Avian flu. Bird flu. Avian influenza. Three different names – all the same illness. And what is it? In simplest terms, it is a viral infection that spreads in birds, some other animals, and can spread to humans (right now, this is extremely rare). There is not just one ‘Avian Flu’, but many subtypes. In […]
Bird Feeders Bird feeders can be purchased from many stores, online, and you can make your own. Smaller feeders work well for smaller birds such as finches, chickadees, nuthatches and titmice. Larger feeders work well for medium-sized birds like grosbeaks and cardinals. Large table/platform feeders are generally good for all birds including the bigger ones […]
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology – a Unit of Cornell University From their website: We believe in the power of birds to ignite and inspire action. Join us on a lifelong journey to enjoy, understand, and protect birds and the natural world. allaboutbirds.org My recommendation: Explore their online bird guide. Take time to access […]
I make this suet specifically for the feeder I have – not for suet feeders that hold blocks. I do have two of those feeders – one is already in place and you can see it on the bird feeder cam. We will put the second one up when the weather gets colder – probably […]
Beak or bill? Which is correct? Both are. When talking about birds, these words are synonyms. You can use either word for the structure around any bird’s mouth. However, what you might find is that many birders use the word ‘beak’ when talking about songbirds. Birds like robins, cardinals, Blue Jays, goldfinches. And it follows […]
What is albinism? What is leucism? From Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Albinism – exhibiting the traits of an albino. Albino – any creature who is congenitally (from birth) deficient in pigment and usually has a milky or translucent skin; white or colorless hair, fur, or feathers; and eyes with a pink or blue iris with a deep red […]
What are some of the different habitats and how do they relate to each other? All creatures live in a habitat. And we human beings are part of this. We are fortunate in that we can live just about anywhere, in any habitat – and we do. Even habitats such as the moon or Mars […]
How to tell them apart? For a long time, this was difficult for me. At first, I tried to rely on the color of the males – the male Purple Finch is more of a raspberry color and the male House Finch more of an orange-red. But what I discovered is that in winter when […]
When we lived in West Virginia, Cleon and I maintained 2 hummingbird feeders. One feeder was on our porch and hanging next to a blooming honeysuckle vine they loved, and the other was on the opposite side of the house in our garden that was filled with flowers they regularly used. The rule of thumb […]
The free Merlin app from The Cornell Lab is a wonderful tool for birders of all abilities. Photos, descriptions, range maps, and recordings of songs are just a few of this app’s features. Now there is an additional feature called ‘Sound ID’.