IN THIS ISSUE:

THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING
THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
BIRD SONG & COFFEE
ASK TOM
BIRD IDENTIFICATION WHAT AM I?
GREAT GIFT IDEAS

The

Arrival

of

Spring

Although the winter in our area did not give us prolonged periods of cold weather and snow, it is always a relief to welcome the sights and sounds of Spring! These signs are emerging daily. Eastern Bluebirds are pairing off and checking out nest boxes to see if conditions are right for starting their first brood. Male Cardinals are chasing each other in an effort to establish dominance and reduce competition. American Goldfinches are beginning to show patches of bright yellow breeding plumage. The songs of Spring have arrived. Cardinals, Robins, Bluebirds and Carolina Wrens are singing regularly in our yard. Some people feel that the birds can fend for themselves once the weather starts to warm up. However, this is a critical time for the birds--most of the natural food supplies have been eaten and the new growing season has yet to begin. So don't stop filling the feeders!

Spring is a good time to clean out and inspect all of your nest boxes to make sure they are in good condition for the breeding season. Repair or replace any leaky roofs and make sure there is adequate drainage and ventilation. Replace any worn cords with a sturdy cable or chain. Most species will nest more than once so your nest box should be easy to open for a quick clean out after each brood. If you have not had any occupants in your nest box recently, try moving it. Remember to place your box in the proper habitat for the species you are trying to attract. Bird Watcher’s Digest has a great booklet called “A Guide to Bird Homes” that includes a species profile for cavity nesting birds and a handy reference chart for how high to mount the box and where to place it for each species. Orient the opening away from the prevailing wind which is from the west.

Sp

ring is also a good time to inspect and clean your feeders. Clean with hot soapy water and a mild bleach solution to kill any mold or mildew (one part beach to nine parts of water). Be sure to rinse well and dry thoroughly. The Wildlife Authority has long handled brushes to make the job easy! Repair any torn or worn screens or hangers. Make sure there are no sharp edges. The Wildlife Authority has a line of feeders made out of recycled plastic which clean up much easier than wooden feeders and will last indefinitely. It is also a great way to keep those plastic containers out of the landfills!

Regularly remove any accumulated seed hulls from the area under your feeders. Consider adding a fruit and/or jelly feeder to your collection to lure in Orioles and Catbirds that do not normally stop at your seed feeder. Also, don't put your suet feeder away for the summer--lots of birds will appreciate the extra protein while feeding hungry offspring! The Wildlife Authority carries a variety of summer suets that will not melt when the temperatures heat up.

A dripper, mister or waterfall rock is an excellent way to entice more birds to the water in your yard. The sound of moving water will bring more birds to your yard. The drippers and misters come with 50 feet of tubing and connect to your outside water source to add fresh water to your bird bath. You can use a timer so the water only flows during the hottest part of the day. The waterfall rocks sit in your birdbath and require an electric source to power the pump. These devices move the existing water through your birdbath. The Wildlife Authority has several attractive models. Spring is a great time to get outside and enjoy nature. Let us help you turn your yard into a haven for wildlife!

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Last month, Cornell Lab and Audubon sponsored the 9th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count. This is a four-day event held each February for bird enthusiasts in the United States and Canada to report the numbers and species of birds visiting their back yards. Participants can log onto the Internet to report their findings. This gives researchers a mid-winter "snapshot" of the numbers, species and distribution of bird populations across the continent. It's also fun to see which birds are coming to your yard.

The top 10 birds most frequently reported this year are listed below. See if all of these birds are visiting your feeders!

Northern Cardinal
Mourning Dove
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch
Downy Woodpecker

Blue Jay
House Finch
Tufted Titmouse
Black-capped Chickadee
American Crow

If you have never participated, consider doing so next year. You don't have to be an expert and it doesn't require a large commitment of time. (You can submit a report for observing as little as 15 minutes on one of the days!) You can find additional information at www.birdsource.org.

Birdsong & Coffee

A Wakeup Call

Join us at the Central Library in Columbia for a screening of this documentary film that demonstrates the connection between your morning cup of coffee, the livelihoods of the people who produce it, and the stability and diversity of our natural environment. Coffee drinkers may be surprised to learn that they hold in their hands the fate of farm families, communities, and entire ecosystems in coffee-growing regions of Latin America and the Caribbean. In this film we hear from experts and students, from coffee lovers and bird lovers, and-most importantly – from coffee farmers and workers themselves. Learn more about the natural connection that exists between coffee communities, coffee drinkers, biodiversity, and birds. Simply by changing our buying habits, we coffee consumers can guarantee small farmers and field-workers a fair price and also protect the migratory birds that visit our own backyards – all while enjoying the highest-quality coffee, sent directly to our homes by the coffee communities themselves.

