Attract Birds To Your Garden By Giving Them What They Need

For those bird lovers who love birds and would like to have more of them in their garden, there are some easy steps they can take to attract birds all year round. First you have to realize that birds need and look for certain things in the environment before they will set up a nest. Give it these things and your garden will never lack for birds.

When a bird is making a decision to live in or visit your garden sanctuary, it is basically asking itself these questions. And will make its decision based on it's instinct.

Where Can I find cover?

In the average cityscape, birds have one major predator - cats. Domesticated and homeless cats kill millions of birds throughout the U.S. every year. Additional predators include other birds such as owls, hawks, and falcons. We also can't forget predators such as snakes, raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks.

So one of the first things a bird is asking itself is "where can I find cover" to hide and protect myself from predators? You can help the bird make the decision to choose your yard by putting up cat proof fencing. You can also plan your garden so that it has widely spaced open areas to deny cover for predator where they can mount a sneak attack.

Is There Available Shelter?

Evergreens and other bushes planted against garden and house walls provide a natural shelter to shield birds from rain. You can also place a combination bird house and bird feeder in the garden which not only supplies food, but includes a pitched top and side walls that can protect them from rain, heavy storms, and harsh winds.

Is There A Place Where I Can Raise A Family?

During the breeding season, this is one of the primary features that birds are looking for. They are looking for a place where they can settle down for a while with their partner and raise their young ones. Depending on the birds you are trying to attract to your garden, you can plant the appropriate trees, shrubs, hedges, and so on where they would normally nest if they were in the wild. If you are more ambitious, you can buy or build them a custom birdhouse which will meet all of their housing needs.

Is There Plenty Of Food And Water Nearby?

Natural food sources are the best. Birds will look for their natural food sources before attempting other foods. So find out the natural types of foods that your birds of choice like and populate your garden with them. In the winter time when the natural food sources have dried out and birds are having a hard time scrounging up food, bird feeders can be their friend. Populate a bird feeder with seeds, suet, and other alternative food choices that you know they would enjoy. And don't forget water. Birds love and need water and a birdbath will do wonders to attract birds to your yard, In colder climates, an added investment of a few dollars to buy a heated birdbath will pay great dividends in the winter months.

A bird's life is fragile and their existence is fraught with danger for nearly all of their lives. The more you can do to help them beat the odds the better for them and the better for you as you enjoy their presence all year round.

Author:
Ken Lawless is an author who writes articles on decorative bird house plans and other topics relating to birds and birdhouses. Visit his site at www.birdhousesinfo.com for more information on bird houses.

Terms: Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live

Source: www.articledepot.co.uk

The Care and Feeding of Wild Baby Birds

Have you found yourself in the position of baby bird caregiver? In feeding wild baby birds, you have a few different options available. To aid you in feeding these birds in need, you can use a variety of tools to deliver the food. Tools to consider that are easily available include: tweezers, syringes, eyedroppers, small paint brushes, popsicle sticks, blunt toothpicks, your fingers and pipettes.Depending on what food or formula you're giving, pick the most suitable tool or a combination. The thickness of the food formula is usually dependant on the age of the bird so if you're feeding a group use a combination of tools that are most effective.

Young birds will readily reach out for food until they are full. Avoid over-feeding baby birds but remember they need frequent small feedings. If they are slow to take food, they may be full or too dehydrated to eat.

Also if a baby bird doesn't take food, it may be sick, nervous, or unaware that your gesture is a feeding attempt. In these cases, try taping the side of the nest or whistle lightly so as to mimic a parent birds arrival home.

Baby birds in the wild are naturally fed throughout the day. You'll want to do the same as the bird's caregiver. Generally hatchings should be fed every 20 minutes.

Young birds who are not babies can be fed every two hours. Try to give baby birds the same food they would naturally eat in the wild. You may need to research what that particular bird species normally eats. You may also call a local animal center to inquire about what food is appropriate or if a formula recipe is suitable for your particular bird. When feeding ensure that any food is cleaned up and not left to dry on the bird's feathers as this can cause skin problems or feather to fall off.

