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Welcome back. By now your yard is full of bird feeders, songs, and feathered friends darting about. Are you ready to watch these same birds prepare their nests and raise their young? If so, it isn’t hard! You can now share all aspects of the birding family. Watch the courtship, nest building, laying eggs, feeding the babies, and finally watching the children leave the nest. We love watching the young Robins and Doves learn to fly uncertain short distances. Then one day they seem to amaze themselves and take off in full flight!

Just as certain foods attract certain birds, there are a few things to know about attracting nesting birds. Different birds have different nesting needs. There are ground nesting birds, tree branch nesting birds, tight shrubbery, and hollow cavity nesting birds. Each of these will desire a different type of nesting area or bird house. If you already have trees and shrubs in your yard, you are off to a good start. Ground nesting birds usually build their nest in the cover of grasses or low shrubbery. For others, a man made nesting platform or birdhouse will attract families of birds to your yard. In addition to the nesting platform and birdhouse, help the birds out with pieces of string, straw, hair, paper bits, and other lightweight nest building materials. Remember, we are making them feel at home here.

Different birds will also require other things. Not all birds will use the same shape, size, height, or door opening sizes. As with bird feeders, it pays to know what type of birds you wish to attract. Once a bird has noticed your birdhouse or nesting platform, things heat up. Activity increases and a nest is soon built. You may monitor the nest carefully and take pictures along the way. Just be careful and attentive to the adult birds, knocking gently on the birdhouse to allow the adult birds to leave. Then open the house for a peek or to take pictures. Carefully close the birdhouse and wait a week or so before disturbing the family again. A wonderful bird house spy camera is now available to monitor the nesting family continually without opening the birdhouse or disturbing the nest. These are available to be mounted inside birdhouses or near open nests and provide sound as well as video. You can watch the family nesting process from start to finish.

While decorative bird houses are pretty, they are not always best for the birds. Natural wood at least 3/4 of an inch thick is best and provides insulation from the heat. Always clean the bird house or platform and wash with soap and water after the nesting season ends – usually in July. This way winter birds may use the bird houses and bird platforms for roosting and they will be clean for the next year’s nesting season.

These birds can be attracted to bird houses and usually have 2 to 3 broods per season. Eggs incubate for 11 to 14 days:

Chickadee, Wren, Woodpecker, Bluebirds, Tufted Titmouse, Nuthatch, Flicker and many more.

These birds are attracted to platform nests and will also have 2 to 3 broods per season: Robins, Doves

Good luck and enjoy the families of birds that will return year after year.

By: David R Price

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The budgie (also called a parakeet) is a common household pet. They have many different color combinations, however, normal budgies have a bright green plumage on their chests, green wings and black lines covering their small yellow heads. Other color variations for budgies are yellow, blue, violet, albino and unique color mixes made by breeding different colored budgies with each other. However, budgies are the basic green and yellow when they are in the wild.

In the wild, budgies live in Australia around woodland or grass areas that are near a source of water. Budgies are quiet animals that only chirrup when they are alarmed in their environment. Budgies travel in large flocks in the wild, especially during the time right after a season of abundant rainfall; flocks at that time are around tens of thousands, but normal flocks can range from one to three hundred.

Budgerigars feed mostly on seeds of native herbs and grasses that they find on the ground and do most of their drinking and feeding during the morning time.

Budgerigars or parakeets make excellent pets, although choosing a budgie for a pet can be a difficult task. Price ranges for one of these birds can be from 15 to 30 US dollars, so choosing a slightly expensive budgie would be best, because the lower priced budgies are not in the best of health. Trained budgies are the most expensive, however, you should consider buying a medium priced budgie that is in good health and not yet trained, so you will not miss the fun of training it yourself. Budgies will get lonely in an empty home, so if you are a busy person that is out of the house for many hours during the day, you should consider getting two budgies, this way the quiet empty home will not bore the budgie.

Training your budgie can be fun and easy; first you will need to let the budgie know you are its friend, let the budgie get to know you better by putting your hand on the budgie’s cage and then moving your hand towards the budgie while talking and whistling softly at the same time. If the budgie becomes afraid of your hand in its cage, just stop your hand until the bird calms down. Next, move your finger toward the budgie’s chest. If it starts getting scared again, repeat the process, but keep in mind that you can also use a perch if you do not want to use your hand. When the budgie lets you, press your finger on its chest and the bird should step on your finger, at this point, move your finger around in the cage with the budgie on your finger. When you and your budgie are friends, you can teach it to talk. Teaching your budgie to speak is not difficult. Start by continuously repeating the word or the phrase you want the budgie to say. Remember to speak slowing and clearly and only teach one word or phrase at a time.

