Bring on the birds - Simple solutions to turn your backyard into an avian oasis

(ARA) - Who doesn't love spring? Flowers bloom, trees bud and bright songbirds return to the area. The renewed resurgence of radiant life may make you want to get in on the action.

But if gardening's not your thing and you just don't see yourself as the type to go on a long outdoor hike, you can still engage in spring's revelry and bring beautiful birds to your own backyard. Convincing songbirds and favorites like hummingbirds to visit your yard is as simple as providing them with plentiful sources of food, water and nesting material.

The avian experts at Songbird Essentials, a leading provider of accoutrements and food for outdoor birds of all species, offer a few tips for attracting some popular, picturesque feathered friends to your neighborhood:

Birds need to eat a lot to survive every day. While natural food sources are plentiful in warmer months, they're just as happy to dine at your backyard buffet. You can attract delightful birds like yellow goldfinches, orioles and hummingbirds with the right mix of food and feeder types.

Start out by overlooking a few dandelions when you're weeding your yard. Goldfinches love dandelion seed. They also like company when they eat and will dine in large groups. Look for feeders, like the Three Tube Finch Feeder, that allow 24 or more birds to perch and dine at the same time. The Three Tube Finch Feeder certainly sets the stage for a spectacular show!

Orioles, with their glossy black coats trimmed in bright orange or yellow, will fill your backyard with distinctive whistles and songs. They migrate at night and arrive in your neighborhood tired, cold and hungry, so if you wait until you actually see them to put out food, you might miss them altogether. Set out oranges, sliced in half with the juicy side out, before you see the first oriole of the season. Or try feeding them all new BirdBerry Jelly, a human grade product that's better for the birds. It's all natural - no preservatives - and is lower in sugar content than most jellies. The unique grape/blackberry flavor attracts orioles and other species and keeps them coming back for more.

Try using a feeder like Songbird Essentials' Grand Slam Oriole Feeder made of recycled plastic. It holds four orange halves and has two serving bowls for jelly. Other birds that love jelly include woodpeckers, robins and warblers.

Hummingbirds, while not great singers, are among the most intriguing and adorable birds to watch. Nearly every region of the U.S. has at least one native species of these tiny, speedy little birds. There are several ways you can tempt them into your yard; try these tips:

* Provide plenty of nectar feeders - the more the merrier. Dr. J.B.'s Hummingbird Feeder is a good choice; it is dishwasher safe and easy to clean, has an extra wide mouth for easy filling and is bee resistant. Bob Sergeant, president of the Hummer Bird Study Group, the world's largest association dedicated to the study and preservation of hummingbirds, simply says; "This is the best hummingbird feeder ever!" Plus, the hummers love it.

* Be sure hummers see red. Plant red open-throated plants. Or, if planting is not possible, tie a big red bow in your yard near your feeder.

* Let the water flow. Hummingbirds prefer moving water sources like sprinklers, fountains, waterfalls, misters or drippers. Attract hummingbirds by keeping water sources fresh and clean and positioning them near food sources.

* Provide natural nesting material. Hummingbirds won't nest in birdhouses or nesting boxes, they build their cup-shaped nests in trees. Encourage nesting by providing materials like Hummer Helper Nesting Material, recommended by the Hummingbird Society of North America. An all-natural product, Hummer Helper comes in an open wire frame that allows hummingbirds easy access to natural nesting material.

For more ideas on how to attract hummingbirds and songbirds to your backyard this season, visit www.songbirdessentials.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Backyard Critters Appreciate the Generosity of the Season

This is the time of year when we can share our "bounty" with those around us, including the wild animals living outside our homes and in our neighborhoods, reports The Humane Society of the United States. Raccoons, squirrels, skunks and other animals in our yards are grateful recipients of any goodwill that humans are able to show them this season.

According to Laura Simon, field director of urban wildlife for The HSUS, "Although wild animals are able to adapt to survive cold winter temperatures and food limitations, there are some small but very significant things that people can do to help them survive this time of year." The HSUS suggests several acts of goodwill that can give our backyard neighbors a warm boost during the holidays:

Keep bird feeders full in the winter since food availability is very limited for non-migratory birds.

Fill large pinecones with peanut butter and roll them in sunflower seeds. Attach a string to the top and hang from trees for birds.

Invest in a heated birdbath and keep it filled all winter long. Birds need the water at this time of year when most natural sources may be frozen.

Put decorative snowflakes 4" apart on any windows where birds might hit, or have hit in the past.