The goal of you as the caregiver of a baby bird, is to provide temporary care until the bird is well enough to survive in it's natural environment on it's own. Avoid interacting with bird other than at feeding and cleaning times. Also ensure that the bird is kept away from domestic animals including pet birds.I hope this helps you rehabilitate and feed the wild baby birds you find in need.

About the author:
Eve Duncan is a freelance writer, researcher and web publisher from Canada. To get other tips about birds and squirrel problems, visit Squirrelproofer.com where you can also learn squirrel proof bird feeders. Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com/

Metal Copper Suet Cage

Metal Copper Suet Cage Metal Copper Suet Cage

Schoolhour Bird House

Schoolhouse Bird House Provide your fine-feathered friends with some birdseed in this handcrafted and painted metal bird feeder that resembles the one room schoolhouse of yesteryear. Schoolhouse Bird House is 5 1/2" x 9 1/2" x 4".

6 things that we have to consider before buying a bird .

What to start with? First we have to consider the following : What can I afford? The price of on parrot varies in large bounds in dependence with the species. You can buy for example a budgie for less than 10 $. The price of the cockatiel varies between 25 and 35 $.

An Amazonian parrot and grey parrot can be purchased for about 300 – 400$, cockatoo for 1,000 $...... and the price of some parrots reaches $15,000! This is one of the initial questions which you have to answer. How much space will the bird need? Larger birds and even some of the small ones are very active physically and need big cages and space in which to play.

Is there any free time for the bird? Probably this is the most important question. Birds are intelligent, playful and mostly “ social ” creatures. Will you have time to play with your bird?

To care properly of it? Will it have the chance to be a part of your family? Consider the fact that birds live fairly long. A small parrot cockatiel lives for 20 years and more! Amazona or African grey parrot can live for 50, 60 and there are documented cases for birds that lived up to the respectable age of 100 years! Can you devote to this? It is not unusual to inherit birds for previous generations. Don't buy a bird if you think that you will soon get bored of it. How noisy is the bird? Will the neighbors murmur?

Budgies and cockatiel are comparatively quiet. They are suitable to look after in a flat. Moluxco cockatoo could live in flat just if you have neighbors around you and six floors above / below you that like listening screams to cracking their ear - drums. The African grey parrot tends to be one of comparatively non-noisy parrots. Certainly, there are individual differences between birds.

Somewhere there could be cockatoo, that don ' t make noisy to heaven. If really there could be found such, an enterprising person could make a fortune of it. Remember that noise is a subjective and relative sensation.

A bird can be considered as “ non-noisy ” only at the background of another one,considered as noisy. How “ destructive ” could a bird be? Do you possess peerless old furniture? Rare books? Remember that these birds have strong beaks,. Some of them are less inclined to “ nibbling ” than others, but nibbling is completely natural behaviour for them. Does the parrot need special food? Lory parrots, for example, need a specialized diet. Do you have an opportunity and means to provide it? Once you have made a preliminary investigation and have decided what kind of parrot you want, you can go looking for it and buy it. NEVER, NEVER BUY A PARROT IMPULSIVELY!

Geomil Georgiev is owner and editor of http://www.birdscomfort.com and http://www.hqbirdcages.com where you can find information about birds. BirdsComfort and HQ Bird Cages provides detailed information in bird cages sale, as well as hq bird cages, cage covers, bird carriers, HQ play stands, bird perches, bird toys, and bird foods.

10 Things to Know Before Buying Bird Houses

1. Bird houses are big assortment of types, every to magnetize different species. Make a choice for house that suits to the feathered friends

2. Nesting houses magnetize birds that want to nest in hollow nesses. Such are bluebirds, woodpeckers, starlings, sparrows.

3. Your bird house must be in proportion to the size of birds which visit your home. Chickadees, wrens like little houses and so they feel secure.

4. Our bird houses are constructed to have resistance to the weather. They can stay out all the cold season to give shelter to certain species

5. You have to clean the bird house once a year , and make disinfection with a soap and some water.

6. in case your bird house is on a tree it have to be located above range and away from predators

7. Bird houses add personality to your yard. The kind of birds depends on the size and type of the house

8. Bats keep away from the yard mosquitoes and other pets. There are also bat houses for these animals

9. Wooden and bird houses from metal can revise paint when they are exhibited to the elements. The natural weathering is a share of their looks. 10. You can magnetize birds to your yard with food, water, shelter. The bird house is a mode to make the wildlife feel welcome any time and attract them to be back every year.

