Purple Martins (Progne subis) are the largest of the swallow family who have been known to even be seen on radar as large groups take flight. Martins east of the Rocky Mountains solely dependent on human-provided housing. Martins started using gourds originally provided by Native Americans as housing dating back to the colonial times. They have shown an affinity to nesting in natural gourds, man-made gourds, and aluminum houses.
Martins will return to the same breeding site year after year so if you have lost your Martins there is a good reason why. Make sure you control House Sparrows and European Starling populations in and around your colony. Like many birds, the Purple Martin does have a relatively short time you may enjoy their song each year so preparation is paramount in having a successful season.
4 Cups Birdseed for Songbirds
¾ Cup Coarse Whole Wheat Flour
1 Packet Unflavored Gelatin
½ Cup Hot Water
4 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
Directions:
Combine dry ingredients above in a large bowl and after the water is hot (I microwave for 1 minute), add the corn syrup to dissolve in the hot water. Pour the hot water/corn syrup
mixture over the dry ingredients and blend well to incorporate the wet to the dry ingredients.
Having prepared the work surface with wax or parchment paper, get your favorite cookie cutter shape and spray the inside with non-stick baking spray. Laying the cookie-cutter flat on the prepared surface, press the above mixture into the cookie cutter and overpack getting it as full as you can. I take something that is flat and continue to press leaving a flat surface on the cookie cutter.
Taking a chopstick or a drinking straw, put near the top of the cookie-cutter, pressing through to the bottom but leave it in the mold. Carefully lift the cookie cutter up and away from the chopstick or straw and repeat the same process for the next ornament.
Remove the chopstick or the straw after 15 minutes and don’t disturb the ornament until the next day. I turn them over once leaving them to dry another 24 hours. I then dry them in a dehydrator or an oven that is on the lowest setting for at least 15-30 minutes to ensure the ornament is dry and to eliminate any mold forming.
Informative |
Origami Flapping Bird
Summer activity around the feeding station is like watching an animated movie. Adults fly down with their young for lessons in getting food and water, flitting from one antic juvenile to the next in a rapid-fire exhibition of maneuvers. Now you can experience the frenzy with your own bird. Using the diagrams and instructions below, turn a simple piece of paper into a complex pattern of folds for flapping.
I. Place houses at least 300 feet apart, because bluebirds are territorial.
II. Keep the bluebird houses in open habitat. It’s the environment they prefer.
III. Control the House Sparrow, or it will eliminate the bluebird and Tree Swallow.
IV. Add a second bluebird house 21 feet (7 paces) from the first house, at every 300-foot setting. This will allow the valuable Tree Swallow to also nest on your bluebird trail.
V. Control the most threatening parasite, the blowfly larva.
If you don’t, you may end up fledging very few, if any, baby birds. Change their nests when babies are from seven to 10-days old (only one change per brood needed.)
VI. Attach a predator guard to your bluebird houses. This will protect the bluebirds from predators and other enemies.
VII. Avoid handling the bluebird and/or Tree Swallow young after they are 14 days or older. They may fledge prematurely, which could cause their death.
VIII. Monitor your bluebird trail at least once every week.
IX. Remove the old bluebird and/or Tree Swallow nests on your first nest check after the young have fledged.
X. Keep accurate field records. This is the first step toward achieving greater success on your bluebird trail.
There are several species of cavity-nesting birds that will nest in martin housing. Examining the eggs and nesting material can offer clues as to which species is residing in your martin housing. Nests of non-native species should be removed. For information on managing native species visit www.purplemartin.org
Attracting Birds, Bird Baths, Bird Watching | October 22, 2019
Nature’s Bounty
By: Mary Douglas
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Fall is upon us with winter close behind. A stroll through local parks amid our autumn colors is always a delight this time of year. Take note of the abundant natural foods available for wildlife as you go.
Seed heads heavy with seed will be bent over, acorns will be scattered about the undergrowth, and berries will be heavy on the stems. Native plants and trees you may find include Sunflowers, Serviceberry, Red Cedar, Wild Plum, Black Cherry, Oaks, Basswood, Beautyberry, Dogwood, Hawthorn, Sumac, Virginia Creeper, Coneflower, Liatris, Asters, Black-Eyed Susan, Native Grasses, Winterberry, and others. Many of our native plants look like a weed, yet they are nature’s grocery store for our wildlife. You will likely find some of these natural foods in your yard. Along with the wild food, fall provides leaf litter on the ground that is winter nesting material for birds, squirrels, and bugs.
Songbird Essentials Heated Bird Bath
The Missouri Department of Conservation recommends leaving the native foods and litter where they are for the birds and critters. We can help our local wildlife by leaving and encouraging such native resources in our yards. Fall is the prime time to expand your native perennial plants either by division and replanting or by purchasing starts from local growers. Adding a reliable source of fresh water, such as a heated birdbath, and seed and suet feeders to supplement the wild harvest will attract and help support your local wild residents through fall and winter. Future benefits will show themselves in years to come.