Put a cover over any window wells around your house to prevent animals from becoming stuck. Animals, such as skunks, who have poor climbing abilities commonly fall into window wells.
Use only environmentally friendly sidewalk salt for melting ice such as Safe Paws Ice Melter.
Regular sidewalk salts pollute the environment and can irritate cats' and dogs' paws.

Get to know your backyard wild neighbors by going on an adventure around your own yard in the snow. Try to identify different species by looking at tracks and other signs they leave behind, such as partial remains of food like cracked nuts or twigs. Buy a good wildlife tracking guide - - or give one as a gift - - to learn more and to better appreciate these animals.

The HSUS Wild Neighbors Program promotes non-lethal means for resolving conflicts between people and wildlife and cultivates understanding and appreciation for wild animals commonly found in cities and towns.

The program's book, Wild Neighbors: The Humane Approach to Living with Wildlife is a useful reference for individuals and communities faced with resolving encounters with wild animals who find their way into yards, gardens, houses, parks and playgrounds. On the web at humanesociety.org/wildneighbors.

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Keep Feeders up in Winter for Visiting Hummingbirds

Keep your hummingbird feeders filled and available this winter. That’s the recommendation of Georgia Wildlife Resources Division biologists, who know that some hummers spend winter in the state and benefit from the nourishment feeders offer.

Eleven hummingbird species have been recorded in Georgia. But while the only one that nests here – the ruby-throated hummingbird – migrates south and leaves the U.S. by mid-October, species from the western U.S. and Central America sometimes show up as early as August and stay until about April. These newcomers include rufous hummingbirds, which have the longest migration route of any hummer, and the calliope hummingbird, the smallest bird in the nation.

Many Georgians once took their feeders down in fall for fear the free food would keep hummingbirds from migrating. But the birds migrate in response to day length, not food supply. Keeping feeders up does not hinder migration.

Instead, some fortunate homeowners with full feeders have enjoyed playing host to rare visiting hummingbirds in winter.

“People enjoy doing it. (And) we get good information” involving the birds, said Jim Ozier, a program manager with the Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section.

The rufous is the most commonly seen wintering hummer in the Southeast. This species flits from breeding ranges that extend from the Pacific Northwest as far north as southern Alaska to its primary wintering grounds in south-central Mexico. However, a few rufous hummingbirds take a different path and are spotted throughout Georgia and the rest of the Southeast during winter.

The calliope hummer is another snowbird, colorful but tiny at about a 10th of an ounce. A calliope was first recorded in the Peach State during the winter of 1998-1999.

According to the Georgia Hummers Web site (www.gahummer.org), the 2007-2008 season sported another first sighting, a green-breasted mango that wintered in Dublin. This species is normally found in Central and South America. Only three have been documented in the U.S. outside of Texas. The Dublin visitor remained for several weeks, attracting birders from all over the country.

Western hummingbird species can be difficult to identify. But Georgians can contact Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section in Forsyth, (478) 994-1438, about hummer sightings. These reports document the incidence of wintering hummers and help biologists determine the birds’ habitat needs.

Georgians can help conserve hummingbirds through buying wildlife license plates featuring a ruby-throated hummer or a bald eagle. The license plate sales, in addition to donations to the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff, are vital to the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds to help conserve rare plants, natural habitats and wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped in Georgia. Details at www.georgiawildlife.com.

Georgia hummers at a glance:

· Allen’s
· Anna’s
· Black-chinned
· Broad-billed
· Broad-tailed
· Calliope
· Green-breasted mango
· Magnificent
· Ruby-throated
· Rufous
· Green violet-eared hummingbird*

*This species is listed as provisional, meaning a photograph is needed to add it to the state’s official list.

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Bird-watching May Aid Your Child's Development

(NAPSI)-Backyard bird-watching with your children may pay a number of unexpected dividends.

That's because the early experiences in your children's lives affect how their brains develop and lay the foundation for intelligence, emotional health and moral development, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This healthy development depends on nurturing and dependable relationships.

"Bird-watching helps meet the needs of developing young minds and can start as soon as a child can walk. It can also help improve the bond between parent and child," says Stephen Kress, Wingscapes Birding expert and author of several books, including The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds and The Audubon Backyard Birdwatch.

Here are a few tips to get kids started in backyard bird-watching to help their development:

• Hang a bird feeder in your yard where your kids can easily watch it every day. By helping young kids build their own bird feeder, you give them an additional reason to take interest in watching birds.

