September 2008

THIS SATURDAY! FREE TO ATTEND!

Join us for a bird walk on Sunday, September 21st. Meet at the Wild Bird Center at 10:00 and we will then carpool to Quarry Park. Cancelled in case of rain. Please call 253-5677 to reserve a spot.

Migration

Summer is rapidly drawing to a close. Spring migration is already well underway. We have already seen migratory flocks of warblers, purple martins, nighthawks, kestrels, orioles, and many others. The “good” sparrows-(Harris, Fox, White-throated, White-crowned, etc.) will be coming through soon. Be sure to have millet on hand to sprinkle on the ground or place in a ground feeders to entice them to your yard as they pass through. Mourning doves love millet too!

Hummingbirds

The hummers are hitting the feeders heavily, fattening up for their nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico to their wintering grounds in South America. They will gorge themselves until they are 150% of their normal body weight prior to leaving. Upon arriving at their wintering grounds, they will be at only 66% of their normal body weight. Be sure to keep your feeders out until freezing become a problem. Long after our local birds have left, the Canadian migrants will continue to pass through. You may not see them, as they will take a fast drink and then leave, but the readily available nectar will help them along the way. There is no truth to the rumor that leaving your feeders out will prevent them from migrating, so go ahead and feed away! Remember to steer clear of nectar mixes containing preservatives or red dye.

Concern Fertilizer Now is the time to apply corn gluten fertilizer/weed prevention to your lawn. This product is totally harmless to birds, children, and our lakes and rivers. (My dog has eaten large quantities of it twice with no ill effects! And yes, there is a story there.)

Fall storms will be here soon (hopefully). We have a great new weather station in stock. It has all the main features of weather stations that sell for over $600.00 at the great price of $159.99. It measures temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction, wind chill, barometric pressure, and rainfall and has 5 weather alarms.

Window Collisions

During both fall and spring migration, many birds collide with windows while migrating. Most migrate during the night. While having Window Alert decals on your windows can cut down on collisions, an unlucky bird doesn't have to go to waste. If you find one that has passed, you can put it in a plastic bag and freeze it. Write down the township it was found in and the date. Then contact your local nature center, or a place like the Bell Museum of Natural History, where it may be used as an educational specimen.

As always, be sure to keep checking up on www.wildbirdfeeding.net for more updates.

- Jan and Katy of the WBC Waite Park, your local birding experts