Crossfire 8×42
Fall also brings the shortened daylight hours that triggers the migration of birds. September is often the month we see the most activity at feeders from migratory birds. Birders have a great opportunity to take pictures in the fall as the birds offer unusual opportunities to see them as they move through on their way south. Cameras and binoculars are often in our pockets as we stroll about our parks. Songbird Station offers a wide variety of feeders, baths, and optics to meet your needs and budget. Utilitarian or decorative there is something for every bird lover and a variety of seeds and seed blends for every bird species. Take advantage of Nature’s bounty in the native plants, add a few strategically placed feeders, and use your binoculars to watch the show!
Attracting Birds | October 02, 2019
Going Batty? It’s October!
October is “Bat Appreciation Month” and we sure appreciate our flying mammal friends. Attracting bats to your backyard can be simple with proper bat house placement.
FUN FACTS ABOUT BATS
Did You Know?
Songbird Essentials 5 Chamber OBC Bat House
Bat houses should be placed on a pole, house, barn, garage, or any other structure that is at least 15’ tall.
The higher the bat house is placed, the better your chances of attracting bats.
Two bat houses placed back to back on a pole offer the greatest chance of attracting bats.
Houses should be positioned so that they face south or southeast, preferably so that they get morning sunlight.
Bats eat almost their full body weight nightly, they are the major predators of night-flying insects.
The United States has nearly 50 species of bats, most of which consume insects. The bats most commonly found in the Midwest consist of Big Brown Bats, Little Brown Bats, Red Bats, Hoary Bats, and Silver-Haired Bats.
Of all the bat species in the United States, only the colony-roosting bats will use bat houses, such as the Big Brown Bats and the Little Brown Bats.
If a bat gets caught in your house, open the doors and windows and calmly sit down. The bat will use echolocation to find its way out.
Once a colony of bats has found your bat house, they will use that same house every year.
Untreated cedar or exterior plywood increases durability and attracts bats.
Interior walls are grooved or covered with mesh to help adults and pups cling.
Songbird Essentials Bat Bungalow
Hummingbird migration is taking flight in Missouri.
By: Tristan Palmgren, Songbird Station Store Manager
Photo by Jill Eoff
Though it seems to us like the weather has only gotten a little cooler, our hummingbirds sense a big change coming. They know that the migration season is on us, and they’ve started to prepare. Some of them are already on the move. You may have already noticed changes in your yards as some of the hummers you’ve been feeding all summer have left, and that you have some new arrivals that have migrated from farther north. If you’re not able to distinguish between individual hummingbirds, pay attention to any behavioral changes among your hummingbird population to see if you have any new visitors.
Super Shaker Nectar Maker from Songbird Essentials
Hummingbird migration is one of nature’s most fascinating phenomena. When hummingbirds realize they’ll need to migrate soon, they start bulking up for the trip. They know instinctively that they’ll be expending a large number of calories soon, and they increase their energy consumption to compensate. This means that it’s a good time to increase the strength of your nectar to adjust to their new caloric needs and to give them a helpful kick of energy on their way. It’s easy to do this. Hummingbird nectar is typically made at a concentration of four parts water to one part sugar (and this is as true for Songbird Essentials nectar mixes as homemade nectar). During migration season, we recommend increasing that concentration to three parts water to one part sugar.
Faceted Ruby Hummingbird Feeder from Songbird Essentials
Hummingbirds have been migrating in this style for millions of years. Their lifestyle well predates human civilization. If only for our mental well-being, it’s important to remember that hummingbirds are not dependent on humans to survive. Our goal in feeding these birds is not to replace or micromanage an ecosystem, but to supplement it, and to encourage desirable and colorful visitors to come to our backyards. However, their migration does mean that the hummingbird’s dietary needs change, and those of us who provide food for them need to be aware of that fact. The same hummingbirds that frequented your feeders in spring will be looking for something different, and stronger, at the end of the season. Providing a slightly stronger nectar mix will not only help them on their way but also ensure that you will continue to have a lively display of hummingbirds at your feeders until the last of them have left our region.
They need all that energy for a reason. Though some ruby-throated hummingbirds spend their winters in the very southern tip of Florida, the majority of those we see here in Missouri will cross the Gulf of Mexico to winter in Central and Southern America. Their journey will take them hundreds and hundreds of miles over the ocean in just twenty hours. And they’ll do it all in one trip, as there are few to no islands for them to stop on. They’ll traverse all this distance on wings that are just about an inch and half long, and that they need to beat forty to eighty times per second to stay aloft. It’s no wonder they eat more before they go. Hummingbirds increase their body weight enormously before migrating, nearly doubling their pre-migration weight. They then expend nearly all of that crossing the ocean. It’s one of the most arduous journeys any migratory species undertake, let alone a species as small and vulnerable as the hummingbird. Imagine the toll on your body if, every year, you were to drastically increase your body weight and then expended of it in one concentrated burst of exercise. Hummingbirds are more adapted to these sudden gains and losses than our bodies would be, but it is still quite taxing on them.
The fact that hummingbirds not only survive this trip but have thrived as a species is one of the many traits that make them wonders of nature. Another one like it is their fantastic memory and sense of geolocation. Not only do they migrate incredible distances, but they can also pinpoint specific locations, and return to the same backyards that they left months and months—and thousands of miles—ago. If you’ve been feeding hummingbirds regularly throughout this season, you can place a good bet that you’ll see those same birds next spring.
