April 27th Seminar Natives & Other Keys to Attracting Hummingbirds, Butterflies and Other Pollinators-Presentation Materials
If you were unable to attend our April 27th Seminar Natives & Other Keys to Attracting Hummingbirds, Butterflies and Other Pollinators we are offering digital and printed hard copies of the presentation materials. If you would like to receive these materials please complete the form below and indicate if you would like a digital copy emailed or a printed hard copy mailed to you. We thank all who attended and hope to see more native plants in all our gardens! You can watch the seminar on Bird Man Mel’s You Tube Channel.
Seminar: Natives & Other Keys to Attracting Hummingbirds, Butterflies and other Pollinators.
Request a Copy of Presentation Materials
Attracting Birds, Hummingbirds | April 12, 2024
Hummingbirds are Here!
Hummingbirds have been sighted in our area! Now is the time to make sure your feeders are up and ready to receive incoming migrants.
Early arrivals are counting on you to help replenish their energy after their long journey until nectar-rich flowers bloom in May. In return, they bless us with their unique behavior and positive energy. For more information on Hummingbirds & to see where they are migrating in real-time CLICK HERE!
Now let’s explore how to attract Hummingbirds to your yard. Consider adding multiple bright red feeders to your yard, like our Dr. JB 10 oz. Clean Feeder (Image 1). Its designed to be drip-free, bee resistant, and easy to clean. A great starter feeder is The Big Red Hummingbird Feeder Kit (Image 2). It comes complete with sugar, just simply add water! The Red Bird Hummingbird Feeder (Image 3) has a fun design and holds 12 ounces of nectar! Stop in and we can help you select the right feeder and the best location for placement.
Be sure to keep nectar fresh! Hummingbirds that encounter spoiled nectar will avoid the offending feeder for some time. Use our handy guide to help you determine how often to change nectar based on the temperature.
Native Plants | April 05, 2024
Songbird Station offers Native Plants this Spring!
Beginning April 19th Songbird Station will be stocking the best native plants for attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, and pollinators. All plants are grown right here in mid Missouri to ensure maximum success and easy planting in Mid-Mo Gardens. Stop by and pick up a few plants that will turn your yard into a pollinator’s paradise. Perfect for Mother’s Day! The sale will run through May 11th. Guaranteed top quality and best pricing in Central Missouri. To learn more about native planting attend our free April 27th Seminar- Native‘s & Other keys to Attracting Hummingbirds, Butterflies, and Pollinators. Click on the links below to learn more about the native plants that well be stocked during the Native Plant Sale.
Visit our New Outdoor Garden Area! Spring is nearly here and we are celebrating with the opening of a new Outdoor Garden Area! Stop in and see a wide variety of gorgeous spinners, balancers and rockers in action! These add interest and beauty to any garden and make wonderful gifts for Mother’s Day!
Attracting Birds, Bluebirds, Bird Food and Feeders | January 26, 2024
Bluebird Suet Recipe
Thanks to everyone who called in when I was on Simon Rose’s Show on 1400AM/98.9FM in Columbia, MO on Thursday 1/24 from 9:15am to 10am.
As stated on the show, mealworms are the #1 supplement food to offer bluebirds. Songbird Station has live mealworms grown in Central Missouri at great prices. The live mealworms come in 100 in a cup, 1000 in a bag, and 5000 in a bag. Also, several sizes of dried mealworms are also available (coat with olive oil before feeding).
We also discussed a nugget bluebird treat Songbird Station sells. I promised to share a recipe that is a great homemade suet and bluebird supplement when crumbled. The recipe will not save you any money but can be fun to do with children. My favorite and the most proven recipe is the No-Melt Peanut Butter Suet created by Martha Sargent.
People have been using this recipe for over 20 years! Some people like to add a few chopped currents, cherries, and other fruits to the mix.
Martha and her late husband, Bob Sargent, were also founders and directors of the Bluebird Society for many years. We were very honored when Bob endorsed our Dr. JB’s hummingbird feeder as the world’s best hummingbird feeder.
Remember we are always here to answer any of your backyard birding questions or requests.
Bird Man Mel
Events |
Mobility Worldwide
Mobility Worldwide’s Mission:
Mobility Worldwide reflects the love of God by bringing the Gift of Mobility and dignity to those in developing countries who are unable to walk. Founded right here in Columbia by Rev. Mel West, Mobility Worldwide provides three-wheeled, hand-cranked wheelchairs to adults and children in great need, including the severely disabled, victims of polio and landmines. This organization also collects, refurbishes and distributes canes, foldable walkers, crutches, and wheelchairs to individuals in communities across the globe.
