Migration...Birds Are Heading South

Through life’s experiences you're likely to just “know” when autumn is in the air. No matter where you live across North America, clues like cooler temperatures, lower humidity, and even kids returning to school let you know that seasonal change is underway.

Likewise, wild birds “know” when it’s time to head for their winter homes. The wonder of fall migration is just part of a bird’s annual life cycle. The fall journey is triggered by changes in available food sources, day length and temperature as more than 300 species leave the United States and Canada to winter as far away as South America.

And what a journey they make! Some of their trips top 7,000 miles and include flying over the Gulf of Mexico. Amazingly, birds migrate without benefit of a compass or other navigational tools. Some birds seem to migrate by orienting themselves to stars. Others seem to have built-in magnetic compasses.

Studies have demonstrated that 95 percent of the migratory movements occur at less than 10,00 feet, with the majority of the flights occurring under 3,000 feet. Most small birds generally favor altitudes between 500 and 1,000 feet.

Birds rely on stopover habitats for survival on their fall trek. Keeping feeders filled with fresh seed and an open water source in your backyard can play an important role in ensuring migration success. Watch your feeders closely this time of year! You may catch a glimpse of birds, not common to your backyard, stopping by to refresh and refuel along the way. A good pair of binoculars, a spotting scope, and a comprehensive bird indentification book will enhance your ability to enjoy all the beauty as they fly south for the winter.

Bark Butter...Who's Coming To Dinner?

In between my woodpeckers, chickadees, sparrows and bluejays I have been having a wonderful time watching a big fat robin that has recently discovered my Bark Butter. This is a first for me…attracting a robin to my bird feeder station. Typically, they are content with worms, insects, fruits and berries, but not when the Bark Butter out. This robin has become a real regular in the rotation of birds coming to my feeders mounted on a WBU Advanced Pole System (APS). The national count of birds eating Bark Butter is now up to 52 different species, so just like my crazy robin; with Bark Butter you never know who’s going to be joining you for dinner.

Click Below To See Our New Bark Butter Video!

Nyjer Seed...Now It's Time To Nest

Goldfinches are one of the latest nesters of the breeding season. They wait until the natural thistle weeds are ripe with silky down that the finches use to line the interior of their nest. This is a wonderful time to attract them using their favorite Nyjer Seed in your feeders. After nesting the beautiful bright yellow breeding plumage that they sport all summer will soon fade into their dull drab winter coloration as they begin their fall molt.

If you haven’t been attracting goldfinches to you feeder or their activity has been sporatic, you should clean your feeder and replace your nyjer. Clean your feeders using a 10% bleech and water solution. It is helpful to loosen up that crusty old seed with a long handled tube feeder brush. We have these available in the store. Finally, let your feeder thoroughly dry in the sun before filling.

The oils in Nyjer seed begins to dry out after extended storage (6+ months plus). Test the freshness by placing a pinch of nyjer on a piece of white paper. Crush the seeds with the backside of a spoon. The paper should have oil spots that appear to be “wet” if the seed is good and fresh. Don’t miss out on their last big show and help them with their nesting duties with a fresh supply of Nyjer Seed.

Try, Try Again

For any of you who did not succeed in attracting hummingbirds to your feeders this spring, now becomes another excellent opportunity to try again. The hummingbirds are more plentiful after their nesting, and they and their youngsters will now begin the annual ritual of gaining weight in preparation for migration this fall, where they expend huge amounts of energy during their long flight.

The best method to attract hummingbirds is to provide a hummingbird feeder filled with a sugar-water solution. Use one part table sugar and four parts water. Hummingbirds are bold little creatures, so don’t be shy about hanging the feeder close by where you can see it. Remember to clean your feeder every two to three days. In the heat the sweet sugar water sours as it begins to ferment.

You can put up a hummingbird feeder anytime during the summer and still attract hummingbirds. Add a mister to your birdbath to watch hummingbirds dart back and forth through the stream of mist to bathe or to take a drink. Hummingbirds are attracted to a wide variety of flowers. Here are a few favorites: Beebalm, Beard Tongue, Columbine, Cardinal Flower, Fuchsia, Coralbells, Petunia, Butterfly Bush Delphinium.

A Revolutionary New Bird Food

"Now Every Tree Is A Bird Feeder!"
No other bird food attracts the variety and even birds that typically do not come to a feeder!

How to Apply Bark Butter:
Bark Butter can be applied directly to tree
bark, tree branches, etc., or you can
choose one or more of the Bark Butter
feeders. We suggest using the back of a fork for
applying the Bark Butter. Spread the Bark
Butter onto the tree or feeder. While
spreading, make grooves like on peanut
butter cookies. This makes it easier for the
birds to grab a small chunk of the bark
butter.

We have a wonderful website for of great bird watching information, links to other birding sites, bird puzzles, RightBird Identification Tool, our online Nature Store catalog, and much, much, more. Check out our great website at http://www.wbufortwayne.com/

New Bird Food...Better Than Bird Seed!

Jim’s Birdacious®

Bark Butter®

Bark Butter is an entirely new class of birdfood and there is no other
product available that is marketed for the same use as Bark Butter.
Jim’s Birdacious Bark Butter is eaten by more species of birds than any other single bird food available on the market!

Bark Butter was developed from Jim Carpenter, founder of the Wild Birds Unlimited franchise, from a recipe for “spreadable suet” that combines peanut butter, suet and corn in a unique way. Jim has mixed his own secret recipe for Bark Butter in his kitchen for 20 years originally to attract Brown Creepers but found with nationwide trials that it attracts over 50 species of birds.

To learn more about Jim's Birdacious Bark Butter you may contact me at info@wbufortwayne.com

Below is a list of the species that actually ate Bark Butter during testing throughout North America. We tested with 12 stores and staff at the Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise Support Center.

• Pileated Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Nuttall’s Woodpecker
• Blue Jay
• Western Scrub Jay
• Steller’s Jay
• Black capped Chickadee
• Carolina Chickadee
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee
• Tufted Titmouse
• Oak Titmouse
• Bushtit
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Brown Creeper
• Carolina Wren
• House Wren
• Bewick's Wren
• Cactus Wren
• Curve-billed Thrasher
• Crissal Thrasher

• Eastern Bluebird

• American Robin
• Swainson’s Thrush
• Gray-cheeked Thrush
• Gray Catbird
• Northern Mockingbird
• Brown Thrasher
• Curve-billed Thrasher
• European Starling
• Yellow throated warbler
• Townsend's Warbler
• Cardinals
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Canyon Towhee
• House Sparrow
• White crowned Sparrow

• Chipping Sparrow

• American Tree Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Red-winged Blackbird

• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Common Grackle
• House Finches
• Bullock’s Oriole
• Hooded Oriole
• Scott's Oriole
• Western Tanager