Turn your backyard into a bird feeding sanctuary and discover tranquility in your backyard.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Feeding your pet bird

I have mainly been talking about feeding wild birds in my blog to this point but today's blog will focus on our pet bird food products and the philosophy behind them. 

Yes we do manufacture bird food for companion birds, in fact this is how we got started in the bird seed business many years ago.  Our customers, many of whom are bird breeders, have very exacting standards on bird seed and we have created our seed mixes to meet those requirements.

One of the most important requirements of any bird seed mix is it's cleanliness.   Dust is very harmful to bird health and we triple clean our bird seed ingredients to ensure there is no dust in our mixes.  Then secondly, good quality ingredients are important.  We spend a great deal of time sourcing excellent quality ingredients for our mixes to ensure freshness, flavour and nutritional value.  Finally, our mixes are formulated to provide interest, variety and nutrition.  While our mixes are seed, fruit, vegetable and nut based, we do add a vitamin enriched pellet to some of our seed mixes where necessary to ensure that the seed mix can be used as a daily diet for your bird. 

We do not add preservatives to our mixes or food coloring.  This is because we know that some of these ingredients can actually be toxic to birds.  We believe in offering good, honest, all natural ingredients and believe that if we can educate our customers on how to store and rotate their stock effectively, then we should not need to add preservatives to our mixes. 

While some bird experts promote only feeding pet birds a pellet diet to ensure birds get properly formulated nutrition, it is our customers' experience that some bird's will thrive much better on a diet that has interesting and varied ingredients that provide this nutritional value. 

If you are located in Canada and are interested in trying a sample of our our Mother Nature's companion bird seed for your pet, send us an email at seed@chinridge.com and we will send you a sample to try.







Monday, October 31, 2011

So excited to have my red breasted nuthatches back..

I love nuthatches.  I love how they can walk down trees and hang upside down.  I find them very entertaining to watch. Very rarely I will get a White-Breasted Nuthatch in my yard but they don't seem to stay around.  However, when I do get some Red -Breasted Nuthatches in my yard they seem to stick around longer.

I think that the nuthatches sense that winter is coming as they are very busy and are back and forth to the feeder. In fact we had a bit of snow here today.   The feeder they are most interested in has primarily black oil sunflower seeds and some split skinless peanuts in it.  They also seem to be enjoying the suet.

In fact I can't believe how quickly all my suet feeders are being depleted by a variety of different birds.  I just put out 4 cakes last week and they are almost gone.

Keep your feeders full folks, your birds are bulking up and getting ready for winter.  








Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Back from the big city..

Had a business trip that took me to Toronto this week.  My husband and I used to live in the GTA some years ago when we were both yuppies chasing the dream.  It was nice to go back and visit the area.  I realize that I miss the culture and excitement that goes with a larger center.. we even managed to catch the Korean Harvest Festival and the Ukrainian Festival while we were there.  Yes I do enjoy the action and diversity of Toronto and I miss it.

However, I have to say that I think that I may have extended my life by moving back to a small town and working in the countryside.  That traffic on the 401 and QEW gets old pretty quick and really - how many birds are going to show up at your condo on the 40th floor overlooking a construction site in North York?  Yes getting back home did put the two lifestyles in perspective:

My road hazard today on the way to work out on the farm was sunshine in my eyes as the sun rose over the beautiful prairie .......
 
and my only traffic on the way home was this wonderful bird of prey who passed me by to land on a straw bale next to the road.  Yes I miss Toronto but you know I am pretty happy to live where I live and work where I work.  :) 




Thursday, September 1, 2011

Bird seed Q&A : what are sunflower chips?

Whole sunflower kernels or "coarse" sunflower chips.
Sunflower chips are one of our best moving bird seed ingredients but what are sunflower chips anyway?  Well in the bird seed industry we often refer to hulled sunflower seeds as sunflower "chips" or sunflower "hearts".  "Coarse" sunflower chips are whole kernels, "medium" chips are split kernels and "fine" sunflower chips are finely chopped kernels. 

Sunflower chips are the perfect food for birds because their high oil content makes them a very nutritional food source.  In fact sunflower is the most preferred food of most seed eating birds.  Sunflower chips provide an immediate energy source (since they do not need to be hulled) thus allowing birds to conserve their energy which is especially important in the cold winter months.

Sunflower chips are the perfect food for people too because they are considered a "no mess solution" because there are no hulls to pick up behind the birds.  They can also be a "no sprout" solution if you use finely chopped sunflower seeds because they will not germinate under the feeder. 

Wow sounds good eh?  What's the catch?  Well sunflower chips are expensive in comparison to most millet based bird seed products and many of the common grocery or chain stores do not sell pure sunflower chips.   You may need to find it at a more specialized wild bird store or a feed store with a large bird seed section.

This fall it looks like sunflower chips could be a bit tough to find.  Last year's crop of sunflower has been just about consumed and the outlook for new crop supply is not looking as good as in past years.  So farmers who do have old crop sunflower are holding tight to their inventory, hoping that the already record high sunflower prices will rise even further.  Sunflower processors are having supply problems and are having trouble meeting contract commitments, leaving bird seed manufacturers like ourselves pulling our hair out and scrambling for supply.  Just another interesting bird seed season in the making.