Limoeg Veigroeg is owner and editor of http://www.wildbirdscomfort.com where you can find information on every type of bird houses , bird feeders and all for wild birds. Wild Birds Comfort provides detailed information in decorative , custom , antique, wooden, and discount birdhouses sale, as well as bird feeders.

Chick Bird House Chick Bird House

Bird Flu: a Chicken Raiser's Nightmare

Since its outbreak, every poultry owner had become aware of the consequences that can happen if this deadly disease is not prevented. Bird flu or what is also known avian (meaning bird) influenza (flu), is the number one killer of poultry chickens in Asia and some parts of the world.Bird flu started in China and became a widespread disease for their chickens thus wiping out over millions of poultry businesses and dropping the chicken industry to a devastating point.

The thing about avian flu is that, not only can it affect birds but also humans which makes the illness more dangerous to various lives. It can be passed from chicken to chicken, chicken to person, person to person, person to chicken, and so on. That is why authorities in the health sectors are taking this serious matter in their hands and are making strict surveillance.Avian influenza is not just a disease underlying a typical cold. It is more than that. In fact, it can kill an entire poultry habitation within a week. If passed onto a person, it can be more lethal as a person can interact with hundreds of people in a day without even noticing that they have become the perfect carrier of the disease. Worse, this sickness is not a picky disease. It could affect everyone including children.

The incubation period, if passed to a human, is not exact but as record shows, it may take about three to five days from the exposure to the disease-causing virus. Till then, the person will experience signs and symptoms that are similar with the common cold like fever, cough, sore throat, and aching of the muscles. Sometimes, the only thing that could indicate if the person has bird flu is if they are having conjunctivitis.If the person who was affected and has experienced the signs and symptoms stated above ignored the indications, it may lead to severity of the disease. The person now will start to experience viral pneumonia and eventually, acute respiratory distress which is the most common cause of deaths among bird-related diseases.But this pandemic crisis can be pretty much prevented if certain precautions are practiced if everyone who is involved will cooperate with the measures that were given out by the authorities.

Through thorough surveillance, WHO (World Health Organization) supports in eliminating the disease. Through this, they can trace the source of infection and track down those who were affected by the flu. They will confirm instances of the disease and how many deaths were known. Once WHO officials find out the extent of the disease's proximity, they will contain the area under quarantine.

Those who are in the zone will not be allowed to go beyond it and those who wanted to enter will be prohibited. That is why the concerned officials must be responsible enough to bring in reliable data otherwise there would be miscalculations that can result to more chickens and people being affected instead of being saved.

With the word spread out all across the globe, the government is also having strict participation for the observance if there are any occurrences of the virus in their community. Residents are the one who have to be more watchful because they will be the one more affected.Their communication and participation is the most important tool to evacuate the presence of this disease and make raising chickens safer to both chickens and owners.

About the Author: Gargi Nath,a Professor in English in a reputed college in kolkata for the last 5 years having done masters and Phd.A keen creative author and have written many articles on numerous topics.Many of the articles are published regularly in newspapers and magazines.
Please visit my blog http://how-to-raise--chickens.blogspot.com for more information on chicken raising.

Navy blue short sleeve parrot dress

Navy Blue Short Sleeve Parrot Dress Feel "tropical" in this Short Sleeve navy blue dress with Parrot Applique. With a scoop neck and A-line styling, this dress is made of 90% cotton and 10% spandex to give a bit of "stretch" for comfort.

Bird Outdoor Floormat- Pink

Bird Outdoor Floormat-Pink Bird Outdoor Floormat-Pink

chapel bird house

Olde Tyme Chapel Bird House Olde Tyme Chapel Bird House

Penguins: an Overview

The popularity of penguins is at an all-time high. It is in large part due to the hit movie The March of the Penguins, that such interest in penguins has been raised recently. Until this movie was released in theatres, most humans never knew that penguins could be such a strong and determined animal. This brief article is to give you a short overview of penguin facts.