We expect to have enough time to view this new film, Birdsong & Coffee: A Wake Up Call, and have a follow-up discussion. For more information call Patty at 410-730-2358 or email jane.reed@verizon.net.

Date:	Saturday, April 1, 2006
Time:	3:00pm-5:00pm
Place:	Howard County Central Library 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD 21044
Coffee and Refreshments Provided

“. . . coffee is the second most-traded commodity on earth next to oil. . . . What I'd like to see us do as a nation is to give as much attention to the issues of coffee growing as we do to oil production, because I think it's just as important to the future sanity of the planet that we sustain this earth.” - Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA)

Sponsored by:
Howard County Friends of Latin America (HoCoFOLA)
P.O. Box 94, Columbia, MD 21045

Ask Tom

We often get phone calls asking about the return of the purple martins and the hummingbirds. While weather affects migratory patterns, the dates below are great guidelines:

March 15 - Open up established martin house

April 20 - Open up new martin house

April 15 - Put up Hummingbird feeders

May 1 - Put up Oriole feeders

You can log onto www.hummingbirds.net or www.purplemartins.com to view the migration maps for these birds.

*Hummingbird nectar ratio is 1 part table sugar to 4 parts water.

Q.	Bluebirds are going in and out of the bluebird box in my yard. What can I do to keep them around?
A.	You can keep the bluebirds close to the box by offering live mealworms for them to eat. Mealworms are an excellent source of protein and come in a variety of sizes. The Wildlife Authority has several types of mealworm feeders.

Q.	Every spring the deer eat all my emerging plants. Any suggestions?
A.	Our customers have good results with Plant Pro-Tec garlic units. These units clip directly on your plants and protect against browsing from rabbits and deer--and they last 6-8 months!
Q.	I like feeding the hummingbirds but ants are making a mess of the sugar water. Any suggestions?
A.	We have several styles of ant traps available. You hang them between your hook and the feeder, fill them with water, and the ants get trapped in the water before they get to the nectar! Some feeders, like the Mini Hummzinger, come with their own built-in ant trap. Droll Yankee has a nectar guard hummingbird feeder, which keeps ants and bees from your nectar.

Bird Identification

What Am I?

The gray catbird is a fruit and insect eating bird that is found in the county year round. During the winter months, the Catbird's diet consists of berries and fruits. They also will eat insects when the warm weather returns. This gray colored member of the thrush family has chestnut coloring under the dark gray tail and a dark gray cap on its head. These birds are mimics and will incorporate bits of other bird’s songs into their repertoire but are named after their nasal, catlike mew. Fruit bearing bushes and vines will attract these friendly birds and some people have lured them to feeders by offering fruit, peanuts and peanut butter, as well as suet. We always have Catbirds visiting our suet feeder during the summer. They also enjoy the orange halves we offer.

The Catbird can have two broods of young in a season. Their nest is placed in the dense cover of a shrub, vine or small tree and is a mass of twigs, leaves and grapevine bark. Broods consist of 2-6 glossy greenish blue eggs. The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 15 days and the young will fledge 10 to 15 days after hatching. Watch and listen for the Gray Catbird in your yard this season--its cat-like call is unmistakable!

GREAT GIFT IDEAS

for Mother's Day and Father's Day

Pewter Wind Chimes · Garden Stakes & Signs
Garden Stepping Stones w Birdbaths
Singing Bird Clocks
Lamson Sculptures and Magnets
Jelly & Fruit Feeders · Hummingbird Feeders
Squirrel-Proof Feeders
Thistle, Peanut, Suet and Sunflower Feeders
Bovano Copper & Enamel Birds
Birdsong Identiflyer and Alarm Clock
Plush Singing Birds · Note pads and Cards
Ladybug & Butterfly Homes
Dripper & Misters · T-Shirts w Posters
Bird and Bat Houses · Nesting Material
Coffee Mugs & Shade-Grown Coffee
Books, Binoculars & Spotting Scopes
and much, much more!...

CAN'T DECIDE ?
GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE AVAILABLE IN ANY DENOMINATION!