The budgie is an excellent house pet that is available in a range of colors. Consider getting two budgies, because one will get bored if you work a lot and nobody is home. When you are ready to buy a one as a pet, choose a medium priced budgie, that way you will have a healthy bird, and you still can have fun training your new pet.

By: Michael Russell

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I write this as a memorial to the most innocent of birds. These were noble trusting souls. It is likely they had known only one human in their lives. The next human they came in contact with was their last.

I have never told this tragic tale before. I was warned not to. It is over twenty years since it happened.

I was stationed on a high peak overlooking a long lake in the Rocky Mountains. I watched for fires and lightning strikes in the forest below me. The only way up to the lookout building was by helicopter.

The landscape near the summit was a desolate rocky, snowy, windswept plateau. Only in late summer did the snow completely melt, then the bare rocky summit was highlighted by patches of moss and the occasional severely stunted evergreen shrub.

The birds that frequently wandered over the rocky moss covered plateau were about the size of a small chicken. The birds were a light mottled grey colour. They were Mountain Ptarmigan which usually walked around in a group, searching for food. They looked like a family of birds. They behaved like a mother and her nearly adult chicks. I would see the flock every day or two meandering along the moss-covered areas of the plateau, searching for seeds or bugs to eat. Sometimes they would walk by the lookout. I would go outside to see how close they would let me approach. They were not very afraid of me but they had a comfort zone. It was a distance boundary I was not allowed to cross. I could come as close as fifteen feet before they would turn and walk away. They seemed to be very calm and curious.

One day when the birds came by I thought about trying to catch one. There was a storage area at the bottom of the lookout tower. I went outside and opened the three foot square door to the lookout ground floor storage area. Inside was a flat dirt floor with some paint cans stored in a corner. First I slowly circled the birds and moved behind them. I was then in a position to drive the birds past the lookout’s open door. The birds moved forward toward the open door. I had to startle them a little for this to work. Moving quickly they scurried by the lookout and one went in the open door way. I closed the door to give the bird time to calm down. Using a flashlight I went inside the storage area and caught the bird in the corner of the room.

The Ptarmigan weighed almost nothing. I was surprised at how light it was to hold. It felt like holding a bird skeleton covered with feathers. I gently stroked its head and back feathers trying to calm it. I did not wanting to stress the bird out for too long, so took it outside and let it go on the ground. It scurried away to a safe distance.

The next time the helicopter pilot came to deliver supplies he saw the Ptarmigan flock wandering about on the plateau not far from the helipad, so he knew where the birds were.

One day the pilot was talking on the radio, while he was working in the area. He mentioned the Ptarmigan. He planned to go hunting, and might get himself some birds. I didn’t think that was at all sporting, since the birds had very little fear of humans.

One afternoon a helicopter flew to the lookout helipad and landed. There was no delivery scheduled for that day. The helicopter was shut down. The pilot and another man got out. The pilot took out a rifle case from the helicopter. He removed a shotgun from the case. He walked toward the flock of Ptarmigan which weren’t far away. It was like shooting ducks in a barrel. The birds had no idea what was happening. The pilot walked up close enough so he had no chance of missing the birds. One by one he shot all the birds. It was a sickening, cowardly act. Not sporting at all. That was it for my birds. In a few seconds they were all dead.

By: Michael Russell

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Why does my bird scream?

Boy if we had THE answer we’d be writing this from our yacht. But of course I have to weigh in here. What got me thinking about the subject of “why birds scream,” is some recent web surfing.

I spend my days doing what many of you wish you could be doing, surfing the web for bird toys and parrot cages. The magic of the internet enables us to shop the world. In order for us to provide the best possible shopping experience. We look at lots of sites and products. Pricing is important but not our priority. We feel good information about parrots and general avian issues is the most important product we can offer. And we offer that for free. We like to know who’s selling what. We also like to see how well they’re selling it i.e. is the site easy to navigate. Do they offer multiple payment choices and so forth?

But I digress – So here I am on the of a national chains of pet supply products. They have an FAQ for bird ownership. Something we always applaud. Well I’m reading the list and one of the topics is Why is my bird screaming? No real explanation is offered and at the end of the paragraph they recommend taking your parrot to a vet if screaming persists.

Yikers! Screaming parrots – vets – why?

Let’s look at this logically folks, not that parrots are logical but they are creatures of habit. One of the things we learned from Michelle Karras http://www.thepoliteparrot.com is silence means danger! If you have a flock of wild parrots in trees (in their natural environment) or even a flock of local wild birds in your back yard. On any given sunny day a flock of birds will make a lot of noise – it’s all about FLOCK. Chirp, chirp, scream, scream. What are they communicating about? Same things we do. “Find any food lately? Yeah they had a great sale on worms about a mile from here.”

