What a delightful way to spend an afternoon — watching colorful feathered creatures flit about the yard. Hummingbirds that hover, jays that scrap over scraps, robins tugging earthworms!

Just as you don't visit places that aren't welcoming, birds don't visit every back yard. To watch them play, you need to make them welcome. Food, water, and shelter are good places to start.

Like people, birds have preferences in foods. Blue jays, crows and ravens will eat nearly anything. Some are collectors and their nests may contain anything attractive enough to catch their eyes. Bread, coarse grains, fruit peels, and seeds will keep them around-and chase off smaller, more desirable birds.

To attract hummingbirds, serve their favorite foods. Hummingbird nectar is commercially available, or you can make your own by heating a four-to-one sugar-water solution (four parts sugar, one part water). Humming birds love color and food coloring isn't really good for them. Why not provide nature's food for these lovely creatures instead? Plant colorful summer annuals in hanging baskets and watch them eat plant nectar.

To keep robins on your guest list, be sure your garden has earthworms. They're good for the soil anyway, so they'll do double duty. Worms come out morning and evening, the best time to watch this handsome bird. Robins don't digest grains well.

Grains do attract a wide variety of birds, but mix your own for the best quality. Suet (hard beef fat) attracts woodpeckers and chickadees, among others. Hang suet feeders upside down to discourage starlings. They cannot feed upside down.

For shelter, learn which homes each bird prefers-some like cute little houses and some don't. Most prefer natural wood over painted houses. Scores of birds will nest in houses, and houses are designed for particular birds. Martins like multiple openings in a single structure. Kestrels are miniature hawks and will nest high off the ground, even in 60-foot trees.

Small owl species will eat rodents and other live creatures, but they'll eat small birds, too. Attract owls if you have a five-acre back yard– they are beautiful. Otherwise, visit them at one of the nation's 27 estuaries, where food is plentiful.

Water may be provided in cups or bird baths, but that brings up another requirement for attracting birds: safety. If the family cat can reach your birds' favorite water source, it will. Place houses, feeders, and waterers out of reach.

Bird feeding is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States. Many people fail to properly maintain and clean their bird feeders, though, which can lead to illness or even death of birds. Properly cleaning feeders on a regular basis is important to kill bacteria and maintain seed quality. Birds will also flock to a clean feeder much more often than a dirty one.

A good, stiff brush is the best tool to have for the cleaning job. A simple bottle brush will do, but there are special ones available made just for bird feeders. Rubber gloves should be worn while cleaning with a mild dish detergent. Scrub the feeders well to remove all debris, using a mixture of warm water with 10% bleach added to kill germs. Immerse them in water if it is possible to get the interior dry when finished. Make sure to take apart plastic feeders and clean each piece separately. Wooden feeders are harder to keep clean, as they absorb moisture and the dirt and grime can soak in. Do not soak these in water, but briefly immerse to loosen surface debris, then scrub thoroughly. Rinse well with a garden hose if possible. Allow to dry completely in a sunny area before rehanging them. Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned every time that they are refilled. Since these tiny birds can take a long time to empty a feeder, it is a good idea to only partially fill them. This helps to keep the nectar fresh.

For those who prefer not to clean with bleach, a good alternative is vinegar. Adding a few cups of white distilled vinegar to warm, soapy water will clean effectively, though it is not as good at killing the bacteria. Simple Green is also a good, effective bleach alternative.

It is important to not only clean bird feeders, but also the area beneath them. If the feeders are hung on a deck or porch, sweeping up regularly may be all that is needed. If bird food is scattered on the ground, it will be necessary to rake or shovel up left over seed hulls and shells. When these are allowed to remain on the ground, they will rot and mold and can also make birds sick. In between cleanings, scrape debris out of feeder trays with a knife, and keep landings and perches wiped clean. Also try to let the birds completely empty the feeders before refilling. This will also help to ensure that the seed is fresh.

Bird feeders work best when they are hung in an area with a roof overhead. This will keep the rain and snow out and will help to prevent rotting. When the seeds inside the feeder get wet, they can be difficult for the birds to remove. In warm weather the seeds will often sprout, and those little seedlings can be a real challenge to remove. The roots will reach into cracks and crevices and take hold. This regular maintenance is not a pleasant job, but will keep our feathered friends happy and healthy, and will keep them coming to the feeders.

