The American Robin

Who doesn't love robins? For most people, their presence is a welcome reminder that Spring is on the way. While robins can be seen almost everywhere, they are especially prevalent in the Mandan Park area because of the forest.  Every year, large groups of them flock together and winter in the park area, gradually moving back up to the neighborhood yards as spring approaches.  While robins are expert foragers and rarely come to bird feeders, there are some ways to increase their presence in your yard, so you can see them even more often.

Robin Fledgling (photo by SCB)

Food
While robins seem to subsist primarily on a diet of bugs (mostly worms!), there are several other food types that they do eat. The first is dry cat food.  I spread some of it out on a rock surface in my yard especially for them, and the same birds show up to eat almost every day.  (Incidentally, cardinals are also especially fond of cat food!)

Another food that robins like is grape jelly.  Every time I fill my oriole feeder, I somehow manage to spill some jelly underneath it, but I never give it a great deal of thought because it always quickly disappears. I assumed that the orioles and catbirds were eating it, but one morning I noticed a robin by the feeder.  Since then, I have noticed them around the feeder more, and now I know why!

Robins also like meal worms.  In the past, I have put them out for them, but all of the other birds like them so much, as well, that the robins actually got very few of them.

Water
Another way to attract robins to your yard is by putting out water.  Robins love birdbaths, and will also flock to any collection of water that you have in your yard, such as rain water collected in an old lid or even a dog dish.  Even a slightly dripping water faucet will attract them.

Robin Fledgling (photo by SCB)

Plants
Another good way to attract robins is by providing trees for them to nest in, and bushes and trees that provide food.  One of their favorite trees in my yard is my Bradford Pear.  Every fall, when the tiny fruits remain on the branches, they will literally strip the tree clean of them.  They also like crab apples, cherries and many different types of berries.

Do you have a tip for attracting robins to your yard? If so, please leave a comment!

Wild Turkeys

One of the most interesting (and slightly intimidating) birds that we have encountered in our backyard is the wild turkey.  Several summers ago, a hen with her chicks ( called poults) flew into our side yard and proceeded from there to explore the rest of the property before they all flew back back into the forest.  With that being said, while I have seen the poults flying frequently, I have rarely seen the adults do so.  The majority of the time they will simply run if they feel threatened.  A neighbor witnessed several turkeys being pursued by a coyote near our homes, and even in this instance, they were jogging instead of flying.

Wild turkeys are know to eat a wide variety of foods, some of which can be provided for them in a backyard setting.  A word of caution, however:  Wild turkeys can be aggressive, and if they feel threatened by domestic pets, may attack them.  This can be more serious than it sounds, because turkeys have spurs on their legs which can seriously harm another animal.  They are especially aggressive during the mating season.

Wild Turkeys Near Mandan Park (photo by SCB)

If you would like to attract wild turkeys into your yard, here are a few tips that may make it easier to accomplish this.

Food
In the wild, turkeys eats a wide selection of plants, insects, and small animals, but two of the foods they will come into a backyard for are corn and birdseed.  Since I own a very large dog, they tend to avoid my yard, but several of my neighbors with bird feeders have awakened early in the morning and found wild turkeys strutting around their back yards.  Since they didn't lure the birds in intentionally, they were less than pleased, but still impressed by the birds' sheer size and attitude.

Habitat
One thing I have noticed myself with wild turkeys is that they seem to have some difficulty navigating chain link fences, especially if they get caught between them (hawks have this same difficulty).  Most of the turkeys I have seen in people's yards are in yards where there are no fences, just wide expanses of open lawn.  In the right setting, I have seen multiple turkeys in one location.

Wild Turkey in Backyard (photo by SCB)

Timing
A good time to see wild turkeys is early in the morning, when they tend to be actively out and about.  I have seen them at other times during the day, as well, but this time seems to be a particular favorite for them. Dusk is another time when they are fairly active.  Another good time to see them is after a rainstorm.


Do you have tips for attracting wild turkeys? If so, please leave a comment!

The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

One of our favorite backyard visitors is the ruby-throated hummingbird.  For years, I had known they were prevalent in our area, but had never actually seen one.  Even after I purchased my first hummingbird feeder, I spent an entire year waiting to see one and never did.  Fortunately, after talking to several different birding experts and reading numerous articles, I came up with a list of ways that made attracting them easy:

Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Photo by SCB)

Feeders
There are numerous feeders for hummingbirds available, most of which are red.  The reason for this is that hummingbirds are especially attracted to red and purple flowers, although I have noticed they like orange and pink flowers, too.  With that being said, a red feeder is a good way to get their attention when you first put out a feeder.  I have had glass feeders and plastic ones, and both of them worked equally well.  The only important point to keep in mind is that the feeders need to be cleaned each time the liquid is replaced, because they tend to get mold built up inside then.  I try to replace my hummingbird feeder every year, as well.  They can be purchased at hardware stores and even many grocery stores and are fairly inexpensive.

Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird near Impatiens (photo by SCB)

Food
If you read about the ingredients for making hummingbird food, you will notice that there are a lot of recipes that say to mix 4 parts water to 1 part sugar.  In actuality, the recipe is 3 parts water to 1 part sugar.  As far as the hummingbirds are concerned, the more sugary it is, the better, and if there is not enough sugar in the solution, they will simply not drink it.  It should be replaced at least once a week, especially in cool, damp weather, when it tends to mold more quickly.

Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (photo by SCB)

Plants
Hummingbirds really like red and purple flowers.  For years, I would buy fuchsias to hang by my hummingbird feeders, in hopes of luring them in, but I never actually saw any hummingbirds at them, and fuchsias are both expensive and delicate (a perilous combination in Nebraska).  After my mother told me she often saw hummingbirds at her geranium boxes, I replaced the fuchsias with red geraniums, and the hummingbirds began to arrive in droves.

The nice things about geraniums are that they tough, and they can be kept indefinitely.  Some people remove them from their pots over the winter, hang them out in a basement and repot them in the spring, but I like to take them inside and treat them like a houseplant for the winter months.  That way, I can have flowers year round.  While they do look a little peaked by the time spring comes around, they quickly rebound when you put them back outside, and they can live for years!

Other plants I have noticed hummingbirds like are impatiens (which are difficult to keep alive inside) and hibiscus.  While hibiscus are a little expensive, they can be kept alive for years, too, as long as they get enough sun and water.  Finally, hummingbirds also really like begonias, and like geraniums, begonias are inexpensive and tough.  I keep my begonias inside during the winters months, too.

I have heard people say that hummingbirds will return to a feeder year after year, and I have noticed as the years have gone by that each year, I have more of them.  Whether this is because some of them return, or because they are attracted to the plants I put out, is a matter for debate.

At any rate, if you would like to have your yard visited by these gorgeous little birds, following the above tips should make it easy for you!

Do you have a tip for attracting or feeding hummingbirds? If so, please leave a comment!

Other Backyard Visitors - Creating a Habitat

Did you know that bird feeders not only attract birds, but other small animals, as well?

One of the most common visitors to bird feeders (aside from birds!) is squirrels, but the seed that the birds leave behind is also attractive to bunny rabbits.  While they mostly visit in the early morning hours and late evening, occasionally they will also appear during the day.

Young Rabbit near Feeder (photo by SCB)

What I've always found interesting is that the birds seem to know what they are, and never show the slightest fear of them.  While birds are fairly comfortable around squirrels, too (except during breeding season), they seem even more confident around rabbits, and will eat right by them.  I have always wondered if they aren't grateful for the extra pair of eyes in watching out for predators.

What exactly the rabbits are eating when they visit the bird feeders is something I have never actually figured out, but I have noticed that the rabbits are most commonly around those in which I have put a variety of seed.  One possibility is that they may be consuming some of the small seedlings that always seem to crop up underneath my feeders.

Attracting Wildlife
Years ago, I read an article that suggested leaving a small part of the yard untended, in order to attract birds and other wildlife.  I have noticed that on the edge of my yard, where the weeds occasionally grow too high, birds will sometimes visit that I rarely see at my feeders, and sometimes they will even go on to the feeders after landing there.  Allowing part of the yard to grow up a little is also a big help for fledglings, which will often hide there before they perfect their flying skills.

Young Rabbit (photo by SCB)

Another plus in leaving part of the yard to grow a little wild is that a lot of insects tend to hide in these areas, making it a prime hunting ground.  Just last night, I noticed several birds hunting in the area near the border of my yard, in the immediate vicinity of a grazing rabbit  One cardinal, in particular, repeatedly hunted the area near where the rabbit was eating, and hopped all over next to it.

If you would like to have other visitors like rabbits by your feeders, another precautionary tip to keep in mind is that baby rabbits, especially, are very vulnerable to herbicides, and even exposing them to the pellet form can kill them.  Having a slightly weedy yard will not only spare them, but will also be a huge attraction for the birds and even many beautiful (and beneficial!) insects.

Have you noticed any unusual creatures attracted to your backyard feeders? If so, please leave a post!