SILENCE means danger! If you’ve ever seen a hawk fly over a flock of wild birds, you swear you can hear the sound of the hawk’s wings flapping. That’s one of the reasons parrots come in so many colors. If they’re quiet and deep in a tree they are difficult to spot. When that danger passes its chirp, chirp, scream, scream. So again I ask, “is screaming a reason to run to the vet? I don’t think so.

Something we hear a lot of is – people will have a screaming bird (usually newbie’s) and the bird will scream for whatever reason. What does their human companion do? Yell SHUT UP! And what does the parrot do? SCREAM SOME MORE!

Again I fall back on my good friend logic. The bird screams, you scream back. Do you think there may be a slight chance that when you scream back the bird might be thinking “hey – this is great! Someone is finally squawking back at me “hey SCREAM, SCREAM, please scream back some more, I’m lonely you’re my flock and I need to talk to someone than you?”

Begin to see where I’m going with this grasshopper? OK so now you know one of the whys. Here’s a little tip form Michelle Karras http://www.thepoliteparrot.com that may work for you:

Excessive screaming is a learned behavior that we teach our birds. Covering your feathered companion with a blanket, teaches him or her that you will cover the cage when scream gets out of hand.

Yelling at a screaming parrot, gives the parrot the attention it seeks. Ignoring a screaming parrot is not the answer either. Ignoring bird’s screams could result in finding injuries too late (or water had run out). Options are to make sure all your Psittacines needs are satisfied. Large hygienic cage, clean water, fresh food, working toys. Twelve hours of sleep (uninterrupted), soft wood and other materials to chew, and plenty of exercise.

Start with a signal to stop loud parrots. Ring a cowbell (or bang a pot) in the room next to the screaming bird. They hear the bell (sound), they stop to listen, Show up from the other room while they are quiet to praise and reward. Set them up to succeed. Use a time when you know they are quite loud. Distract them with a new noise in the next room. As soon as they stop to listen, appear and praise.

Lengthen the time between the signal and your appearance each time. Try and take a whole day at first and only work with the parrot and the screaming. Initial rewards should be substantial, a known favorite treat. Use the same signal just before feeding fresh food. Wait until the parrot is noisy; give the signal, praise, and feed.

Not all parrots will quiet down for the same signal so you may have to try several noises before finding the one that works for you.

Note: Do not use your voice. They may try to mimic you.

Scream time is a time during the day that you allow your parrots to be noisy. This should be given somewhere between 3p.m. and 7p.m. each day. Encourage your parrots by playing stimulating music. Dance, sing or scream along with them. Scream time should last no less than 15minutes and no more than 1/2 hour each day.

Some parrots enjoy screaming to the vacuum, this is fine to encourage but play music as well. Find music that your parrot gets excited over. Use that same song every day for scream time. Change the music from time to time but be consistent overall. When Scream time is over, lower the music volume Talk your parrot down. Lower the music slowly, turn it off, and play their relaxation code music. Give them afternoon snacks when “cool down” is over.

Birds will wait for their “Scream Time” because they know they will be rewarded for their patience.

By: Mitch Rezman

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Fact: not all birds like each other. So if having just one feathered friend in your house isn’t enough for you then please keep that in mind before going out and stocking up on a few of these as pets.

The sad truth is, most bird owners dream that they can buy any kind of bird, group them all together in one little cage and have a wonderful utopia where everyone gets along. Even though many birds are easy to get along with, there are some that are very territorial, possessive, jealous, aggressive and just flat out nasty towards other birds. This makes populating your bird cage with several specious a potentially explosive situation. Often times, birds of the same species can learn to get along, even in a confined space. But it is potentially dangerous to place two birds of different species in a cage together. You’re practically invited a steal cage death match.

Having said that, there are many birds of different species that live harmoniously together all over the world, even in the wild. But this is the exception rather than the rule. Even birds of the same species don’t get along just like not all humans get along.

Before attempting to introduce your bird to a cage mate you should take a realistic look at your bird and evaluate him. Is he docile? Does he get along well with you? Or is he a biter and nasty? If your bird already has a rotten disposition, chances are that if you bring home a friend he is going to be road kill before the night is over. Birds of the same type of temperament usually get along together. For example, a bird who is naturally curious will get along very well with another bird who is naturally curious. They will probably spend most of the time getting to know each other. This usually leads to a harmonious relationship.