Squirrels will be Squirrels
Submitted by a reader

I know what it's like having to constantly fill your bird feeder. In today's economy doing such a thing can cost you an arm and a leg. It isn't cheap to have bird feeders any more. I am a leisurely photographer, so this is a great time to be able to take pictures of wild birds or while bird watching. I was intrigued by this article of protecting bird feeders from squirrels because I myself have found this to be a problem. I once had a feeder which hung from a tree that sat beside a clothes line. This was the worst place anyone could possible place it. I wish that I would have had these tips at my disposal months ago.

I found one of the best ways to squirrel proof your feeders is buy buying one with the weighted trap. If an object is too heavy is sitting on the feeder, the door automatically close. This is the best and only way to keep squirrels from getting your food. Also, be sure not to hang your bird feeders too close to branches as they can just bend over and grab food that way also. They are pesky little critters, and while I did get some good shots of them playing, they don’t come anywhere close to the beauty of wild birds.

Expanding the eyes of a birder, binoculars are quite helpful, as they possess the power to greatly enhance the overall results of a bird outing. Decent binoculars make for decent birding, while poor binoculars can create missed opportunities with birds, as well as intense headaches that come from double vision, blurry images, and straining of the eye. There is no denying the difference felt between a pair of binoculars that cost about $60 and a pair that goes for $900.

There are various shapes and sizes that binoculars come in and additional features noted as "close focus," "roof prism," and "armor coated." Usually, it isn’t necessary to waste too much time trying to figure out what all of this means, as if you are really into bird watching, you can gain a better understanding at another time. Perhaps, you will later trade for a better pair. Depending on your location, an appropriate pair of binoculars will cost about $60.

As you begin to buy your first pair of binoculars, keep the following "do's" in mind:

1. The power (or magnification) of binoculars should be at least 7-power. To identify the power, look at the first number arranged in the numerical notation regarding a pair of binoculars. For instance, a "7 X 35" pair of "glasses" allows items to appear as if they are seven times closer than they really are. Seven-power binoculars are considered the lowest requirement in order to catch a good view of birds. Keep in mind that binoculars with 10-power or stronger are sometimes hard for many birders to keep stable.

2. The second number ("35" for a "7 X 35" pair of glasses) is at least five times as large as the power. Examples of this include "7 X 35" or "8 X 40." It is the second number that characterizes the diameter (set in millimeters) of the large lens that will face the objects you wish to look at. This is also called the "objective" lens. When this lens is larger in number, you will notice that more light shows through in the binoculars. This makes it much easier to view the details of a bird with dull colors or specimens while in a low level of light.

3. Binoculars should not be so heavy that you are unable to carry them around or become difficult to maintain for hours at a time. The weight matters, as some people can experience a hunchback because their binoculars are yanking at their neck and back.

4. Try flexing the barrels of the binoculars to see how easy this task is accomplished. In order to test out the flexibility, you should spread the barrels as far as they can go and then hold onto just one of the barrels. The free barrel should not slip or fall out of the spread position.

5. Color coating is another aspect of binocular. To find out if your lenses are color-coated, hold your binoculars a foot away and note if the large objective lenses show a reflection that is bluish or purplish in color. If so, they are color-coated, which actually lessens internal glare and elevates the amount of light that will come in contact with your eyes. It is important to also inspect the lenses to make sure coatings are blotch- and scrape- free.

6. See if you can bring the barrels of the binoculars close together where the image you detect merges into a solitary, lucid image captured within one perfect circle. If the image is not one or lacks clarity, then the binoculars could have slipped alignment or the eyepieces are not coming together enough to accommodate your eyes. Unfortunately, these two instances can cause strain of the eye, as well as penetrating headaches.

7. If you wear prescription eyeglasses, your binoculars should offer rubber eyecups that fold back. This permits the wearing of eyeglasses that allow you to come closer to the eyepieces of your binoculars. This will produce a much better field of view.

8. If your binoculars cannot generate a clear image of an objective positioned only 20 feet away, take notice that some models of binoculars are not able to focus on objects situated so close. This means that you may miss out on that warbler or sparrow that hides in the bush close by.

9. Position your binoculars on a sign with large lettering. Ask yourself if the letters close to the edge of the field of view are precise and clear as the letters located in the center of the field of view. In poor binoculars, the distortion of an image positioned towards the edge of the binoculars is not uncommon. It is comparable to looking through a fish-eye lens. Looking for binoculars with minimal distortion is highly recommended.

