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.

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.

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.

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.

Winter arrives with a vengence - thank goodness for suet.

It's been two weeks now of winter here in Southern Alberta. Not just a little bit of snow mind you - lots of snow and cold and blowing hurricane force wind. Finally this last weekend we had a reprieve and I finally headed out to the feeders to replenish them.


Thank goodness for suet! I had put about 6 suet cakes out at the end of last week and it looks like my poor little birds have been pretty much living on these since my seed was about wiped out. The picture you see is of my downy woodpecker enjoying suet in my backyard. That is what I love about suet. Not only do the little finches and other seed eating birds enjoy it, but the woodpeckers and insect lovers will also eat the suet. It is the perfect food to help birds make it through cold winter days.


It looks like we could be in for a tough winter here. Don't forget the birds....

Thoughts for the day - what does the future hold?

I've had a very busy couple of weeks travelling around Alberta talking to customers and visiting various stores. A couple of things have struck me as I have travelled about. One is how metropolitan the Calgary to Edmonton Hiway 2 corridor is. It is starting to remind me of my days in Toronto commuting back and forth between Mississauga and North York where one city just merged into the next.

Today is my birthday so you have to pardon me for being a bit reflective. I remember Calgary back when I was going to university and Calgary today is so much larger. I guess that shows my age. It struck me though... what will Alberta look like in 40 years. How much farm land will be left along this corridor? What will be the impact on wildlife and native birds? What will be the impact on the environment of this suburban car-based economy? What will our kids be doing? How will Alberta support this huge infrastructure and will the Alberta economy be able to support this commercial development forever? I guess you can see the environmentalist in me starting to come out. I am planning to be around 40 years from now to find out what Alberta looks like - but it scares me a little bit to ponder the changes that may be coming.

So for now, I go out in my backyard and refill my feeders and wonder what the future holds in store for us.

What the heck is suet?

Sometimes when I talk to people about suet, they give me a blank look and say "what the heck is suet?" Well let me tell you - the suet secret is out! Suet is the best way to up your yard's "attraction factor" for birds.

You should find suet in any well stocked wild bird food section of your local wild bird store. Suet is one of most concentrated energy food sources that you can feed birds. This is because it is based on animal fat which has a very high energy value for birds who need help maintaining their body temperature in the winter time. Suet is easily digested and metabolized by birds to give them that energy boost they need to make it through a cold winter day or night.

Many birds love suet including birds that perhaps will not eat out of your other feeders. Suet lovers include woodpeckers, chickadees, northern flickers, nuthatches, and starlings.

When choosing suet, look for a high quality suet. For example our Pine Tree Farm's Suet is made from rendered beef kidney fat. It has been refined to maintain a high melting point for year round feeding. Pine Tree Farms uses top quality seeds, grain, peanut butter and peanuts, to attract a wide variety of birds.

Suet comes in a few different shapes and sizes. The standard type of suet is a 4 X 4 inch cake. However, there are suet plugs (cylindrically shaped suet), and suet balls etc. Just remember when buying suet that you need to have a feeder that works with the type of suet you have selected. Personally I use the Pine Tree Farms suet cakes in a simple cheap wire feeder.

Hang your suet feeder from a tree ideally within good view of a window in you home. If you are feeding suet for the first time and you find you are not attracting birds to your feeder, try smearing some peanut butter on the outside of the feeder and press some seeds into the peanut butter. The birds will recognize the seed and this will attract their interest.

So that is your quick introduction to suet. Give it a try! You will be impressed with who you find at your suet feeder.