It would be easy to say that there is a general rule of thumb when it comes to what birds will get along with what birds. The experts say that if a bird can get along with a species so different from itself, such as us humans, then theoretically they should be able to get along with another bird, even if it is of another species. The truth is, sometimes they will get along and sometimes they won’t. The only hard and fast rule is this. If one of the birds is much smaller than the other, make sure the smaller bird is the one who came first. Also make sure the new roommate is a younger bird so it won’t try to eat the smaller bird right away. This will give the two time to get to know each other and possibly form a bond. Baby birds in general have an easier time adapting to another bird. Trying to get two full grown birds of different species to get along is just looking for trouble, especially if one is much larger than the other.

Make sure you monitor the situation. If it appears there is going to be trouble don’t wait for the worst to happen. Remove the newer bird from the cage. You don’t want to remove the original bird because it is used to its surroundings and you’re only going to upset it.

Bottom line is this. When attempting to integrate two birds together do so with caution. Just like with people, not all birds, even of the same species, get along.

By: Michael Russell

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On March 19, 2009, the US Department of the Interior released a new report on the national “State of the Birds.” The report states that “(b)irds are bellwethers of our natural and cultural health as a nation… The results are sobering: bird populations in many habitats are declining-a warning signal of the failing health of our ecosystems.” Considering that conservation efforts have been going on for at least the last 50+ years (since Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring), this is indeed a sobering report. Obviously our conservation efforts were too little, too late.

According the Report, 75 million Americans, 1 in every 4 consider themselves birdwatchers. In excess of 50 million are feeding wild birds. In spite of so much interest and support, loss of habitat continues unabated in the rush to develop more land. Natural nesting sites and food resources are lost. To help stop the decline the single most important thing we can do as individuals is restore natural habitat on our own property. Take an active, responsible role in managing your habitat. If you manage property, you are managing habitat and wildlife.

Why Feed Wild Birds?

People are feeding wild birds for a variety of reasons including entertainment, relaxation, observing and/or studying nature, provide meaningful support to local populations, and so on. As stated above, many wild bird populations are declining. Reasons for the declines include habitat loss, environmental degradation, seasonal changes, local weather, climate change, inadequate forage, and so on. Wild birds have a relatively high metabolic rate that requires food on a regular and consistent basis. Many birds die during the winter, during droughts, cold spells, prolonged rains, and any other conditions that reduce the availability of forage leading to stress,weakness, reduced resistance to disease and parasites, and starvation. Feeding wild birds can help sustain populations when natural food supplies are hard to find.

Feeding Preferences of Wild Birds

Whether your goal is just to attract wild birds to a feeding station for your own enjoyment or to provide birds with the minimum nutrients they need for optimum health and reproduction, feeding preferences of birds are very important in determining what type of food products will best meet your needs.

In general, wild birds can be grouped together by the types of feed they eat. This does not necessarily mean that granivores (seed-eaters), for example, eat only seed. Granivores prefer seed to other foods and specific types of seed to others. Since it is rare in nature to find a food that is readily and always available, it is important to remember that most birds select food in order of their preferences.

While there are a number of types of feed, feeding wild birds usually involves only four:

a. Granivores – seed or grain feeders like finches and sparrows. Many seeds and seed mixes are available for

granivores.

b. Frugivores – fruit feeders like tanagers. There are dehydrated fruit products for frugivores.

c. Insectivores – insect feeders like blue birds and woodpeckers. There are a number of live and dehydrated

insect products.

d. Nectarivores – nectar feeders like hummingbirds. There are several commercial nectar diets available.

In addition to the importance of feeding preferences when feeding wild birds, feeding behaviors of wild birds should be considered when selecting feeders. Some wild birds including robins and doves forage on the ground. Others like woodpeckers and nuthatches forage on the bark of trees. Goldfinches and other granivores forage on the seed heads of grasses.

Casual Bird Feeding

The vast majority of people who are feeding wild birds are casual participants. For them feeding wild birds is primarily a part time activity involving offering wild birds treats and enjoying the benefits of watching their behaviors. The casual participant is one who may on impulse, while shopping at the supermarket, grab a bag of seed or a suet cake. They do not feel any responsibility for feeding wild birds anything more then bird candy. Wild birds are free to forage for their own nutritional needs. If your interest in feeding wild birds is casual, there is an entire industry devoted to meeting your needs. The primary function of the products offered is to bait or draw birds to a feeding site designed to provide maximum visibility for your viewing pleasure. All the feed products including seeds, seed mixes, suet products, and other specialty products are formulated for their ability to attract birds. Nutritional value is not a consideration. Seeds, seed mixes, and suet products offer at best incidental, supplemental nutrition. Even if it were possible to formulate a seed mix that met all the nutritional requirements of birds, it would fail because birds will preferentially select only the seeds they like, the most preferred being oil-type sunflower seed. Seed preference studies have demonstrated time after time that, oil-type sunflower seed, white proso millet, and Nyjer