10. Before selecting a pair of binoculars, make sure you can zero in on a license plate or small sign found about two blocks away. The numbers and letters should be clear and if not, try a different pair.

When purchasing binoculars, consider the following list of  "don’ts:"

• Do not purchase binoculars that are compact or pocket-sized as your main choice for birding. These binoculars usually measure 8 x 21 or 10 x 21. While the size and weight are appealing, and the optics probably decent, it is a known fact that compacts possess a lower quality image when compared to mid- or full-size binoculars. Another disadvantage is that most compacts produce a narrow field of view, which makes it harder to find and keep track of birds.

• Do not purchase zoom binoculars, as they are often of less quality.

• Do not search for guidance regarding the purchase of optics from someone who doesn’t bird. This includes hunters, hikers, and boaters, who buy binoculars for different reasons. Looking at a bird is not the same as searching for a deer in the brush. Additionally, pocket binoculars are reasonable for those scanning the savannah for wildlife, but are not appropriate for a birder. Marine binoculars may offer sharpness and brightness in their images, but are way too heavy and bulky for a birder to tote all day long.

• Do not purchase binoculars until you have tested them out. It is important to make sure that they actually deliver comfort when held. You must look through them in order to deduce whether or not you will receive a clear view without interruption. You will find that various models accommodate different people, and that each and every instrument carries its own variations. When ordering binoculars in the mail or over the Internet, the company should allow exchanges.

Another thing pertaining to binoculars – you don’t always have to own the best specs for bird watching. Any pair of binoculars will suit you much better rather than having none at all. The main objective is to own something that allows magnification of the birds you intend on enjoying. If you follow the above tips, you should be able to locate the best pair of binoculars for watching birds that your money can buy.

The soothing sounds of a bird's song are sometimes a shrieking irritation to some people. However, the truth is that you can use specific tunes to recognize the kind of feathered friend emitting the sounds you hear, which allows you to look up the species in a field book. This is accomplished by "tuning" into bird songs. It is important to know that each and every species of bird delivers distinctive sounds, and that birding by ear allows you to identify a particular bird just as well as if you noticed their color and shape.

Without a doubt, there are many benefits when birding by ear. You don’t need any light, which comes in handy when identifying the owl hooting during a camping trip. For instance, the barred owl is quite different from any other sound you encounter during the night.

To all who have their ears perked up, a bird concealed in the thickness of summer greenery will often sing out its identity. While many rely on what they see with their own eyes, you can also hear in every direction at the same time, meaning you can recognize a bird and its song even when it is situated in back of you.

When compared to other creatures on earth, humans are categorized at a different level of sensory. For example, your dog comes in contact with the world mainly with the use of his or her nose, while our sense of smell is quite weak in comparison. The sensory experiences of beetle, bats, frogs, and even fish are quite difficult to grasp.

Alternatively, the strongest senses of a bird are actually their hearing and sight, which have transformed into their mode of communicating and identifying their own species. Through these two senses, they use signals to achieve this. Since we too use sight and sound, we are able to appreciate all of the mesmerizing variation in shape and color that birds possess just as we are in tuned to respecting the importance of sound in their lives.

As you start to identify the songs of birds, you will enter a whole new world of bird watching. Many people find themselves enchanted by the singing-like sound of the bird that greets them in the morning and find delight in coming in contact with birds they never knew existed.

In order to get started with birding by ear, the best thing to do is to purchase a field guide pertaining to bird songs. Just as a book with photos helps you identify the appearance of birds, you also need recordings to become familiar with how birds sing. Luckily, there are many different suitable cassette tapes and CDs regarding bird songs on the market. There are also impressive resources on bird songs found on the Internet. When familiarizing yourself with these songs, you will become open to an entire new realm of bird watching.

As you listen to the song of a bird, try to describe the experience in your own words. You may find that the white-breasted nuthatch delivers a more nasal tone with a "Yenk, yenk, yenk" song. The northern cardinal's song emits notes that are slippery-sounding with a downward slurp. The blue jay's call is known for sometimes sounding loud and harsh, as if the bird were screaming. When you create mental notes of these sorts of details, it will aid you in recognizing the same birds when you hear them once more.

Some people connect an English phrase with songs, as seen in "Peter, Peter, Peter" and the tufted titmouse. The use of such words helps you remember speed, rhythm, or pitch of certain songs.

