Informative | October 18, 2019

Wingman’s Fun Feather Facts

By: Grant Toellner

5,000
Sunflower seeds originated in South America and were used by Native Americans more than 5000 years ago. Today, the leading producers of this popular seed are Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, and China. Make sure you don’t miss out on the booking special currently going on at Songbird Station on the US produced black-oil sunflower seed.

Sea-Bird Pooh
When most people hear the word guano, they think of just bat poop, but in fact, the word “guano” has its roots in the Quechuan language and basically means “sea bird pooh”. For the Incans, it was so highly prized, that anyone that endangered the source of the stuff could be sentenced to death! Autumn is a great time to put up a bat house and Songbird Station has the best selection in town with most houses being made and produced right here in Central Missouri.

37,000 feet
Bar-headed geese are the highest-flying migratory birds, regularly reaching altitudes of up to five and a half miles above sea level while flying over the Himalayas in India. The bird with the record for the highest altitude, however, is the Ruppel’s griffon vulture, which collided with a plane at 37,000 feet (seven miles) in 1975 and was unfortunately sucked into its jet engine. A new book from Adventure Publications called Bird Migration has some great facts on migration patterns of North American birds.

24 inches
The Tufted Titmouse only live in areas where rainfall is greater than 24 inches per year and are more common where rainfall exceeds 32 inches per year. I have great luck attracted titmice to my yard by offering seed logs from Pine Tree Farms. They really seem to enjoy the Nutsie log the best, and there is a seed log variety of feeders available at Songbird Station.

Informative | October 11, 2019

Kids Corner September 2019

Fun Facts About Bats:
• Did you know bats have a thumb and four fingers just like you?
• Bats are mammals! They are the only mammals that can fly (without an airplane)!
• There are over 1,000 species of bats and they can be found in forests, deserts, jungles, and cities!
• Bats are nocturnal which means they feed at night and sleep during the day in caves, treetops, or the bat house in your backyard.
• Did you know that baby bats are called “pups”?
•Bats only have one baby at a time. On occasion, a bat may have twins.
•Bats have the best hearing of all land mammals.

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

Elements of a Good Bat House

Slanted roof for rain run-off.
The ceiling inside bat house traps heat.
A slot that allows for ventilation.
Predator guard (not visible) protects roosting bats.
A long, grooved landing platform allows easy access for bats.
Long, narrow design provides temperature variation.

To learn more about proper bat house placement visit: https://www.batbnb.com/hanging-guide