Darien, Connecticut
We can show you how to turn your yard into a birdfeeding habitat that brings song, color and life to your home.

Hummingbird BabiesKey Bird Points for May:

All hummers in our area by Mother's Day, May 13!

 

As well as..... male American Goldfinch will be bright yellow again, female with stronger yellow patches.

 

Most birds nesting now through July. American Goldfinch will nest August.  Important to have clean finch feeders out filled with fresh Nyjer* (thistle). These birds will not come to clumped, damp, or stale seed. Seed needs to smell sweet and nutty, and have a silky feel when you run your fingers through it. Finch feeders are those with very small seed-access holes.

 

Look for suet dough for the birds; the dough consistency helps parent birds get the suet back to the nest to feed the young birds (who do not swallow initially and food must be placed in their stomachs).

Look for suet and suet dough that has extra calcium such as the Wild Birds Unlimited Calcium Care suet dough. We also have a limited edition seed blend for spring with calcium suet nuggets in the blend as well as shelled sunflower and nuts and dried fruit.

 

Be sure you have water for the birds in your yard. We have a vast selection of bird baths at all price levels.

It’s Worth the Risk for Mom

As you read this, millions of birds are on the most hazardous journey of their lives as they migrate north to nest.

Long migrations are deadly for birds. It is estimated that about half of all migrating birds do not survive the annual round trip.

The hazards they face include bad weather, predators, exhaustion over water, collisions with towers and buildings, and starvation due to the lack of suitable stopover habitat along the way.

So why take the chance? Why would a bird that has all the necessities of life in the tropics subject itself to all of the dangers of flying north in the first place?

It all has to do with giving their nestlings the best odds for starting their lives.

It’s worth the journey to the northern hemisphere as it has much more land mass than the wintering grounds in the southern hemisphere. Millions of birds have more space in which to spread out and establish larger nesting territories that offer less competition for food and a better chance of avoiding detection by predators.

In addition, as the birds migrate north, the hours of sunlight per day grow longer. This advantage allows birds to make many more feeding trips to their young every day. The young grow faster, leave the nest earlier, thus shortening the dangerous nesting period.

So for mother birds, this dangerous migration has evolved into a risk worth repeating for the good of their young and their species as a whole.

Visit us soon. We have all of the expert advice and quality products that will give the nesting moms in your yard a helping hand that will make the risks of migration even more worthwhile.

Pat and Joe Warren, owners