• Have your kids keep a list of the birds they see and discuss the list each day or week. You can build memory skills by talking about the birds' characteristics, such as wing color and pattern.

You can teach your children about those characteristics with a bird camera, such as the Wingscapes BirdCam, a weatherproof, motion-activated digital camera that captures high-resolution photos and videos of birds-even if you are not there.

• You can create a scrapbook or even a Web site (using free software) with photos or videos of the birds.

• Get your children to e-mail the images or video clips to a friend or relative or share them on Wingscapes.com, Flickr™, YouTube or other social media Web sites. For more information, visit www.wingscapes.com.

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Pick a Feeder, Any Feeder

(ARA) - Backyard bird feeding is an easy way to enjoy wildlife up close and personal. Feeders, and the beautiful birds that perch upon them, can brighten up any garden or yard. More important, however, is that bird feeding is very beneficial to the outdoor pets we adore so much.

There are many types of birds that have become well-adapted to taking advantage of bird feeders. In fact, according to the National Audubon Society, more than 100 species supplement their natural diets with birdseed, suet, fruit and nectar obtained from feeders. Plus, many are so widespread in their range that they'll feast almost anywhere in the United States, from California to New York.

To accommodate this wide variety of birds, there is a wide variety of feeders: hopper feeders, tube feeders, platform feeders, suet feeders -- the list goes on and on. Choosing a feeder is ultimately a matter of satisfying the specific preferences of the birds you want to attract. In other words, the birds you desire to feed will determine the type of food you put out. The food, in turn, helps to determine which feeder you should use.

For example, desirable birds like cardinals, woodpeckers and chickadees are attracted to feeders filled with premium seeds and real fruit. Foods like Wild Delight Less Mess Cardinal Food work great for attracting these birds because they're made with real raisins, cranberries and cherries that sought-after birds love. As a result, feeders that accommodate large fruit pieces and seeds are necessary to attract these types of birds.

Some feeders work well for a number of different types of food. Hopper feeders and platform feeders are big and bird-friendly. They can hold almost any size seed and a lot of it, so they have to be refilled less often. Large fruit pieces and nuts, like those found in Wild Delight Less Mess Fruit & Berry, can easily be accessed from either of these feeders.

Tube feeders are extremely popular and come with feeding ports (the holes where the birds access the food) of varying sizes in order to accommodate different types of food. A tube feeder with large holes will let sunflower seeds and fruit pieces through, while others with small holes should be used for small seeds like Nyjer. Tube feeders are ideal for smaller birds like finches and pine siskins because they have small perches that large perching birds like starlings can't grip.

Suet feeders, which are wire cages specifically made to hold suet, are an excellent way to offer your outdoor pets a variety of dining options. Suet is the hard, white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle and other animals, and is a favorite of many birds. Some suet products, like Wild Delight Deck, Porch N' Patio Suet, are even mixed with nuts like pistachios. If it were up to the birds, they would take the entire piece of suet away with them. Thankfully, the suet feeder cage design only allows small chunks to be eaten at a time, which means that desirable birds such as woodpeckers and nuthatches visit more often -- so you get more time to enjoy watching them.

Yet another type of feeder is the mesh feeder. This kind of feeder is used for dispensing larger seeds such as black oil sunflower seeds. Mesh feeders, somewhat similar to tube feeders, are meant to attract birds that cling because other birds cannot perch on them. This helps to keep starlings and other nuisance birds away. More significant is that they're designed to resist squirrel damage. Squirrels can use these feeders, but will be frustrated because they can only pick one seed at a time.

Very similar to the mesh feeders are finch sock feeders, which are mesh bags that allow finches to cling to them and discourage other birds from stealing seed. Products like the Wild Delight Finch Sock Feeder come already stocked with premium Nyjer seed, creating a convenient, all-in-one feed and feeder combination.

There are a number of helpful resources today that can help you pick out the appropriate types of food needed to attract desirable birds, and the feeders that suit them best. In fact, Web sites such as www.WildDelight.com are becoming a popular reference point for outdoor pet lovers.

Finally, remember that no matter what feeder appears to best suit a particular situation or yard, the key is really the type of food you put in it. Want better birds? Feed them premium food. Want to make it easy for birds to eat the premium food? Make sure you put it in the right type of feeder. With all the different types and styles of feeders available today, there have never been more opportunities to enjoy outdoor pets and the entertaining hobby of backyard bird feeding.

Courtesy of ARAcontent