the winter, open the side or bottom of the birdhouse to prevent mice from winter nesting. Join the conversation online! Close up Purple Martin houses. Visit our Facebook page to post photos, ask questions and be the first to know Keep seed heads on perennials: birds will eat these into the winter. about upcoming sales and events. Particularly valuable are purple coneflowers, (Continued next page . .) All Seasons Wild Bird Store | Your local backyard birding experts | WILDBIRDSTORE.COM ❈ page 2 FEEDER FAVORITE Below: (Top) A birdbath with a bubbler attracts a thirsty Cedar Waxwing. Cedar Waxwings (Bottom) Cedar Waxwings are social birds Autumn’s Itinerate Birds that travel in flocks in search of berries. By Wayzata Manager MELISSA BLOCK hey swoop unannounced into Tyour yard, flashes of bright yellow and red, with their high- pitched scree whistling calls. Suddenly you’re host to a flock of Cedar Waxwings, one of the most socially oriented birds to visit backyards. It’s easy to identify Cedar Waxwings: their tails appear to have been dipped in bright where they’re attracted to fruit trees and yellow wax and their wing tips look as if shrubs. Entice Cedar Waxwings to your yard they’ve been dipped in red wax. They are by planting native trees and shrubs that bear medium-sized gray-to-brown birds with pale small fruit. Or try installing a birdbath with a yellow bellies; their narrow black masks fountain or Water Wiggler™ because they’re outlined in white make them look like attracted to the sound of running water. little bandits. Mating rituals Always on the move During courtship a pair of Cedar Waxwings Except for a brief period during summer often repeatedly pass a berry, a flower nesting, these highly social birds are rarely petal or an insect back and forth. Together, observed alone. They travel in large flocks, they build an open-cup nest with grass migrating from one area to the next in search and twigs and lined with softer material. hatched both parents feed their young. of berries, their favorite food. Cedar Waxwings lay 5–6 eggs and may raise This autumn, be on the lookout for sleek- You can spot Cedar Waxwings in woodland two broods during a season. The eggs are looking Cedar Waxwings—always welcome areas, orchards and suburban gardens, incubated for about two weeks, and when visitors for backyard birders. ■ ( . from previous page) black-eyed Susans, sunflowers and hollyhocks. Skip the mess and bring your feeders to any All Seasons Wild Bird Store for cleaning. Our bird feeder cleaning service will get feeders winter-ready. Prevent an Indian meal moth infestation by storing seed in tins on the deck, in the garage or in the shed. For easy access, store smaller quantities in the freezer. Install a moth trap to remove any existing moths. Plan a visit to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth. This destination hosts a major migration of Sharp-shinned, Broad-winged Hawks and others. See www.hawkridge.org for more information. ■ All Seasons Wild Bird Store | Your local backyard birding experts | WILDBIRDSTORE.COM ❈ page 3 August’s Attractions Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated ( . continued from page 1) Sparrows take their place. DID YOU KNOW...? arriving from northern Minnesota and Special care for autumn birds Acorns are a vital food source for several Canada, eagerly feast on peanuts from Facing either a long journey or an arduous species of birds. Acorns fall from white in-shell peanut feeders. winter, migrating birds benefit from food, oak and red oak trees in September. Warblers—typically water and habitat we provide in our Yellow-rumped backyards. Be sure to see our Seasonal Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys and Red- Warblers—vireos, Checklist (page 2) for a complete list of bellied Woodpeckers feed on the acorns, grosbeaks, and recommendations for early autumn.
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