Garden Decor

Bewick’s Wren is resident in British Columbia and the western and southern U.S. (found throughout most of California except in the deserts of the south east and the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.)
The easternmost of these birds spend winters in the Gulf coast states.
Eastern populations dropped drastically starting early in the 20th century, and now it is nearly restricted to the West.

They inhabit thickets, brush piles, hedgerows, open woodlands, and scrubby areas, often near streams. Bewick’s Wren is also at home near man made buildings and gardens.
To attract the Bewick’s wren to your garden plant chaparral plants. This is its main habitat. Many species of chapparal are very drought tolerant and excellent for California gardens. A good choice for your garden is the Manzanita species.
 

The Bewick’s Wren nests in pre-existing cavaties. Actually , they prefer naturally occurring cavities.
They will nest in old woodpecker cavities, but their nesting sites are not necessarily restricted to trees. They prefer to nest near or on the ground, and will also nest in rock crevices or in man made birdhouses.

Loud and clear, he sings out his “tea-kettle! tea-kettle! tea-kettle!”  Chattering with a rising and falling ”cheer-a”, the song of the little Carolina Wren is vociferous and consistent!

John James Audubon put it this way:  When satiated with food, or fatigued…the little fellow stops, droops its tail, and sings with great energy a short ditty something resembling the words come-to-me, come-to-me, repeated several times in quick succession, so loud, and yet so mellow, that it is always agreeable to listen to them.
During spring, these notes are heard from all parts of the plantations, the damp woods, the swamps, the sides of creeks and rivers, as well as from the barns, the stables and the piles of wood, within a few yards of the house. I frequently heard these Wrens singing from the roof of an abandoned flat-boat, fastened to the shore, a small distance below the city of New Orleans.
Their chirr-up and come-to-me come-to-me seldom cease for more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, commencing with the first glimpse of day, and continuing sometimes after sunset.
(One single male Carolina Wren in captivity is reported to have sung nearly 3,000 times in a single day!)

He also has a series of calls, including a rapid series of descending notes, in a similar timbre to its song, for an alarm call. He threatens intruders with a very harsh and loud scolding call.

 It is the male Carolina Wren which does the singing, and calling, and territory defending.

Otherwise known as TROGLODYTES LUDOVICIANUS, the Carolina Wren is the state bird of South Carolina. The LUDOVICIANUS part of its name literally means “from Louisiana”.

They are not migratory birds. They are Southerners, but the gradually increasing winter temperatures over the last century appears to have expanded the territory of the Carolina Wren over most of the eastern United States.  Some younger birds wander northward after the breeding season and set up residence there. They don’t return.  If the winter becomes severe, their populations are greatly reduced, due to their sensitivity to cold. but their high breeding productivity soon replenishes their numbers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carpodacus mexicanus
The House Finch, originally a resident of the southwestern United States and Mexico, in 1940 was turned loose on Long Island, New York. They readily adapted to their new environment, and since 1990 they thrive across the entire eastern United States and southern Canada.

Although they are strict vegitarians and will not eat your pesky insects, they do have many attractive qualities. Before 1936, the male House Finch was sold in pet stores as “Hollywood Finches,” because of its delightful plumage and pleasant songs. The male is about 5½ inches long, with red on the head, upper breast and flanks. The female has a uniformly grayish brown-streaked head with broad brown streaking on the breast and belly.

The diet of the House Finch consists of seeds, fruits, buds, and weed seeds. It forages both on the ground and in trees, and is easily attracted to birdfeeders offering sunflower seed.

Read the rest of this entry »

   During a military expedition of 1819-1820 for the establishment of posts along the upper Missouri River, a gentleman named Thomas Say discovered this bird near the Arkansas River in Colorado. They called it a phoebe, because it called itself “fee-ah-bee!”

   The Eastern Phoebe tends to live separate from others of its kind except for brief breeding times; the female will even chase the male away from her nest. She builds her nest of mud and moss, forming a cup, then lines it with fine grasses.
   They nest on shelves: bridges, building overhangs, understreet culverts. You may attract a pair by placing a nesting shelf under the overhang of a building away from your house, like a garage.

   Phoebes build houses to last! Once you get a Phoebe family nesting in your yard, they will attempt to raise 2 - 3 broods every year at the same spot. Their children and grandchildrem may also come back to the same nest for many generations! (Successive generations of Phoebes were observed under one New England bridge for over 30 years!)

   Read the rest of this entry »

The Pine Siskin is about as flighty as they come in terms of watching them. Depending mainly on the available food supply, it can be seen in the in the East and Midwest, but not necessarily in the same areas from year to year.

Feeding Habits:
This little [4½ - 5½” long] bird eats mostly seeds: seeds of conifers, birches, alders, and seeds of a wide variety of weeds.

It also gleans aphids off tree leaves, and eats the leaves and flowers off young plants, including young vegetable shoots from backyard gardens.

At the birdfeeder, Pine Siskins are attracted to hulled sunflower or nyjer seed. Hanging tube type birdfeeders to attract finches and chickadees will also attract Pine Siskins whenever they’re in town.The Tube Birdfeeder pictured here is highly recommended.

The nesting season of the chickadee is from April through June. The nest is excavated in the soft, partially rotted wood of a tree trunk or broken limb.These birds are excellent candidates for man-made birdhouses. Locate your Chickadee Birdhouse 4-15 feet high. Place a few wood chips in the nesting box to encourage them to nest. They will not use the wood chips, but this causes the nest box to be more attractive to them.

Chickadees! Titmice! Nuthatches! Woodpeckers!

That’s Entertainment! The smaller of these birds, equipped with strong feet for clinging to the birdfeeders while feeding, will dazzle you with their acrobatics, while the woodpeckers will drum out the rat-a-tat-tat!

 Offer them suet and sunflower seeds in your birdfeeders, and erect unique birdhouses for nesting. Soon your own backyard will be converted into a three (or more!) ring circus with tiny performers!

The Cedar Waxwing is one of the most frugivorous birds in North America. They typically feed near the tips of fruit-bearing branches — often hanging upside down to pluck favorites such as cherries, crabapples and hawthorn fruits which are high in sugar content.
Many aspects of its life, from its nomadic habits to its late breeding season, may be traced to its dependence upon fruit.
Waxwings are susceptible to intoxication, especially when several warm days follow a cold frost. The cold causes cells in the fruit to burst, and yeast works on the mash converting sugar to alcohol. There have been numerous records of birds flying out of control from the effects of alcohol! In fact, they may become drunk and even die from alcohol intoxication!So please be kind, and offer fresh fruit (not over-ripe) on your birdfeeders, removing leftovers for composting before it spoils.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dark-eyed Junco, a member of the sparrow family, suddenly appears at feeding stations in winter in the eastern United States. In the northernmost states this bird will be seen more in the springtime.

The junco occurs in several different colorations or races. In the east you’ll most likely see the dark slate colored bird. (The female is a lighter brownish gray.)
The western “Oregon” race is a striking bird with brown back and a black hood. (gray hood on the female)
The western “Pink-sided” race (pictured in this post) has gray head with a pinkish color on the sides.
In the southern Rockies and southwestern states, you will find the “Gray-headed” race, the back being reddish brown.
The north central states are the winter home of the “White-winged” race, named for the white wing bars, with white also on the tail.

They nest on the ground in high grassy vegitation. They also feed on the ground, mostly on weed and grass seeds, and insects. A tray feeder on the ground with cracked corn or sunflower seeds will attract them.