Contents

1. Notes From Bobolink Farm
2. Gold Star Bird Landlord
3. ID-ing Birds
4. Orioles
5. New Stokes DLS binoculars
6. Butterfly Gardens
7. Stokes Select Products
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1. NOTES FROM BOBOLINK FARM

On Bobolink Farm, our New Hampshire property of 45 acres, it has been a cold wet spring with a nor´easter (i.e. a fierce storm that comes from the Northeast) now blowing. This makes it harder for birds to find food since insect activity is depressed. This affects all insect eating birds such as Tree Swallows, Flycatchers (including Phoebes), Vireos and Warblers, as well as nesting songbirds who almost all feed their young insects. Our nesting pair of Hairy Woodpeckers who have a nest in a Maple stub have solved the problem by feeding their young the hulled sunflower we offer at our bird feeders. They make frequent trips from our feeders directly to the nest.

Tree Swallows are in the middle of egg laying. They usually lay 1 egg per day. In very cold weather when females have to search longer for food, they can arrest egg laying with lapses of 1 to 7 days between eggs, without loss of viability of the eggs. However, if they have finished egg laying and started incubation, and if the female leaves the eggs for several hours or more, the eggs won´t survive. The Tree Swallows will then lay new eggs and try again.

How can you help birds in unseasonably cold weather? Keep feeders filled including hummingbird feeders, which should be brought in at night in extremely cold weather so the solution stays warm, then put out in the morning. Make sure all your birdhouses have solid roofs that do not leak. You can also offer insect-eating birds like Robins, Bluebirds, and breeding birds meal-worms. They are insects that look like little brown caterpillars and are the larva of a moth. They can be bought at pet or bird stores or online. Offer them in a dish or container that has vertical sides that are 1 inch or more high so the meal-worms cannot climb out.
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2. GOLD STAR BIRD LANDLORD

When you put up birdhouses you instantly become a bird landlord and provide for the needs of cavity nesting birds. It is thrilling to see a bird like a Bluebird, Tree Swallow, Nuthatch, etc. raise their young right before your eyes. To keep your bird tenants safe and sound:

- Get a quality house. See our 10 features of a good birdhouse:
http://www.stokesbirdsathome.com/birding/housing/housingpages/housing101.html

- Keep it safe from predators by mounting on a pole with a baffle, not a tree that predators like raccoons can easily climb.

- Put it in the right habitat. Bluebirds and Tree Swallows like wide open areas. Chickadees, Titmice, and Nuthatches like houses near woods. Wrens nest at wood edges.

- Monitor your boxes. It is OK to open the door and look into a birdhouse usually about once a week. Leaving your scent does not deter the birds since most birds have very little sense of smell. Check to see if the young are OK, keep records of how many eggs, young, etc.

- Clean boxes after the young have fledged. Removing the old nest keeps the box clean, as well as prevents nesting material from piling up so high the young would be too close to the entrance hole and vulnerable to predators. Some birds like Bluebirds may have up to 3 broods a season (especially in southern areas).

For complete information, including easy plans for building your own houses see our
Stokes Birdhouse Book
http://www.stokesbirdsathome.com/shop/sh04list/sh0402.html
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3. ID-ING BIRDS

The next time you want to ID a bird try to gather as much of the data below as possible. If you are asking us to help identify the bird based on your description, the more of this information we have the better we can help you.

1. Where geographically did you see the bird? What state, and where in the state?

2. What is the overall size and shape of the bird including relative size and shape of bill, head, neck, body, wings (especially if flying), tail, etc.

3. Exactly what and where are the colors and markings on all parts of the bird including head, face, neck, chin, breast, flanks, wings, back, underbelly, undertail, top of tail. The more you understand the parts of a bird, the more accurate you will be in describing where markings occur. In the beginning pages of our Stokes Field Guide To Birds we have a map of the parts of a bird and what they are called. For example, the area between the bill and the eye is called the lore, the area underneath the tail is called the undertail coverts, a stripe across the wing is called a wing bar, etc.

3. What is the bird´s behavior? What is it doing — sitting in a tree, walking on ground, flying out from a perch catching insects, walking in a marshy area, at your bird feeder, etc.

The longer you hold up your binoculars and look at a bird and try and answer all of the above questions, even if it is a bird you think you know, the better bird ID detective you will become.

Almost all of the birds you will see will be in your field guide. On rare occasions you may see a bird that is not in a field guide because it is an exotic, escaped pet bird.
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4. ORIOLES
Orioles are striking black-and-orange birds with clear whistled songs and can be found nesting in every state. They weave nests out of plant fibers that are suspended from branches. There are 8 species of Orioles that breed in the United States. The two most widespread species are the Baltimore Oriole and Orchard Oriole in the East and the Bullock´s Oriole (shown here) in the West. Orioles can be attracted to your backyard with food and nesting materials.
5. . NEW STOKES DLS BINOCULARS

We have developed a whole line of binoculars called Stokes Birding
Series (manufactured by Vortex) that are receiving great reviews.
http://optics4birding.com/RevVortexStokesDLS.aspx

The first model, called the "Stokes DLS" Binocular is now available as
8 x 42 and 10 x 42. These top quality, high-definition binos, are
waterproof, light weight, close focus to an amazing 4 1/2 feet (great
for watching butterflies ) and have special features for eyeglass
wearers. You can get a 30 day free trial period by purchasing online
here:
http://www.eagleoptics.com
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6. BUTTERFLY GARDENS

It is easy to plant a butterfly garden and attract beautiful
butterflies. You will also attract hummingbirds, since they like many
of the same flowers. Start by preparing a bed in the sun. Butterflies
need sun to warm up their bodies to a certain temperature before they
can fly, so they like to feed in sunny areas.
Put taller plants in back ,shorter ones in front.

Include these butterfly favorites:
Butterfly Bush ( Buddleia davidii)
Purple Conflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Gayfeather (Liatris spicata)

For garden plans and and complete butterfly identification and behavior
information see:
Stokes Butterfly Book
http://www.stokesbirdsathome.com/shop/sh04list/sh0401.html
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7. STOKES SELECT PRODUCTS

Stokes Select Bird Feeders, Accessores and Seed are available in
Shopko, Do It Best, Petsmart, Petco, and many fine other bird product
retailers
and online retailers including here:
http://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/RTProdbyMfg.asp?MANUFACTURER_ID=33
and here:
http://www.stokesselect.com
A percentage of the proceeds from Stokes Select Products goes to bird
habitat preservation.
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We hope you enjoyed this issue of the newsletter.

To send us comments or questions, go to:

http://www.stokesbirdsathome.com/q&a/ask.html

Happy Birding,

Don and Lillian

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