Despite my grumbling about supply, I still am a big fan of sunflower chips,  if you haven't yet tried them in your feeder get a small package and try them out.  I think you will be amazed at how many birds these nutritional little seeds will attract.   






Friday, August 26, 2011

Cornfest starting today in Taber

One of the community events that Chin Ridge Seeds is proud to sponsor is Taber's Cornfest.   In fact we have been a Gold Sponsor for Cornfest for many years now. 

Cornfest is a two day free outdoor folk festival, midway and carnival, homecoming for southern Albertans and two wonderful fun days for kids and adults alike.  We sponsor Cornfest because we believe in giving back to the community and Cornfest is a wonderful way of bringing our local southern Alberta community together and celebrating the contribution that agriculture makes to our community.

Some say that Taber is a town "that water built"  and it is very true.  The warm southern alberta climate provides the heat units and along with the irrigation canal system we have here, it provides a wonderful ecosystem and climate for growing many agricultural commodities from corn to potatoes to sugar beets to excellent quality bird seed ingredients.

So come out to cornfest and enjoy the very interesting entertainment and did I mention that most of the activities (except for the midway rides) are FREE. Be sure to sample some of Taber's locally grown wonderful sweet corn too.   See this website for more information on 2011's Cornfest celebration: http://www.aroundtaber.com/Default.aspx?alias=www.aroundtaber.com/tabcf.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Summer bird feeding - things to watch

Oh summer!  What a great time of year and I can not believe it is already half over.  I love being in the backyard enjoying a nice summer day and watching the birds come to my feeders.  I find that the small birds like the pine siskins and finches are pretty brave and will come to the feeders even with me sitting nearby or while I am working in the garden.

The downside of summer bird feeding is that you have to keep more focus on your feeders in terms of cleanliness.  Summer temperatures provide the ideal climate for bacteria growth so it is important to ensure your feeders remain clean.  You can do this by scrubbing out your feeders with hot soapy water about once a month and letting the feeder air dry. You could even periodically wipe down the perches and feeding portals with a cloth dipped in weak bleach solution to prevent the spread of salmonella.

Salmonella is a bacterial disease that can kill birds particularly birds like finches, redpolls and pine siskins and it can be easily spread at feeders through bird droppings.  If you see a bird that appears sick or see a dead bird under your feeder, this could be a warning that salmonella is present and you should take your feeders down and really work on giving them a thorough cleaning. 
 
In terms of filling feeders, my summer bird feeding strategy is to fill the feeders more often in the summer but with less seed.  This ensures that seed that may have become wet due to rain can be removed quickly before it gets bad or spoils.  Another thing that I keep an eye on is any bird droppings that might be on my feeder - or in the feeder in the case of my tray feeder.

These few feeder tips will help you to keep the birds at your feeders happy and healthy in these beautiful summer months.









Friday, June 10, 2011

A bird feeder or sculpture in your backyard?

I've always looked at decorative bird feeders with some skepticism. I had a couple of beautiful feeders given to me a few years back, only to find that while they were a piece of art for the backyard, they were not feeders that the birds wanted to eat from.

This is the risk with artsy-type feeders. Some of these feeders have been designed for form and not function, so be careful when buying a feeder to look beyond the surface. Are the feeding holes large enough to properly feed the seed, is it easy to fill, is it easy to keep clean, are there proper perching spots for the birds to perch on, etc?

However, every now and then you run into a feeder that does combine form and function, and I ran into one last weekend when I visited some friends, friends that we recently had introduced to bird feeding with a few bags of seed and some basic instructions. I was surprised to discover, upon this visit that not only were they feeding the birds, but that they had jumped into the whole bird feeding hobby with both feet, having bought storage containers for seed and a number of feeders.

One of these feeders was this beautiful piece of sculpture that I must say really suits their yard and provides a real focal point.  But more than that, the feeder is a very busy spot, with birds coming and going, obviously enjoying the seed they are finding in this lovely feeder.

Now the feeder was pretty pricey, as feeders go, and I won't say where they got it because I am not trying to sell feeders here, but when you see the impact the feeder makes in their little backyard, you become pretty enthused.

So use caution, but consider your bird feeder's aesthetic appearance as well as it's functional performance when you purchase your next feeder.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Grosbeak at the feeder.


I was quite excited to see this beautiful male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the farm bird feeder yesterday. I have seen pictures of them before but never have seen one in person. It seemed quite happy to be eating the fine sunflower chips that were well stocked in the feeder. So my quest was started to learn more about grosbeaks and share some of that knowledge with you.

Fact 1: Not all "grosbeaks" are closely related. I was surprised to learn that Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Black-headed Grosbeaks and Blue Grosbeaks are members of the cardinal family but Evening Grosbeaks and Pine Grosbeaks are classified as members of the finch family. However all of these birds have a few things in common, namely their medium stocky size and more importantly their strong large conical shaped bills, which are excellent for cracking large seeds. These large beaks are the source of the name "grosbeak" from the French word grosbec.

