Flock Behavior: Why Birds Don’t Crash Into Each Other Do you ever watch flocks of birds flying tightly together and wonder how they maintain their distance from one another? Flying in a tight flock helps birds in a number of ways. One of the most important is that a large tight flock makes it more […]
BACKYARD: Suet Feeders It’s time to break out the suet feeders! Suet provides lots of calories to keep some of your favorite birds like chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers warm. There are lots of different suet feeders you can buy or make, but the best ones are those which are ergonomically correct for Tail-prop suet feeder […]
Fall Backyard: Start Your Native Plant Meadow If you have even a little bit of a yard, don’t wait to plant a native plant meadow. I planted a small meadow in the fall as an experiment a few years ago, and if I hadn’t seen for myself the magnetic attraction it has for birds and […]
Your Fall Backyard Tuneup In fall, birds’ needs start changing. The bird houses you set up in spring and which saw a lot of activity are now vacant. Pressure to secure food for hungry mouths in the nest has subsided, and now many birds are bulking up for migration. To create a friendly backyard for […]
Late Season Nestcams! Many of the birds from the nest cams we have previously been watching are growing up or have successfully fledged. Now we have a new Guillemot nest, as well as chicks and juvenile birds from some of the nests we have been following. We especially love watching the juvenile Layasan Albatross pictured […]
Your Summer Backyard Your backyard in summer is different from the rest of the year. In each season, birds have different needs, and summer can be extreme – both because of the heat and the additional pressure of feeding baby and juvenile birds. You may be providing a lot of food for birds – in […]
More Nestcams! ‘Tis the season! Birds are still nesting, and this month, there are a few new nestcams including Atlantic Puffins, Arctic Terns, Allen’s Hummingbird, Peregrine Falcons, Osprey and Double-crested Cormorants. NEW nests with lots of chicks and behavior to watch! Allen’s Hummingbird, California Atlantic Puffins, Maine Arctic Terns, Maine Peregrine Falcons, Idaho Osprey, Maine […]
More Nestcams We can never get enough of nestcams! Nesting season continues with new great views of nesting condors, lots of Great-horned Owlets, and this nest of seven seriously adorable Long-eared Owlets. NEW nests with lots of chicks to watch! California Condor, California Long Eared Owls, Montana Great Horned Owls, Montana CATCH UP on what’s […]
Eating Like a Bird Birds have much different eating habits than humans – especially during migration when they really need to add calories to deal with the stress and energy requirements of long hours of flying. You may have been chided by your mother at one point that you ate like a bird, but if […]
Ospreys on the Move! We promise songbirds will start migrating through soon. Until then, there is still a lot of raptor activity to keep you busy! Eagles and many hawks are already nesting, but Osprey, who cannot tolerate cold weather, are on the move right now. Having overwintered in South America and Cuba, they are feeling the […]
More Nestcams Can’t keep your eyes off the nestcams? You are not alone! Keep tabs on the birds you saw hatch and check out some new nesting birds. This month we have new Barred Owls, Red-tailed Hawks and more Bald Eagles. NEW!! Red-tailed Hawks, New York Bald Eagle, Iowa Barred Owl, Indiana CATCH UP ON YOUR […]
NESTCAMS! It’s that time of year again! Get a front row seat and the best view of these early nesters from across the US and Hawaii — hummingbirds, albatross and some very cool raptors: Great Horned Owl, Georgia Allens Hummingbird, California Layasan Albatross, Hawaii Bald Eagle, Washington, DC Barn Owls, Texas
Birds Need Your Help to Get Through the Winter And, February is National Bird Feeding month — a time when winter food sources have been seriously picked over and cold weather persists. Many birds like robins and mockingbirds are surviving off remaining berries. And when its been a tough winter, those berries are now in […]
The Importance of Brush Piles During winter, many trees and bushes lose their leaves, leaving birds and animals with fewer places to hide. Wildlife can be attracted to your backyard by providing food, clean water, and cover. Creating a brush pile can provide a valuable safe spot for birds to use to escape predators and […]
Ducks on Ice Ever wonder why ducks can stay in ice water or on the ice and their feet don’t freeze? There’s a simple scientific reason for this. Basically the feet, which are not covered in feathers, have a counter-current heat exchange system between the arteries and veins in their legs which supplies the naked […]
FAMILY FUN: Owling Adventure What kid (or adult for that matter), wouldn’t love to see an owl in the wild? Due to their nocturnal habits (most owls are only active at night), and well-camouflaged feathers, owls can be difficult to spot. During the day, owls roost in thick trees and shrubs, and often hold completely […]
Looking For Hawks on Migration Watching hawks migrate can be done anywhere along their migration route. There are well known hotspots where hawks can be seen in great numbers on migration. But you don’t need to travel far to see hawks on the move. If you are on a flyway, you can look up to […]
The Mystery of the Migration Route Do birds fly the same route on migration in spring and fall? Would it surprise you that many of them don’t? In fact, scientists are finding out that many birds, especially in spring, follow a path of new plant growth — what is called a “green wave” of migration […]
Where to Watch Hawk Migration Fall migration means many species of birds are on the move. September and October are great times to see birds heading south, and this month we have a terrific fall migration hotspot to visit. Duluth, Minnesota is located on the western tip of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in […]
Making That First Migration Young birds are leaving the nest, and many of them are getting ready for their first trip south. Migration is a hard and risky business for any bird, but the first marathon voyage for many species of birds takes place shortly after they have fledged. How do they do it? Songbirds […]