It is also better when you can use your own words to describe a bird's song, but it is OK to rely on unforgettable phrases that others create. A few examples include the song of the ovenbird, which sounds a lot like "teacher, Teacher, TEACHER." It is also hard to top the "Quick, three beers!" phrase associated with the call of the olive-sided flycatcher.

After assigning words to the song of a bird, you will never forget the melody. Therefore, New Orleans may no longer mean a city in Louisiana to you, but could now stand for the song of an intriguing bird you discovered the other day.

Once knowledgeable on a couple of songs, you should make it a habit to listen in the early hours of the morning. Numerous birds begin singing about an hour just before sunrise. In general, the chorus they create is quite satisfying, but it is also fun to pinpoint and identify the separate voices that make up the group singing. Some birds will sing throughout an entire day, but the best time to enjoy bird songs is in the morning, as it is 100 times more powerful than in the middle of the day.

It doesn’t matter what season it is, as you can view more birds with your ears than your eyes. Therefore, why not give birding by ear a try tomorrow morning? Crack open the window before you go to bed and first thing in the morning, the singing of birds becomes clear. If the sounds are unknown to you, attempt to single out one song from the group. Even if the owner of this song is unexplainable at first, it will give you the encouragement you need to learn how to use your ears to see.

If you're like me and enjoy watching the birds in your own backyard, you'll find that the easiest way to bring a variety of birds into your yard is to place and fill one or more bird feeders. However, if you're new to this hobby, you may wonder which of the many different types of bird feeders is best.

Well, it truly depends on what you are trying to accomplish. For example, what types of birds do you want to attract to your backyard? What type of seed do you plan to feed and how often do you want to refill the feeders? Last, how much money do you want to spend? These are all questions you should think about before purchasing your feeders.

In a previous article (An Introduction to Bird Feeders), I wrote about some of the different types of feeders that are available and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Another great source of information is a local wild bird specialty store if you are lucky enough to have one in your area. The staff at our Wild Birds Unlimited store has been extremely helpful to us in the past. The staff at your local store will be familiar with the common and not-so-common birds in your area and their feeding preferences. They are also great problem-solvers when it comes to setting feeders up and keeping the squirrels out.

With that said, I have come to prefer the tube bird feeders myself. I've noticed that our backyard birds go to them first before our other types of feeders. Also, due to how the perches are placed around the feeder, more birds are willing to perch and eat at the feeder at the same time which I think is a huge plus. The smaller size means that they have to be filled more often, but the size also makes the feeder easier to handle and clean.

Because there are some birds that won't feed from our tube feeders, we have a hopper feeder set out in addition to our tube feeders. The cardinals and nuthatches prefer this feeder, in our backyard anyway. The finches, chickadees and woodpeckers eat from it also, but usually only if there are already a number of birds on the tube feeder. We've noticed that only 1-2 birds use the hopper at a time while 4-6 birds are often seen on each of our tube feeders. The hopper holds much more food, but we don't make use of the full capacity simply because the food doesn't get eaten as fast as in the tube feeders. Again, this is our personal experience and your backyard birds may feel differently about it than ours do.

The last advice I'd like to share is a suggestion not to purchase the cheapest backyard bird feeders that you can find. Spend a little more and get feeders that are either metal or made with high quality plastic with feeding ports that are reinforced with metal. In the past, I have purchased less expensive feeders with plastic feeding ports and found them to only last a few weeks because the squirrels chew right through them. So do yourself a favor and purchase high quality, durable feeders from the start. It will actually be less expensive in the long run.

I don't imagine that anyone is familiar with the sights and sounds of nature quite like an avid bird watcher is. An experienced bird watcher is able to take a quick glance at a small, darting creature of black, yellow and white feathers or take in a few moments of chirping musical notes and instantly know exactly what bird has just come into view or hearing range. To the beginning bird watcher, this may seem an amazing feat.

Developing Bird Watching Skills

With over 900 bird species within the U.S., birders must learn to quickly process what they see and hear - color patterns, call notes, body shape, bill shape and more. If the bird is not immediately identified, the birder must know what attributes to key in on so that he or she can find and identify the bird from a field guide. The birds rarely wait around long enough for us to search through our guides to be able to compare pictures to living birds!

If you are a beginner to bird watching, you may feel that it is impossible to reach this level. If you're like me when I first started out, attempting to identify even common birds can be frustrating at times. The key is to not give up. Understand that this all takes practice, and you will get to this point over time.

