Jun 22, 2019
Pro tip: If you live in an area with daily summer temperatures above about 75 degrees F, you should clean your hummingbird feeders every two to three days. If your region has hotter ambient temperatures, or if your feeders get a lot of direct sunlight, clean them more frequently.????: Ruby-throated hummingbird via Pixabay
Jun 21, 2019
One of the folk names for the summer tanager is "beebird," for its habit of eating bees and wasps. Its long, stout bill is an ideal tool for capturing and subduing these stinging insects.????: Becky Matsubara
Jun 19, 2019
If you're lucky enough to find an oriole nest in your backyard or neighborhood this year, you'll be looking at the culmination of several days' hard work on the part of these vibrant orange and black birds.
Jun 19, 2019
If you're lucky enough to find an oriole nest in your backyard or neighborhood this year, you'll be looking at the culmination of several days' hard work on the part of these vibrant orange and black birds.????: Baltimore oriole by Julian Colton
Jun 18, 2019
Sweet footage of a downy woodpecker papa feeding his offspring in Newark, Indiana. ????????: Maureen Forrest
Jun 17, 2019
Red milo might seem like filler in seed blends throughout the Midwest, but quail, doves, towhees, and sparrows in the Southwest readily eat this small seed. Do your backyard birds enjoy it?????: Tufted titmice via Pixabay
Jun 15, 2019
The western bluebird is found in a variety of open habitats throughout much of the West and is often seen perching on a fencepost, wire, or treetop scanning for its insect prey. Its rusty scapulars set this bluebird apart from the blue-backed eastern and mountain bluebirds.????: Becky Matsubara
Jun 14, 2019
If there’s a resident song sparrow in your yard, you’ll probably hear its cheery notes at first light—as reliable as, but more pleasant than, a rooster’s.????: Simon Pierre Barrette
Jun 12, 2019
If you're flipping through a field guide or browsing through a quick internet image search, it can be hard to tell the difference between North America's two waxwing species. They both have distinctive crests, black masks, bodies in shades of brown and gray, red-tipped secondaries, and yellow-tipped tailfeathers. However, if you look just a little bit closer, you can distinguish cedar waxwings from their bohemian cousins fairly easily.
Jun 10, 2019
Do you keep a yard list? If so, how many species have you added this year?????: Indigo bunting by Jim Hudgins/USFWS
Jun 7, 2019
This is the best time of year to watch bathing behavior at your birdbath. All birds need water, and most backyard species need it for both bathing and drinking. If your bath is fitted with a dripper or mister, it will be even more attractive.????: Blue jay via Pixabay
Jun 5, 2019
The word "sunflower" applies to about 70 species of Helianthus, and nearly all of them are native to various locations in North America. All varieties produce a central cluster of seeds. From mid-May to early June is a great time to plant these fast-growing beauties that will mature into nature's own bird feeder.
Jun 3, 2019
California scrub-jays are conspicuous and bold: They will beg at picnic tables, steal acorns from the granaries of acorn woodpeckers, and perch on the backs of mule deer to remove and eat the tasty ticks they find there. ????: Becky Matsubara
Jun 2, 2019
Bird-friendly perennials include asters, black-eyed Susans, goldenrods, coneflowers, and grasses such as little bluestem. Do you have any of these plants in your yard?
Jun 1, 2019
The spring arrival of the brown thrasher on its breeding range is considered by many old-time farmers to signal planting time for certain crops, particularly potatoes.????: John Flannery
May 31, 2019
Have you had any exciting species visit your backyard this spring?????: Rose-breasted grosbeak via Pixabay
May 29, 2019
Do birds fall in love? We don't know the answer to that, but many species form pair bonds that last through at least one breeding season. A few species mate for life, and a few species hook up only for the act of copulation. Regardless, it all starts with courtship. Singing and other vocalizations are a common and familiar way for male and female birds to make that special connection, but there are other ways birds catch the eye of that special someone.
