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Try Thistle Feeders to Attract New Bird Species
A great way to attract new types of birds to your back yard is by using thistle feeders, but some care must be taken to choose the right size and type. Thistle feeders, also called finch feeders because of the colorful birds they attract, are the perfect feeder for many backyard birders. They do not attract squirrels (no squirrel baffle is needed), and the seeds do not germinate meaning you can hang them over a garden without fear of creating weeds.
The fine thistle seed isn’t preferred by all birds, though the feeders will attract Indigo Buntings, Pine Siskins, and others. As a result, there are times when they get cleaned out quickly, while in other places the seed can last a while. We have two sizes in our garden, with the large rainbow finch bird feeder in the back section where a larger number of birds will use it. In close (so it can be seen from the window) is the Metal Nyjer Haven Feeder. This has a cage around it, and I was amazed at first at how many birds can fit inside the cage.
For increasing the variety of birds that come visit your yard, a thistle feeder is a colorful and easy to maintain addition to any backyard habitat.
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A New Twist on Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders
Ever more challenging is the war against squirrels! These furry critters can do some real damage to your wallet as they can eat their weight in bird seed in one week. Now, multiply that by the 8 or 10 squirrels who hang out in your yard and that’s a problem!As more folks get into the great hobby of backyard birding, so do more squirrel resistant feeders become available to us. Squirrel proof bird feeders have come a long way from the plain old caged versions. These still work great too, but other, more attractive options may be what you are seeking.
This sleek, slim-line squirrel proof bird feeder is complete with a built in baffle. It even includes the pole for mounting. With an all-inclusive feeder such as this, you can forget the worries of adding bird accessories to complete the job.
Always remember, squirrels can jump sideways up to eight feet, so when placing your feeder, be sure it is not too close to any type of horizontal launching point for the sneaky acrobats!
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Audubon Bird Field Guides Go Mobile
Nature at Bird Watchers’ Fingertips!
North American Guide to Birds app now available on iPhone and iPod Touch.
Woodstock, Vt. (Nov. 20, 2009) – The best-selling series of National Audubon Society bird field guide books have gone mobile, putting the most authoritative and comprehensive birding information at the fingertips of iPhone and iPod Touch users.
The Audubon Guide bird app provides a wealth of interactive information in a mobile package, giving bird lovers a fun and exciting experience that makes bird watching richer, more informed and instantly sharable. The bird app along with others in the Audubon Guides series is now available in the reference section of the apps store in iTunes.
“Mobile platforms allow field guides to be used to explore nature in fun and interactive ways that are not possible with printed books,” said Andrew Stewart, publisher of Green Mountain Digital, the electronic publishing company that created the Audubon Guide app series in alliance with the National Audubon Society. “Features like bird calls, GPS-location and the ability to share outings with family and friends are just a few finger taps away. These new apps transform field guides as we know them.”
From Chickadees to Condors, the Audubon Guide bird app covers more than 740 species of birds with information on appearance, habitat, behavior, diet, nesting, mating, migration, endangered status and more. Features include thousands of professional color photos, more than 2,200 bird sounds, and range maps for each species. Every species in the app is described with rich and detailed information updated from the book versions: all accessed wirelessly and in real time through elegant, interactive and intuitive search features. Search parameters include common and scientific names, family, shape, range, habitat, color, and size.
“This is a giant leap forward in connecting people with the nature that surrounds them,” said John Flicker, president of the National Audubon Society. “And it’s the first step in building a commitment to protecting the wonders this app will help a new generation discover and savor.”
The apps’ geo-location search features also allow users to find which bird species are located in any zip code, state or region. A universal dashboard enables navigation back and forth between species information, search functions, sightings, and more. When loaded onto a user’s iPhone, the apps work independently of cell phone connectivity.
Other innovative functions include the ability to create personalized life lists, post GPS-enabled bird sighting lists, and upload user-created photo albums.
The Audubon Guide bird app is supported by AudubonGuides.com, a free companion Web site that syncs with the app, providing a lifetime of automatic updates. The Web site features all of the comprehensive subject matter found on the app, as well as scientific news, user forums, articles and blog posts contributed by nationally recognized scientists and naturalists.
“The Web site really adds to the overall Audubon Guide user experience because it includes all of the information contained in the app as well as contributions by app users themselves,” said Stewart. “As people share their birding experiences on the site, we’ll see it becoming an increasingly useful tool in the research and cataloging of the natural world.”
The Audubon Guide bird app is now available in Apple’s iTunes store at the introductory price of $19.99. Three additional apps in the Audubon Guides series – Wildflowers, Trees and Mammals – are being offered at the introductory price of $9.99 each.
Birds, Wildflowers, Trees and Mammals will be followed in the next few months by mobile guides to Insects & Spiders, Butterflies, Fish, Reptiles & Amphibians, Seashells, Seashore Creatures, Mushrooms, Whales & Dolphins, and many other subjects. In this way, the Audubon Guide app series looks to deliver all of nature to consumers’ fingertips.
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