Imagine the skills you will be developing if you stick with it. You will be honing your senses and becoming a more observant person - not just as it relates to birds but with all of nature. Everyone starts bird watching as a beginner, but bird watching is so much fun that learning these new skills won't seem like work at all.

One day soon, you'll see that creature with black, yellow and white feathers dart by. Your mind will do the calculations without you even having to think about it. With no hesitation at all, you will automatically think, "American Goldfinch!"

Imagine yourself first waking up in the morning. The rays of the sun are just beginning to come through your window. Along with the sun, you start to hear the first melodious chirps of birds greeting the beginning of a new day.

Have you ever wondered why they sing like that? What they look like? Or why they sound so close to your bedroom window?

Bird Watching - Beginners Welcome!

Bird watching is a hobby that has been around pretty much as long as people have. It is currently the second fastest growing hobby in the US, second only to gardening. You may hear some people refer to the hobby as "birding" and accordingly the people who participate are called "birders." But whatever you call it, this hobby is all about a love and appreciation for the beautiful and fascinating creatures that we call birds.

People of all ages can enjoy bird watching. We can learn a lot from birds, where they roost and the songs that they sing. We can even learn more about nature and ourselves by studying the lives of birds.

Best of all, birding can be done anywhere at any time. Just look around you. There are very few outdoor locations where birds cannot be observed going about their daily activities.

So are you considering getting started with bird watching? Even if you are a bird watching beginner, don't allow that to hold you back. Why not visit a local park or your own backyard and get started today!

On January 29th, the bird in the photo to the right visited our bird feeders. This picture was taken from our web cam, so I apologize for the poor quality. I pulled out my Ohio birding guide, and it looks like this bird is a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. My guide (Birds of Ohio by McCormac & Kennedy) says the following:

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are easy to miss because they are shy and retiring, are normally uncommon in migration and are currently listed as endangered in Ohio. There is a small breeding population in the extreme northeastern counties. They are more likely southward in winter.

I am hoping that one of our visitors can confirm that I have ID'd this bird correctly. Although not evident from the photo, the top of the bird's head was red with a white chin. According to my guide, this would be a female as the males have red chins.

I like squirrels, I really do. I think they are cute and fun to watch. I love their playfulness, and I can even admire their intelligence and tenacity. What I tend to find annoying is the critters' apparent belief that they are entitled to a large portion of the somewhat costly bird food that I keep our bird feeders stocked with. This is the primary issue that I have with those cute and furry squirrels.

My husband and I have been feeding wild birds for almost 20 years. This being the case, we have tried most if not all of the options available for making a bird feeder squirrel proof. The following is a list of the squirrel-proofing ideas that we have made use of over the years.

Placement of feeders - We try to place our feeders in such a way that it is difficult for the squirrels to get to them. Squirrels can jump pretty far, but why make it too easy for them? When possible, place feeders high off the ground and away from buildings, trees or anything else they can climb in order to gain access to your bird feeders.

Squirrel Baffles - Squirrels can easily climb the poles that most bird feeders are mounted on. Adding a squirrel baffle is an inexpensive way to help prevent squirrels from climbing up a mounting pole. For feeders that are hung from a hook, a squirrel baffle can be placed above the feeder so that squirrels are unable to climb down to it.

Wire Cages - Another option to squirrel proof a feeder is a wire cage that is used to enclose a tube feeder. The spacing of the wires is such that it allows birds access to the feeder but not squirrels. A caged bird feeder can be an effective deterrent but can also prevent medium and large sized birds from getting to the feeder as well. Depending on the types of birds you want to attract to your feeders, this can be either an advantage or a disadvantage.

Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders - A few bird feeder manufacturers have designed some very clever feeders that use the squirrel's weight to either tip the squirrel off the feeder or close the feeding ports so that it can't get to the food. We have tried a couple of these feeders, and they do work very well. It is without a doubt the most expensive of the options listed here, so that's something to take into consideration.

There is one final option that while not 100% effective does greatly cut down on the amount of food that squirrels take from your feeders, and that is to simply feed the squirrels their own food. Wildlife food can be purchased from most bird stores or online, and it is generally less expensive than bird food.

This works best if you can set up a separate feeding station for the squirrels away from the general area of your bird feeders. As long as you continue to feed the squirrels in this way, they will have less interest in stealing bird food out of your feeders. This is what we do. We enjoy watching the squirrels' antics just as much as the birds, so we figure they deserve to have their lives be made a little easier, too.