Helping Spring Birds: Houses, Foods and Baths for Small, Shy Species

[findi]

Hi All,
Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a zoologist and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquariums, and museums, including over 20 years with the Bronx Zoo.
With winter finally vanquished here in the USA (or, most of the USA, anyway!), our long-awaited migratory birds have returned and are busy fattening up and building nests. Many standard bird feeders, foods and other supplies work well year round, but spring also brings some changes that provide new opportunities for us to assist our avian friends. As competition for food (especially insects), water and nest sites increases, small, retiring birds may be forced away from backyard bird feeders, baths and houses. This is especially true in areas where Starlings, English Sparrows and other aggressive species are common. Warblers, Vireos, Wrens and similar native birds are at a disadvantage, and many are in decline. Bats are also in trouble, with many suffering from an emerging disease, habitat loss and insecticide use…a bat house can be a real boon to local populations. Following are a few interesting items that can be used to lend a hand. [FONT=&quot]R[/FONT]ead article here Helping Spring Birds: Houses, Foods & Baths for Small, Shy SpeciesThat Bird Blog
Please also check out my posts on Twitter Crows as Pets: The African Pied Crow, a Most Intelligent BirdThat Bird Blog and Face Book http://on.fb.me/KckP1m

My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile BlogThat Reptile Blog

Thanks, Frank

 

[MikeyTN]

I bought some new bird house this year to help out! I use the left over seeds for the wild birds instead of wasting.

 

[TessieB]

Thanks for the info. I love watching crows and have plenty around my house that enjoy harrassing the Redtail hawks nesting near the shop. I'll get out there, set my camera up, and wait. Then I suddenly realize the Crows are watching me, and take great pleasure dropping acorns on me. I'm still laughing over that little trick.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Awesome post, Frank! Thank you!!!

My Hummingbirds are FINALLY back! They're kind of running a bit late this year due to the crazy weather, I guess, but I JUST spotted a male Ruby Throated Hummingbird on one of my feeders.

I also checked all my regular nest boxes for wasps and other intruders. I'm having a hard time keeping the Sparrows out of some of them though. They fit into the openings of the Bluebird boxes - UGH.

Now that the hummingbirds are back, I'm hopeful the bats will be back next. I have 2 bathouses in my yard.

 

[Betrisher]

What an excellent post! I second the comment about bats too. They're much commoner than most people think and they have needs just like any other animal. I get Flying Foxes in my backyard. They're not true, insectivorous bats, but rather giant fruit-eating bats about the size of a cat. I certainly won't be putting bat-houses up for them: their poos are gigantic and bright orange!!!

When I go to sleep at night, I have a perfect view of the nearest street light and get to watch the micro-bats hawking for moths and other insects. They're truly beautiful little creatures and so agile and graceful in flight. I wish I could get a good enough view of them to identify the species, but sadly neither my eyes nor my old binoculars is up to the task.

While on the subject of unusual flying things, I'd just like to add that a storm was brewing over the top of me this morning. A huge great black cloud hove in from the sea and I got a broad view of it through my big window. As I watched the storm approach, I also got a rare treat. A flock of Spine-tailed Swifts was hunting gnats and mosquitoes ahead of the storm front. I LOVE watching these guys hunt! They're so fast and acrobatic: like little black boomerangs with their long, pointed wings and stubby, almost-missing tails. In fact, they're not that little: probably the size of a small pigeon, only lighter in the body. The flock will arrive as if by magic with the low air pressure that leads the storm in, spend a brief half-hour hunting and hawking and swooping low over your head and then suddenly they'll be gone just as you hear the first rumble of thunder. What I really like is the way they swoop low as if for the pure joy of it. Sometimes, you can even see the needle-like vanes of their tail feathers, they get so close. Then 'Off! Off forth on swing as a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend' (sorry - I stole that from my favourite poet). Yeah. So that was pretty exciting for me this morning. It's been raining and cold ever since.

 

[Allee]

Thanks for this wonderful post. I will definitely try some of these ideas for the shyer species.

 

[findi]

Thanks for the info. I love watching crows and have plenty around my house that enjoy harrassing the Redtail hawks nesting near the shop. I'll get out there, set my camera up, and wait. Then I suddenly realize the Crows are watching me, and take great pleasure dropping acorns on me. I'm still laughing over that little trick.

Thanks! Once, while trying to trap a magpie (zoo exhibit), I heard a noise behind me and looked up to see the pair peering curiously at me! Crow family full of surprises: Japan?s Amazingly Intelligent Carrion Crows - Bird Behavior NotesThat Bird Blog

 

[findi]

Awesome post, Frank! Thank you!!!

My Hummingbirds are FINALLY back! They're kind of running a bit late this year due to the crazy weather, I guess, but I JUST spotted a male Ruby Throated Hummingbird on one of my feeders.

