April 2024

THE FLOCK NEWSLETTER

 

Changing Seasons and Changing Color:

Goldfinches

Every bird goes through a molting phase that typically occurs between August and October, except our yellow beauties the American Goldfinches. They molt twice a year and their first time is right now as they change into their bright plumage for breeding season. Make sure to keep an eye on them as they turn from a drab olive brown to their magnificent yellow and black. Keep your feeder stocked with Nyjer®* or sunflower chips to keep them coming around. If you need to add a finch feeder just visit WBU Finch Feeders online or stop in and see us. 

Nyjer® is a registered trademark of the Wild Bird Feeding Institute

 

What's been happening in our yards:

Bluebird Bonanza!

Eastern Bluebirds are already searching for the perfect place to start a family this spring. Right now is the best time to clean out, repair, replace, or install bird houses. We recommend cleaning them out to remove any parasites or debris that may impact the nestlings once they hatch. Here is a snapshot of our store manager Summer’s Bluebird checking out her set-up. All our bird houses have a panel that allows you to clean them out or monitor the nest. If you have any questions about how to install a bird house or add a camera to a nest box, stop by the store and ask us! You can shop some of our boxes online at WBU Nest Boxes, or stop in to our entire selection. 

 

Upcoming Events

Thursday, April 11th from 7 PM to 8 PM (in-store)- Hummingbird: Nature’s Jewels will teach you everything about the hummingbirds of North America and what you can do to attract them to your backyard sanctuary.

Sunday, April 14th from 1 PM to 2 PM (Lyon Township Public Library) - All About Orioles will give you a rundown of the history of orioles, what species can be found in the Americas, and what brings them to your yard.

Thursday, April 18th from 7 PM to 8 PM (in-store) - All About Orioles.

*Check your email for other sales, promotions, or nature happenings in our area.

Where is Laurel?

In February, Laurel was elected to serve as the Vice President for the volunteer group, The Friends of Island Lake. She and Mitch have been working to help assess the Bluebird Trail within the park and will focus their efforts on coordinating a nest box monitoring schedule for the 2024 nesting season.


Laurel has a couple projects on the horizon, including the possibility of providing birding experiences for campers at Hamburg Township Parks, creating a birding club for residents at a local senior living facility, and potentially creating a bird feeder set-up for hospice patients so they can enjoy nature right outside their windows.


She will be teaching educational programs both here at the store and for the Huron Valley Audubon Society. And you might catch a glimpse of her out along the 96 corridor, picking up litter for the newly designated Wild Birds Unlimited stretch in the Adopt a Highway program.

 

Bird Nerd Corner:

Love is in the Air!

Nesting season is starting for some birds, so keep a close eye on how they interact with each other right now. Our customer K.B. took this picture of a pair of Mourning Doves snuggling up and “kissing”. Kissing is a feeding behavior where one mate feeds the other, to show them that they are a good food provider. Mourning Doves are one of the earliest and latest nesters in Michigan. Typically, they have between 1-6 clutches of eggs throughout the warmer months! If you have any fun bird experiences, or pictures you want to share with us, please send them to our email at [email protected].

 

Save the Songbirds:

Avoiding Pesticides and Insecticides

Pesticides and insecticides target our backyard birds most important food sources like seeds and bugs. Their bodies are significantly smaller than ours, so the effects normally end up being devastating to their health. Nestling’s and fledgling’s diets consist almost entirely of caterpillars or any other insects the parents can get their beaks on. Even our raptors are affected by these contaminants because they become more concentrated as they move up the food chain.

The challenge we face is more than 1 billion pounds of pesticides are applied throughout the United States in a single year. Neonicotinoids or “neonics” are the most prevalent pest prevention, and it has been proven to be lethal to birds in many studies, including one from the American Bird Conservancy (ABC). Avoiding these can be hard in everyday life, but reading the label is very important because many merchants have begun labelling plants that have been treated by neonicotinoids. But the best way you can help is by reducing the amount of pesticides you use in your own yard and trying non-chemical, organic gardening practices.

Another important thing to consider when it comes to your own backyard is native planting. Many of these plants are naturally resistant or can handle some insect activity on them because they evolved with each other. Native plants produce many food sources for our feathered friends, instead of removing them like pesticides and insecticides do. By reducing the amount of chemical treatments you use in your backyard many creatures will start to flourish more like butterflies, fireflies, mason bees, robins, or bluebirds. So, think about what you can do to make a change and if you want to learn more about neonicotinoids check out this report created by the American Bird Conservancy: https://abcbirds.org/news/2023-neonic-report/