All winter long, a bird’s most difficult task is to continually forage enough food during the day to provide the calories they need to keep warm at night when they aren’t eating. Cold winter wind saps energy and warmth from birds, and this is especially so at night when their reserves aren’t being replenished. ...
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There is no better way to get birds flocking to your yard than a good source of fresh water. A bird’s need for water through every season of the year is so strong that even species you never expected will be attracted to a strategically placed water source. Having a birdbath or fountain is an...
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Birding optics help to bring birds closer and are a must have for every backyard birdwatcher. Binoculars and other optics allow birders to observe the behavior of the birds at the bird feeder. Amazing things are visible with binoculars that would likely go unnoticed without magnification. For example, optics allow a front-row view of the...
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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...
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If you hang bird feeders, have you figured out which birds are visiting? If you buy your birdseed mix from the grocery or dollar store, have you ever noticed that only a few types of bird visit and hog all the food? If so, it's very likely that you're hosting House Sparrows, whose presence...
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There are over 365 species of squirrels in seven families. They include the tree squirrel, ground squirrel, and flying squirrel, plus many squirrel-like mammals such as the gopher, ground hog, and prairie dog. It is the largest group of living mammals on Earth. Across the United States, the squirrels that most often frequent backyards include:...
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Think of topiary and you may envision a whimsical ivy sculpture of a Mickey Mouse or Cinderella at Disneyworld. But the art of topiary has been around for ages and was actually practiced in early Roman and Greek gardens and courtyards. Shaped wire cages are sometimes employed in modern topiary to...
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Water is a vital resource in the day to day life of birds, and during the winter unfrozen water can be scarce. Birdbath heaters allow you to offer unfrozen water during the cold winter months. When all of the water in and around your yard is frozen, your heated bath will attract birds...
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Good informational video about the benefits of the 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count, and how you can participate.
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It may be deepest winter, but there is still lots of bird activity on the Turkey Hill Brook Farm. Generally (except for nectar feeders for the hummingbirds) we don't keep many birdfeeders here. Most of the year, there are plenty of natural food sources for them (seeds, berries, insects, worms, etc). But in winter,...
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Project Feeder Watch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit bird feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locations in North America. It is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada. Feeder Watchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April...
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On a small rocky island off the Maine coast two adversarial species of gulls coexist in relative peace, despite each being a potential predator of the other. Thousands of Greater Black-backed and Herring gulls have evolved a complex system of social signals that keep violence on the island to a minimum. The gulls use...
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Each year, thousands of birds are injured or killed after flying into or attacking a window.  Birds fly into windows either because they are unable to tell that the window is there or their reflection causes them to try to defend their territory. What backyard birders can do to minimize window strikes Assess the bird’s-eye...
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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...
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Backyard birding has been around a lot longer than you may have thought, as American colonists attracted birds with clay “bird bottles” placed under the eaves or near the windows of their homes.  Though it’s tempting to attribute their use to an enthusiasm for bird watching, these bird bottles likely served a more practical...
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