Penguins are unusual looking little birds, with their tuxedo-styled plumage, and waddling walk that makes many people think the birds are clumsy. For most of us, that perception changed when the movie The March of the Penguins came out and made us take notice of the Emperor penguin species. The movie tells a story of the amazing trials and hardships these emperor penguins have to go through just so they can have a family and be parents. If you are one of the few people that have yet to see this movie, you should check it out soon. It's humorous in some scenes, and can make you cry in other scenes. After watching the film, you'll have an entirely new respect and awareness for these birds.

Mostly, penguins have a limited habitat. They primarily are thought of as living in Antarctica, but there are a few penguin species that can be found on the cold coastal regions of South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. There is also a kind of penguin that lives on the Galapagos Islands, and they are called Galapagos penguins. However, no penguins live in the Arctic.

The biggest kinds of penguins are the Emperor Penguins, which can get really big as an adult, and reach an average of 48 inches when full-grown. The smallest penguin is known as the Rockhopper penguin, which only reaches twelve inches in height on average.
Penguins do their hunting and feeding in the water. There isn't much food to be found on the frozen Antarctic ice, so they have to go underwater to find food. A standard penguin diet is made up of fish, squid or krill. A penguin is a great swimmer and can dive very deep underwater, holding its breath for several minutes underwater.

As The March of the Penguins movie revealed to us, Emperor penguins have a very unique and interesting breeding cycle. Penguins breed only once each year, and then only in specially chosen areas known as rookeries, which serve as breeding grounds for the penguins. Much like some other creatures, a penguin returns to the same rookery each year to breed. Penguins will sometimes travel 60 or 70 miles or more just to reach the rookery.

Once the penguins get to the breeding grounds (the rookeries), the male and female penguins will start flirting with each other and finally find their perfect match for a mate. The female penguin only lays one egg. After laying the egg, the female penguin carefully gives the egg to the male, who then holds it on top of his feet so it won't touch the ice. The male penguin hangs his big stomach over the egg to cover it and keep it warm from the high winds and freezing cold climate.

The male penguin will do this for nine consecutive weeks and will not eat food the entire time. During this nine weeks, the male will lose almost half of his body weight, and the mother penguin takes the opportunity to go out to sea and find food for herself, so she can to replenish her own resources, which were drained during her pregnancy and while laying the egg. The female will later return to the male penguin, usually just about the same time as the egg is due to hatch, and will trade places with the male penguin. He will then go back out to sea for himself and hunt for food to regain his strength.

Penguin Hooded Sweatshirt Chase away the chills in this cotton/poly blend sweatshirt that has a hood with drawstring, a pouch pocket, embroidered appliques and the message "Chill out." Unisex sizes S-XXL.

assorted birds

Everything for your feathered friends!

This is the place for the "dedicated bird watcher" or "casual admirer". We have bird houses, feeders,
bird seed, bird baths, and much more. In addition to birds we can help you care for Bats,
Butterflies, Lady Bugs, Squirrels & even Toads.

Hummingbird Feeders	Suet Feeders	Oriole Feeders	Bird Houses
Window Mount	Tube Bird Feeders	Squirrel Feeders	Purple Martin Houses
Pole Mount Feeders	Large Bird Feeders	Bird Watching Binoculars	Painted Bird Houses
Squirrel Proof Feeders	Copper Bird Feeders	Bat Houses	Bird Baths
Bird Seed & Bird Food	Bird Calls	Butterfly Products	Poles and Baffles

Hummingbird Feeder

Violet Meadow Hummingbird Feeder Violet Meadow Hummingbird Feeder

Pink flamingo Travel Mug

Pink Flamingo Travel Mug Take your hot or cold drinks on the go in this stainless steel travel mug that has a pink flamingo design and a sip-though lid. Fits most auto cup holders. Dishwasher safe. A Whales & Friends® exclusive.

Deluxe Bird House

Deluxe Cedar Purple Martin House Deluxe Cedar Purple Martin House