DIY Recycled Hummingbird Feeder
Seeing a hummingbird in Massachusetts is a real treat, especially if it’s in your own backyard. There are a number of species of hummingbirds that migrate through New England in the spring and summer, including the Ruby Throat Hummingbird and to a lesser degree the Rufous Hummingbird. Having one or more feeders will increase the chances that they will not only visit, but frequent your backyard during their trip.
You could purchase a new hummingbird feeder, or polish off your DIY skills and turn some “trash into treasure”, with a recycled and resued hummingbird feeder. This can be a great project for kids and adults alike, and requires materials commonly found in most households.
View full post
Amazing Hummingbird Video
Short video report about the amazing feeding and migration habits of hummingbirds – including slow motion in-flight video.
View full postEasy to Build Suet Log Bird Feeder – Fun DIY Project for Kids
A suet log bird feeder is a great way to attract birds that are clinger feeders to your backyard, especially Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Downy …
View full postBat Feeding From a Hummingbird Feeder
IMG_3083 Originally uploaded by antilocapridae Great photo of a bat feeding from a southern Arizona hummingbird feeder. Be Sociable, Share! Tweet
View full postAttracting and Keeping Bats in Your Backyard
There are over 40 species of bats in North America, and there’s a good chance that there are currently bats visiting and living near your backyard.
Bats are shy and gentle creatures, and will not try to get tangled in your hair or suck your blood. In fact, they’ll perform a very beneficial job in your garden – insect control.
By providing a bat house in an open and sunny location, you’ll have a good chance of them taking up residence in your backyard.
Attracting Bats to Your backyard
Pipistrellus Flying
Pipistrellus Flying
Most bats will visit yards looking for insects to eat. They often hunt around streetlamps, targeting insects attracted to the light. Adding a light source to attract insects will also attract moths – a bat favorite!
Moths are also attracted to scented plants like primrose, clematis, barberry, and rotting fruit. Planting a variety of plants, and allowing fruit to ripen and rot on the ground is a good approach to attracting moths.
View full postDoves Found Clinging to Life After Wedding Release (video)
More than two dozen albino ringneck doves were found clinging to life in a group of trees in a Queens, NY park. The non-native doves had presumably flown there after being released following a wedding. Volunteers from the Wild Bird Fund helped capture about 15 of the birds. About 25 doves remain, some too weak to fly back up into the trees after falling from branches. It’s believed that the doves were bred to be pets, and have no experience in foraging for food or living in the wild.
The only type of birds that should be used for dove releases are well trained white racing pigeons. These birds are trained by professionals to return home after being released.
View full postImpressive Courtship Dance of the Black Sickle Bill
60 Minutes’ Bob Simon and Bruce Beehler, a scientist from Conservation International, head off in search of the Black Sickle Bill Bird of Paradise, and capture video of the bird’s rarely seen and otherworldly courtship dance.
View full postEnter Duncraft’s Winter Photo Contest
Duncraft has announced their Winged Wonders of Winter Photo Contest, where if your winter bird photo is selected you can win a backyard birding prize package valued at $240.
Winter is a great time to capture photographs of birds in the beauty of the season. Email Duncraft your favorite photo of backyard birds in a winter setting and you could be the winner.
View full postWood Duck Nest Boxes – Free Birdhouse Plans
The population of the wood duck has increased a great deal in the last several years. This increase has been in large part due to the work of many people locating wood duck boxes and conserving vital habitat for the wood ducks to breed.
The following information is provided to help with the design, construction and placement of wood duck nest boxes. More free wood duck birdhouse plans can be downloaded here.
View full postWelcome
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/
Birds Receive Endangered Species Protection
The rule implements federal protections provided by the ESA for the Cantabrian capercaillie, Marquesan imperial pigeon, Eiao Marquesas reed-warbler, greater adjutant, Jerdon’s courser, and slender-billed curlew.
Nesting Short-Tailed Albatross Mark Milestone
If the pair’s breeding effort is successful at Midway Atoll Refuge, it would mark the first confirmed hatching of a short-tailed albatross outside of Japan in modern history.
Deadly White-Nose Syndrome Spread Slowed by Cave Closures
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed a report recommending closing human access to caves and mines where bats with white-nose syndrome are hibernating in an area more than 250 miles from other WNS-affected caves and mines.
Oldest US Wild Bird is a New Mother
The oldest known U.S. wild bird – a coyly conservative 60 — is a new mother. The bird, a Laysan albatross named Wisdom, was …
Wing Fungus Has Lethal Effects on Bats With White Nose Syndrome
Damage to bat wings from the fungus associated with white-nose syndrome (WNS) may cause catastrophic imbalance in life-support processes, according to newly published research. …
Large New England Marshes Likely Created By Settlers
Researchers found that deforestation in the New England area at that time produced significant soil erosion, increasing sediment delivery rates — the natural flow of sand and soil in water systems. The large amounts of sediment traveling in rivers and streams to the coastline spurred a significant period of wetland growth, leading to marshes lining the coast of New England that today are abnormally large.
Welcome to New England Birdhouse
Bill Askenburg
New England Birdhouse
800.815.0062, Email
Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy my blog. I frequently post about a variety of topics including creating wildlife-attracting backyards, planning a New England leaf peeping bird watching trip, identifying common backyard birds, and more.
Also, please consider visiting my store for fine architectural bird houses and bird feeders, great backyard birding items, and custom handcrafted artisan wares.
