July 2024

THE FLOCK NEWSLETTER

 

Summer Necessities

Ant Repellent for Oriole or Hummingbird Feeders

Have ants been giving you a hard time this season? There are two options that are safe for your birds and have been successful and prevent the ants from over-running your feeders. Nectar Fortress® is a natural cinnamon oil compound that you can bead around your pole or hanging hooks to, prevent them from finding your nectar and jelly feeders. Trap-its are another option, these are hung above your feeders and must be kept filled with water. Ants do not try to cross open water, so they cannot make their way to your sweet-filled feeders

 

 

What's been happening in our store?

Fledged Chickadees!

The Black-capped Chickadees we had nesting successfully fledged 5 babies! We have been hearing them in the surrounding trees and caught glimpses of them flitting around and following the parents for food. If you have fledgling chickadees in your yard, provide them with sunflower seed, peanuts, suet, Bark Butter®, or mealworms, these are all great bird food options that the parents will teach them to recognize. Keep an eye on them to see all the different behaviors and interactions baby birds have and watch them grow up before your eyes! Keep your bird food stocked by shopping with us in-store or online at http://brighton.wbu.com

 

Upcoming Events

Sunday, July 7th from 4 PM to 5 PM (in-store) - Live Eagle Encounter. Come learn about our nation’s bird and see a live Bald Eagle up-close. Seating is limited, reservations are required. Call 810-522-5520 to register.

Sunday, July 14th from 4PM to 5PM (in-store) - Birds Rock! Taking a Closer Look at Why Birds Sing. This family friendly program will be fun for all ages! Games, activities, and demonstrations will be set up to teach how and why birds sing.

Tuesday, July 30th starting at 7 PM (Island Lake State Recreation Area) - Friends of Island Lake Summer Meeting. This will be a great opportunity to learn about how you can get involved volunteering in the park

Where is Laurel?

Where is Laurel? Look for Laurel out on I-96 near Grand River! Earlier this year, WBU-Brighton was assigned two miles of the highway to care for as part of Michigan’s “Adopt-A-Highway” program. Our store will coordinate litter and trash pick-up for our assigned stretch three times a year. Laurel will be recruiting, training, and coordinating volunteers to help with the clean-up scheduled from July 13th-21st. Please email inquiries to [email protected], with a subject line referring to Adopt-A-Highway.

Throughout the summer, Laurel and Mitch will continue to monitor their half of the Bluebird Trail at Island Lake State Recreation Area. Later this month, Laurel will be attending a public meeting for Friends of Island Lake, which is a wonderful volunteer group that maintains the park regularly.

 

Bird Nerd Corner:

Bird Behaviors

Right now, is a great time to see some fun interactions between all of the different bird species at your feeders. Our customer K.M. got this great shot of a Tufted Titmouse trying to scare off a Downy Woodpecker from their suet feeder. There is a hierarchy that occurs at feeders where some birds will dominate over one another, usually the larger and more feisty birds will outcompete the smaller and more tolerant birds. You might also be seeing parent birds feeding their fledglings and the fledglings begging for food - which is something you can only experience if you feed the birds in the summer! 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:

Keeping Food Fresh for Healthy Birds

When providing our feathered friends with the best quality food it leads to the best quality of life for them and their fledglings. Warm temperatures, high humidity, and lots of rain, can lead to faster spoilage of bird food in the feeders and in storage containers, so it’s important to make sure it has not gone bad. If you have seed that is moldy, rancid, or foul-smelling throw it out immediately. Clean feeders or storage containers that were in contact with the spoiled food with warm, soapy water and sanitize with a 10% bleach solution (9 parts water to 1 part bleach). Rinse the feeder or container again, and let it dry for 24 hours before refilling with bird food.


The best practice for storing food is placing it in rodent- and insect-proof storage bins with lids that can be secured shut, and in a cool, dry location. New food should not be mixed with old food as a precaution to keep it as fresh as possible without cross-contaminating it. Any food can become infested with grain moths, beetles, and weevils if it sits around long enough. The birds will not mind them, but to rid your bird food of pests, you can store it in the freezer for several days. When you need to refill feeders allow it to defrost the day before you need to use it.

Throughout the warmer months there can be some weeks where there is a lull in bird activity, since there is plenty of natural foraging opportunities for our backyard birds. During these slow periods we recommend only stocking up on a few weeks of supplies, to ensure it is eaten quickly and does not sit for long enough to spoil. In cooler weather, food can last for several weeks without having to worry about it going bad. When refilling feeders, only refill with enough food to last a few days. With these helpful tricks, your birds will continue to visit your feeders and will show the rest of the neighborhood where the best food joint is! Stop by the store or place an order online to keep yourself stocked up this season.