Sep 19, 2018
Our vegetable and flower gardens are dormant this time of year, long after the growing season has petered out, I'd like to clean them out so the yard doesn't look so unkempt. I've also heard that cleaning out the dead plant matter from your garden reduces the chances of pests overwintering and emerging to attack the plants in the spring. My husband swears that he read an answer by you in this publication that stated it was best to leave the garden fallow all winter long. I think that my husband is just looking to avoid doing the clean up work. He's not lazy, but he's close to it!
Sep 12, 2018
I don't know about you, but I feel the changing seasons keenly—especially where the birds are concerned. The only thing that helps me get over the loss of summer bird song is the helter-skelter of fall migration, with warblers and vireos, thrushes, and tanagers flitting through the backyard trees on fall mornings. Then they are gone and the backyard is mostly quiet. With cold weather's arrival here in southeastern Ohio, the windows stay shut (except on warm afternoons) and we're reduced to enjoying our birds through a pane of glass.
Sep 5, 2018
In 2018, full moons will occur September 24, October 24, and November 22. If the night sky is cloudless, aim your binoculars toward the moon, and watch. Most migratory land birds make their twice-yearly journey at night, including thrushes, warblers, flycatchers, sparrows, orioles, vireos, and cuckoos.
Sep 3, 2018
Have you seen a pileated woodpecker in your backyard? The word pileated derives from the Latin word for "cap," referring to its tall, red crest. Learn more about North America's largest woodpecker: bit.ly/2wXsjo3
Sep 2, 2018
You may not think of turkeys, quail, and other upland gamebirds as backyard birds, but in many areas of North America, birders can easily lure these species to their backyard feeding stations. bit.ly/2m4Cqqd(Gambel's quail photo via Pixabay)
Aug 29, 2018
Raccoons are undeniably cute, but they are not good neighbors. If raccoons are raiding your feeders by night, these 10 tips are for you. Most backyard feeder perperators can use all the help they can get in fighting this mammalian marauder.
Aug 22, 2018
Nyjer, or thistle seed, is that tiny, black, oil-rich seed best known for attracting goldfinches to backyards across North America. Nyjer is typically offered in special tube feeders with tiny slots or in mesh sock feeders. Here are a few things that every feeding station manager should know about this popular backyard food.
Aug 20, 2018
How much do you know about hummingbirds? Check out the latest issue of BirdWire from Bird Watcher's Digest and find out! BirdWire: Facts About Hummingbirds You Might Not Know By Dawn Hewitt Managing Editor | Bird Watcher's Digest It is officially the second half of August (where has the summer gone?), and throughout North America, hummingbird numbers should be at their peak. “Should be,” because at least where I live (in southeastern Ohio), they were late to return, ...
Aug 16, 2018
Do you have any favorite non-bird backyard visitors?
Aug 15, 2018
Dear Birdsquatch: In the summer every year, my hummingbird feeder is overtaken by honeybees or yellow jackets. The hummingbirds can't get a sip. Is it okay to kill the pests with insecticide spray?
Aug 14, 2018
"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." - Sam Keen
Aug 13, 2018
Find a mystery bird in your yard? Consult Bird Watcher's Digest's online identification guide!Bird Identification Guide » Bird Watcher's Digest What bird is that? Consult our bird identification guide to ID mystery birds in the backyard and beyond. We have photos, song recordings, in-depth entries, and more to help bird watchers correctly identify the birds they spot.
