Tale Feathers
Fall 2005

GET READY FOR FALL FEEDING

The kids have gone back to school, the days are getting shorter and temperatures are dropping.  It’s time to get ready for fall feeding.  For those of you who did not feed through the summer months, it is time to get the feeders out!  Don’t wait for the cold weather to arrive to start feeding the birds.  If you wait for the first snowfall to put out your feeders, you may not have as many birds frequenting your feeders.

Fall is also a good time for all of us to take a close look at our feeders and make any needed repairs.  Replace any worn screens or broken Plexiglas and fix any loose screws or nails.  We may be able to order any replacement parts you need if you know which manufacturer made your feeder.  You also want to check the ropes and chains for secure hanging over the months ahead.  It’s a good time to clean all the feeders with soapy water and a mild bleach solution to kill any mold or mildew.  We have a long handled brush, which makes the job easy.  Be sure not to overlook the area under the feeder.  Any seed hulls should be removed on a regular basis to keep the birds healthy.

Take a look at your yard to see if you have provided feeding areas for all types of birds.  Have you provided a ground platform feeder for the White-throated Sparrows and Juncos, which will be returning to the area later this month?  Towhees, Mourning Doves and Cardinals also frequent ground feeders.  Many people throw seed on the ground for these birds, but a platform will get the seed off the ground and allow any moisture to drain from the seed.  Chickadees, titmice, finches, nuthatches and woodpeckers are tree-dwelling birds with strong feet for clinging that enable them to forage for food in trees.  Any of our tube or hopper feeders are ideal for simulating an elevated feeding environment for these birds.  If you add a tray to the bottom of your tube feeder, you will invite the Cardinals and other ground feeding birds to feed as well.  This will enable you to get a better look at them!  Fill the feeders with the best food available – our Songbird Choice or Wild Delight mixes are ideal – for lots of activity for the months to come.

SAVE THAT BRUSH!  If you prune shrubs and trees this fall consider keeping the brush and forming a brush pile.  It can provide excellent cover for roosting on cold winter nights.  We have had excellent success enticing White-Throated and White-Crowned Sparrows to over winter in our brush pile. Carolina Wrens, Cardinals, Juncos, and Doves also use it.  It’s a good supplement if natural cover is sparse in your yard.

 

In this issue:

Feeder Review – Feeding Suet

Suet is extremely attractive to many feeder birds, including chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and titmice.  The Carolina wrens love suet in our yard.  A great food for parent birds to feed their young during breeding season, suet is also a great protein source in cold weather when insects are scarce.  Commercially available suet is rendered so it will not spoil.  To deter squirrels, try plain suet or the hot pepper variety.  We even carry a suet containing insects for extra protein.  The favorite of our birds are those that contain peanuts, peanut butter and fruit.  Try different types to see which ones your birds prefer.  However, avoid suet brands that contain fillers because the birds may not eat them.

You can contain suet in a variety of ways.  The least expensive is a plastic mesh bag in which onions are sold.  The woodland birds will cling to the bag and pluck out pieces of the suet.  There are also wire mesh containers, with or without a wooden extension called a tail prop. A tail prop accommodates the larger woodpeckers because it makes it easier for them to balance and feed as they do on the trunk of a tree.  We have several decorative suet feeders as well as squirrel proof models.  Suet is an important part of any feeding program- it will provide the birds energy for the cold weather to come.


 

Feeder Trade-In SALE!

Is your bird feeder worn out?  Do you routinely apply duct tape to keep it from falling apart?  If so, it is time to trade it in on a NEW! Efficient, easy-to-fill feeder.  During the month of October, The Wildlife Authority will feature a feeder trade-in sale.  Bring in your old, gnawed, clawed, battered, busted, broken bird feeder and we will give you 15% off the purchase of any feeder in the store!

ASK TOM

Q:  How do birds know when to migrate?

A:  The changing length of days and approaching weather fronts may stimulate the start of migrations.  More than 80% of the bird species that breed in the United States migrate.


Q:  Should I take my hummingbird feeders down so they will leave before it gets cold?

A:  NO!  In fact, just the opposite is true.  Leave them up until freezing weather arrives.  Hummers need a lot of energy for their long migration ahead and your feeder may help their success and survival.  Length of daylight stimulates them to move south.  Fall is the best time to see different species of hummers as some of the western species sometimes migrate east instead of south.  Rufous, Black-Chinned and Calliope are some of the species spotted at feeders in recent years in the fall and winter.

Q:  I have a bald Cardinal in my yard – is he sick?

A:  No, this time of the year the birds are molting and may look a bit tattered.  If the bird has no feathers on his head, however, he may have mites.  The birds can preen themselves to remove parasites from the rest of their feathers, but cannot reach their heads.  Cardinals and Blue Jays are two of the birds we receive calls about.  The bird is usually unaffected and new feathers will grow back in a matter of weeks.


COUPONS!

THE FOLLOWING COUPONS ARE LIMITED TO

ONE SET PER HOUSEHOLD, PER ISSUE


To print coupons click here then print.

Howard Happenings