Fact 2: Different types of grosbeaks have different ranges. We are not likely to see a Blue Grosbeak here in Canada, as it is an uncommon bird who's range is primarily the southern part of the States and South America. However, Myrna Pearman, in her book "Winter Bird Feeding - An Alberta Guide" describes Pine Grosbeaks as "common feeder visitors to northern and central Alberta feeders in areas with coniferous trees". In fact the Pine Grosbeak's range covers much of Canada.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is more likely to be spotted in Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, the very south part of Manitoba and Ontario and is not commonly found in the lower mainland of BC. While the Evening Grosbeak is supposed to be found commonly across Canada (although I have never seen one) and finally the Black-headed Grosbeak is only in Canada in the summer months and only found in southern BC, southern Alberta and the SW corner of Manitoba.

Fact 3: Grosbeaks are insect eaters but will also eat seed. With their large beaks, grosbeaks can eat large insects as well as small, consuming in some cases even whole grasshoppers and crickets and some butterflies and moths. However, grosbeaks do enjoy eating seed and fruit. On the seed front, sunflower is a favorite and they are not challenged by the tough shell of a striped sunflower, so striped sunflower offered from a tray feeder or a feeder with a large perch is a good choice for these types of birds.

Fact 4: For more information on a specific type of grosbeak see the online bird guide at www.allaboutbirds.org. This guide offers excellent information on how to identify birds, their travel ranges, and other unique details about them.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Why feed the birds in the summer time?


It's nice out, the grass is green, there are tasty mosquitos and other insects about, plants are starting to bloom and trees are leafing out. It seems tempting when the weather is so nice to assume that birds can forage for food on their own and let the bird feeders run empty. However, there are some good reasons to continue to feed the birds even in ideal foraging conditions:

Loyalty: Just as like a company that worries about their customers not coming back after they start to buy a competitor's product, you need to know that if you lose your birds to a competitor's bird feeder (your neighbor's for example) or to another area where wild seed is in better supply, it means that they may not be back to your feeder in the future. To ensure you have birds in your yard year round, you need to feed your birds all year round.

Food timing and migration: In the spring many birds are recovering from their big spring migration. A readily available food supply makes this recovery easier and increases the likelihood of survival for those birds who have depleted much of their energy resources to make the exhausting journey to their summer homes. Similarly, in the fall, birds are preparing for their fall migration and the better their food supply, the better prepared they will be to make that big trip.

Nesting nutritional requirements: Birds that have returned to Canada for the summer are here to nest and raise their young. By feeding the birds, you are helping the bird parents more easily forage for bird seed and therefore do a better job of raising their young. It also means that you may see some of these youngsters at your feeder as soon as they are able.

Enjoy the variety of birds available in the summer time: Many birds migrate here for summer and you can see totally different birds at your feeder in the summer than in the winter. You don't want to miss out on these new birds that you can only see by feeding the birds in the summer.

For the pleasure of it: I enjoy sitting in my backyard, soaking up the warm sunshine and watching the birds come and go to the feeder. Call me a "fair weather birder" but I am quite unlikely to be cooling my jets on the deck in January or February. There is something about sharing nature with the birds that is good for the soul. So logically, then, feeding the birds in the summer must be good for the soul.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Attracting chickadees to your feeders.

OK - so sorry. Time has gone so quickly and I have not kept up with my blog. However, I am starting anew and will attempt to be more bloggy in the future.

My topic for today is attracting chickadees to your backyard.

One of the most popular backyard birds is the chickadee. Small and energetic, these friendly little birds can become quite tame and may even be coaxed to eat out of your hand eventually (with enough time and patience).

Chickadees usually are present in small flocks and spend their winter days looking for food. This includes hunting through tree bark crevices for dormant insects or visiting your feeder. They love suet and particularly sunflower seed. When you watch chickadees eating, you will notice there is a rigid social structure for feeding with the dominant birds eating first and the juvenile birds eating last.

The two most common types of chickadees found in the most populated areas of Canada are: the Black-capped Chickadee and the Mountain Chickadee. The Black-capped Chickadee is found across southern Canada while the Mountain Chickadee (which is grayer than the Black-capped Chickadee and has a distinct white eyebrow) is typically found in the rocky mountain areas of Alberta and BC. Less common than these two is the Boreal chickadee which looks quite different with a brown crown, grey neck and reddish brown body. It can be found mainly in the far-northern or high-altitude boreal spruce-fir forest areas of Canada. Interestingly, the boreal chickadee does not usually eat sunflower seed like their relatives but is especially fond of suet.

To attract chickadees, set up a suet feeder and a black oil sunflower feeder close to bushes or other trees. Chickadees will fly to a feeder, take one seed and fly off to eat it or hide the seed. When food is plentiful, chickadees will create little food stashes. Research has shown that they can remember where these hidden food stashes are for at least 28 days.

A welcome addition to your backyard, many chickadees will stay one location year round. So if you can attract chickadees to your backyard, they will often be there to stay.