I also checked all my regular nest boxes for wasps and other intruders. I'm having a hard time keeping the Sparrows out of some of them though. They fit into the openings of the Bluebird boxes - UGH.

Now that the hummingbirds are back, I'm hopeful the bats will be back next. I have 2 bathouses in my yard.

Hello Wendy...Good to hear hummers are back..have yet to see any, but looking. Sparrows hard to dissuade...other than where boxes are placed in open, in habitats with few sparrows, they always seem to take over.

Enjoy, Frank

 

[findi]

What an excellent post! I second the comment about bats too. They're much commoner than most people think and they have needs just like any other animal. I get Flying Foxes in my backyard. They're not true, insectivorous bats, but rather giant fruit-eating bats about the size of a cat. I certainly won't be putting bat-houses up for them: their poos are gigantic and bright orange!!!

When I go to sleep at night, I have a perfect view of the nearest street light and get to watch the micro-bats hawking for moths and other insects. They're truly beautiful little creatures and so agile and graceful in flight. I wish I could get a good enough view of them to identify the species, but sadly neither my eyes nor my old binoculars is up to the task.

While on the subject of unusual flying things, I'd just like to add that a storm was brewing over the top of me this morning. A huge great black cloud hove in from the sea and I got a broad view of it through my big window. As I watched the storm approach, I also got a rare treat. A flock of Spine-tailed Swifts was hunting gnats and mosquitoes ahead of the storm front. I LOVE watching these guys hunt! They're so fast and acrobatic: like little black boomerangs with their long, pointed wings and stubby, almost-missing tails. In fact, they're not that little: probably the size of a small pigeon, only lighter in the body. The flock will arrive as if by magic with the low air pressure that leads the storm in, spend a brief half-hour hunting and hawking and swooping low over your head and then suddenly they'll be gone just as you hear the first rumble of thunder. What I really like is the way they swoop low as if for the pure joy of it. Sometimes, you can even see the needle-like vanes of their tail feathers, they get so close. Then 'Off! Off forth on swing as a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend' (sorry - I stole that from my favourite poet). Yeah. So that was pretty exciting for me this morning. It's been raining and cold ever since.

Flying foxes and spine-tailed swifts!...I must get to Australia, soon!! I worked with flying foxes at the Bx Zoo, even had a trained one, but have never seen them in the wild. Have read that about swifts, but have not had word from an onserver...thank you. Those here in the US do not form lg flocks, other than when migrating, but amazing none the less. I and little nephew were watching bank swifts drink on the wing just yesterday. How cold do you get in NSW in winter? Spring just taking hold here..late..but was able to see spotted salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers breeding so far. Enjoy, best, Frank

 

[findi]

Thanks for this wonderful post. I will definitely try some of these ideas for the shyer species.

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated!

 

[MikeyTN]

I had wrens last year....I cleaned out the nest box hoping they would come back this year as well....http://www.parrotforums.com/others/32822-momma-bird-using-nest-box-i-put-up.html

 

[Betrisher]

Oh Frank, do come and visit us soon! We have so much wildlife, even in the suburbs! The Flying Foxes are very, very numerous in the spring and summer. They fly over our house in hordes numbering in the thousands, but the stream of FFs is so sparse and spread out, you'd never know if you hadn't counted them (and I have!) They visit the Alexandra palm tree in my back yard to eat the ripe palm nuts and they're so noisy, fighting over the good tucker. They make a sort of guttural hissing sound - you'd know that from your experience - but it's kind of eerie coming out of the air on a dark moonless night! LOL!

The Swifts are indeed migratory, moving north as the weather gets colder. The flocks I usually see might consiste of between twenty and thirty individuals, all hawking together. I usually see them in the early spring and late autumn (ie. now) as the rain clouds gather for the wetter months. One of their other names is 'Storm bird' because they really do herald the violent electrical storms that blow in off the sea. We have other 'true' Swifts as well, but the Spine-tailed or Needletail is my favourite for sheer strength and athleticism.

Our winter temps can get as low as 15ºC in the daytime here in NSW. We sometimes sink to single digits at night and occasionally below zero with wind-chill. I know that's not as cold as it gets in the US, but I promise you, we Aussies reckon it's PB cold! Of course, it's much colder in the southern states and in the highlands (Mt Kosciuszko).

I saw another interesting bird this arvo as I was looking out for the Swifts (who didn't appear, sadly). It was a Channel-billed Cuckoo! These are rather large members of the Cuckoo family with a really weird cry and an even weirder look with a long curved whitish bill. I've never managed to see one up close, but this one flew right over my head from west to east at about four in the afternoon. CBCuckoos are another 'storm bird', often appearing just prior to heavy rain. Thankfully, this one was mistaken as it didn't rain this evening. LOL!