THE FLOCK NEWSLETTER

The Importance of Clean Feeders

We love our backyard birds, so it makes sense that we keep their kitchen clean just like we keep ours clean. EcoClean® feeders are a top-of-the-line feeder that is exclusive to our store and have a built-in finish that makes the tube anti-microbial. This makes it easier to clean and reduces disease transmission between birds. There is no need to bleach these feeders, you just soak them in warm, soapy water and rinse well. If you do not have this type of feeder, you can still sanitize feeders with a 10% diluted bleach solution. At our store we also offer feeder cleanings, at $5 per feeder! Shop all our  EcoClean® Seed Tubes and  EcoClean® Finch Feeders on our website!

What's been happening in our yards:

Heated Bird baths!

March continues to bring cold temperatures at night, so heated birdbaths are still a reliable water source for our feathered friends. Water is an important resource that birds use to stay hydrated and maintain clean feathers for flight and regulate body temperature. Our manager Summer was able to catch her Northern Flicker enjoying a drink! Some birds are shyer than others and do not eat seeds, nuts, or suet, so the only way to get them to visit your yard is to provide them with water. If you are looking for something to bring in more birds, a bird bath is a great idea! Check out our selection of bird baths, including our heated bird bath, on our website!

Bird Nerd Corner:

Keep a Lookout on Vacation!

When you think of a wren, you probably conjure up the image of our boisterous Carolina Wrens or chipper House Wrens. In other parts of the country, wrens can take on many different looks. Here is a Cactus Wren our customer E.B. spotted while on vacation in Arizona. These are not cavity nesters like the species found here, but instead they rely on vegetation that has a thorny exterior like cholla, palo verde, acacia, mesquite, or cactuses that are found in scrublands or deserts. 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:

Being a Bird House Landlord

As the days get longer more birds will start singing in your backyard to attract mates, establish territory, and begin nesting. Eastern bluebirds, Black-capped chickadees, Downy woodpeckers, Red-bellied woodpeckers, and Tufted titmice are all beginning their search for the perfect environment to start a family this spring. All the birds mentioned above are cavity nesters and might use bird houses, so right now is the best time to install, update, or clean-out nesting boxes.

It is important for us to protect the birds that call our backyard home and the best way to ensure their nest is as safe as possible is by placing bird houses on a pole and baffling it to prevent raccoons, squirrels, or snakes from accessing their homes and destroying a nest. If you are unable to do this, the next best thing would be in a tree and installing metal flashing at the base, so critters have a more difficult time climbing up the tree.

The best type of bird house to have is one that you can easily open and clean. All the houses we sell here can be opened; even our more decorative styles have a plug that you can pull out to clean! Some of these houses also have a hinged roof allowing you to check-in on the nest to see how the process is going. If you want to check on the babies, we recommend only watching them for 10-12 days to prevent spooking them into leaving the nest too early. But the best way to monitor the nest, and be less intrusive, would be adding a camera to your nesting boxes. Many of us here at the store use Blink security cameras, so you can access video of the nest 24/7! There are great videos online to show you how to install cameras into bird houses. However, if you are interested in how some of us have done it, stop by the store or send us an email at [email protected] and we would love to help with all your bird house questions!