What's Happening?

JANUARY

Cold weather early has brought birds to our yards in scores. Cedar Waxwings, and, around the 1st of January, big flocks (up to 30) of robins have been scouring our fruit trees, e.g., hawthorns, junipers, service berry bushes. It may be that the frigid air of late December north of Colorado has moved these birds further south to our area. Most of the natural foods have been stripped by now, so they are making the rounds of the neighborhoods searching for food and the ever important water source.

You can help these birds by offering dried fruits (they are not seed eaters) - raisins, blueberries, papaya - fresh apples cut into bite-sized bits grapes and dog kibble (the rehab center recommends Science Diet Growth) that has been soaked to make it soft and offered on the ground or on a low platform feeder and meal worms. We have dried meal worms at the store and they won't freeze. Water is imperative. As our long-time customers may get tired of hearing: more birds perish in winter from dehydration than from lack of food.

Bush tits are still being seen in our area, and my usual 3 northern flickers are now 7! Bushtits eat suet and nuts with no shell. They take readily to our MoBI peanut feeder and any suet feeder. They come packaged no less than 11 at a time it seems.

The "snow birds", juncos, are also arriving in droves. These birds like millet or nyjer served in ground platform feeder or a platform feeder at about the 4 foot level (although we have pictures of them also eating from tube feeders) It's hungry out there. Juncos have light colored, almost pink, bills, can be all grey backed with white under belly or black-hooded with beige back, or maybe rufous-backed. All have the distinctive white feathers underneath the tail, which "flash white" when they fly.

In our 14 years at the Wild Bird Center, this is the first winter we have had so many reports of goldfinches in December and January. Don't know if it's because people are noticing more, or if we have more wintering over here in the city. Usually we hear of a flock that stays through the winter in Park Hill, but this late fall and winter goldfinches at feeders have been reported in all directions from the city. They like sunflower chips and black oil sunflower, but to keep them coming, serve nyjer in our WBC MoBi nyjer feeder (or similar feeder for these small seeds). Goldfinches prefer to eat with their own kind, don't like a crowd of other birds around and will most certainly appreciate open water for drinking and bathing.

The downy woodpeckers seemed to be a little late coming to the suet feeder at my house. This pair spent as long as they could gleaning insects who felt they had found a safe haven under bark on the apple tree. Once the hibernating insect population was consumed, the downy's turned to my suet buffet. A tip for people with squirrel "issues". Downy woodpeckers, unlike many of our suet eating birds, really like the WBC Pure Suet. Squirrels and starlings don't. You can hang a suet feeder against the tree trunk (a downy woodpecker's natural preference) and he will happily have it mostly to himself. He also likes the peanut, orange, almond, cashew, and insect suets, but trying to find a time to eat when the flickers or starlings aren't there is more difficult than going to the WBC Pure suet.

Black-capped chickadees and nuthatches are enjoying nuts and sunflower seeds. Much like the goldfinches and downy's, these little ones like to have a feeder all to themselves. We have several made just for these birds to use without attracting a crowd!

A big thanks to all our customers who came for the Holiday Party and Wild Bird Rehab fund raiser the first weekend in December. We had a blast. Wild B.I.R.D. collected over $2,000 to help feed, house, water, and take care of all the birds' various medical needs over the winter. You have contributed to the release in spring of those migratory birds that were too ill or injured to make the migration with their respective species. All the winners of the drawing have picked up their prizes and will be joining us in feeding, watching, and watering their backyard birds.
Adrian the goose and Kenya the African Crow seemed to have a great time, too - and I think are looking forward to future outings.

As the NEW YEAR begins, please know that we value your friendships, sharing your stories and even your backyard problems we can brainstorm with you. Your contributions of good humor, love of nature and stewardship of our urban and mountain wildbirds - and wildlife - are the reasons the Wild Bird Center opened and continues to enjoy opening the doors each day.


Thanks to all our wonderful customer who are supporting Wild Bird Center's green objective. Fewer requests for packaging along with using our fabric totes (with amply sized stable bottom) for purchases is a step in the right direction. Proceeds from our reusable bag sales go entirely to Wild Bird Information and Rehabilitation of Denver, and each time you use the bag as you shop in the store, you get a 25 cent credit!! In October, we gave over $75 to the Center to help with care and feeding of injured birds that had to be held over the winter 'til spring migration.

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