We’re passionate about birds and nature. That’s why we opened a Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in our community.
1211 East Front Street
Traverse City, MI 49686
Phone: (231) 946-0431
Fax: (231) 946-1379
Email: Send Message
Store Hours:
Mon - Sat: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sun: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Comments:
Visit us in our new location! We've moved one door closer to the Omelette Shoppe.
Note: We often stay open later than the posted minimum hours. Give us a call if you're running late.
"Steely gray morning light dissolves the union of sky and horizon in an expanse of winter hues, the perfect camouflage for the large white visitor we search for. Scanning with our binoculars, we check roof tops, power poles, fence posts, and high ground. It is only minutes before we find the Snowy Owl perched a top a dormer window on Wuerful Stadium (photo). We leave the warmth of Matt's vehicle to get a closer look at the owl dressed in a vest and top hat of chocolate brown barring.
These are typical markings for the majority of Snowy Owls that come south to hunt small rodents like Meadow Vole in northern states. The owls will be here well into March and perhaps as late as mid-April, before returning to their breeding season homes on the tundra.
Three snowies are regularly found in the area surrounding Wuerful Park, VanDrie Furniture, and Culvers Restaurant, just north of Chum's Corner.
We had hoped to find Northern Shrike on this field trip, but on our return to the car we decided that a fresh pot of hot coffee and warm toes was next on the agenda. The shrike is another predatory bird that infrequently comes south during the winter months. When populations of small rodents up north are in short supply, shrikes and owls travel south in search of a temporary winter food source.
Songbird intrusions from northern latitudes are common this winter also. White-winged Crossbills have been reported in sixty two counties in Michigan. Thanks to Dan Dalzell, a few of us at the store had a close-up look at a male White-winged Crossbill. The bird was injured while picking up road sand and grit. This medium sized finch with crossed mandibles (upper and lower bill), specializes in eating seeds from spruce cones. The bird is expected to make a full recovery.
Pine Siskins are being seen at many backyard feeding stations. They feed mostly on Nyjer (thistle). One feeding enthusiast on Duck Lake in Grawn reports a flock at her feeders of two hundred to four hundred siskins consuming 50lbs of thistle seed a month. Wow!
We've had scattered reports of Common Redpolls and fewer still, sightings of Pine Grosbeaks. In my neighborhood, the robins are still feeding on Mt. Ash. The red-orange berries must be like swallowing marbles on these frigid mornings.
Consider participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) the weekend of February 13th-16th. I do backyard and neighborhood counts on Friday and Monday. On Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th I do field trips to a variety of bird habitats. For more info on how you can participate, go the GBBC web site at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/."