Songbird Station has actively supported this mission for many years and Bird Man Mel, aka Mel Toellner, currently serves on the Mobility Worldwide Board of Trustees. Songbird Station recently sponsored a cart for the Craft Beer & Carts fundraising event held in Columbia this July. There is a vast need, and you can help! The Toellner Family encourages you to get involved and consider donating to this life-changing, humanitarian charity.
Mobility Worldwide’s Vision:
End immobility in the world.
Benefits of a Mobility Cart:
A child has the opportunity to attend school and receive an education; a family provider can find employment or bring products to market in an effort to provide for themselves and their dependents; beneficiaries can go to church, the marketplace and social gatherings; individuals can travel to local health centers for increased access to needed medical care; recipients have their pride and dignity restored as they are raised to a comfortable level which helps them interact with others.
Craft Beer and Carts
Craft Beer and Carts is a family-friendly fundraising event for Mobility Worldwide MO-Columbia presented by Rotaract of Columbia each July. Live music, food trucks, and a selection of craft beer from a local brewery are featured. Sponsors are provided with a cart to decorate and then showcase at the event before being distributed to the recipient. This year 114 carts were on display. Take a look at a couple of past Songbird Station’s entries adorned with products you know and love!
Contact Mobility Worldwide Columbia if you and your church or organization would like to sponsor this annual event in 2024.
Attracting Birds, Bird Food and Feeders | March 27, 2023
Charming Goldfinches
You might be surprised that many of us have goldfinches all winter… they just appear in their drab winter coats. Finches love to feed in groups. To attract a group (known as a charm) hang a Songbird Essentials 3-Tube Feeder in your backyard and fill it with our Songbird Essentials Fantastic Finch Mix. Goldfinches love this blend of nyjer thistle & fine-chopped sunflower, which contains only high-quality seed with no fillers! Also, offer thistle sacks to attract more Finches in the spring. Mel’s favorite is the large black thistle sack because the Finches’ brilliant yellow coats show up beautifully against the black.
These let 24 or more feed at once. it – Finches love it!
Informative | March 15, 2023
Moments of Nature with Songbird Station
Spring is finally here and we are so excited! Our commercials are airing just in time for nesting season. Take a peak at the ad below, and be on the lookout for the new edition of the Songbird Station Newsletter, arriving in mailboxes soon! Full of helpful tips, valuable coupons, and information to get your backyard ready to receive guests of all feathers, don’t miss it!
Migration, Informative | March 02, 2023
Focus on Binoculars This Spring!
Don’t miss viewing colorful Spring migrants up close and witness the excitement of Songbirds building a nest and raising their young. Our optics are also great for sporting events, vacations, and hunting. Binoculars make Great Mother’s Day & Father’s Day presents! Come in today and try a pair. We even offer “Test Drives – NO expectations or strings attached!” Details at the store. We guarantee no one (Big Boxes – websites) NO ONE beats our prices!
Binoculars help to bring birds closer and really are a must for every birdwatcher. You will be able to see things that previously went unnoticed. For example, watch the Tufted Titmouse pick up and drop several peanut pieces before it finds just the right one. Watch the male Northern Cardinal court the female by gently placing food in her mouth. Notice the changing colors of American Goldfinch as they begin to molt from summer to winter plumage. Later in the summer, watch several species bring their babies to your feeder to teach them to feed.
Not convinced? Come to our monthly First Friday Bird Walks and test a pair!
Here is a great article to help you determine your needs and select the perfect pair, Focus on Binoculars!
Project FeederWatch is in full swing! Check out the 2022-23 season’s progress and add your own observations at FeederWatch – Count Feeder Birds for Science! The project continues until April so there is still time to participate.
The new 2022 edition of Winter Bird Highlights, the annual summary of the 2021-22 Project FeederWatch season is now available in downloadable and printable pdf format! Providing insightful information about the abundance and distribution of the birds that visit our yards across the United States and Canada, this new report provides a wealth of information gleaned from the Regional Roundup! The report describes what was learned from last season’s FeederWatch counts, and includes lists of the 25 most common birds observed in each of the 7 regions, which includes Hawaii.
This new publication also features research that used behavioral interactions birders reported during Project FeederWatch observations, a profile of Northern Flickers wintering in Canada, a review of which native sparrows are most common in the different regions, and more. Overall, it’s especially interesting to review the top 25 birds and their flock size in your region, plus it is insightful to learn how species vary from region to region, from west to east and south to north.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology operates Project FeederWatch each year. Citizen Science at its finest, the data contributed by individuals in communities throughout North America is scientifically analyzed to help create an annual picture of winter bird abundance and distribution. This helps scientists create accurate population maps which can help track gradual wintering range and population changes not only in this season but also over the span of many years. We encourage you to participate! Visit feederwatch.org to find out how!
