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.
"Midsummer finds robins, cardinals, chickadees, Mourning Doves, and bluebirds busy with second broods. Maybe these birds are taking advantage of teeming bug populations to feed hungry fledglings and nestlings.
American Goldfinches are just beginning their first broods of the nesting season. These bright cadmium yellow songsters time their nesting season with the flowering of plants in the thistle family. Seeds from these plants are an important food source for goldfinches. The downy plume that attaches to the seed for seed dispersal is used for lining their nests. Goldfinch nests are woven so tightly with this delicate material they can hold water.
You may have noticed a sticky coating on maples, oaks, and other deciduous trees this summer. Even the pavement under trees that canopy the street is stained with the sticky stuff. Aphids and scale insects are the culprits. Like the tent caterpillars, these insects cause us some inconvenience, but do little damage to the trees.
These bulging insect populations are a great source of food for adult birds, including hummingbirds (who eat aphids), busy with the task of feeding rapidly growing chicks.
You will notice increased activity at hummingbird feeders in the next few weeks as fledglings begin vying for a turn at nectar feeders. Female hummers can produce two broods during the warm weather nesting season. Some male birds may become less territorial at feeders and begin drifting south later in July. Please keep nectar feeders clean during our hottest weather. Replace nectar when it becomes cloudy.
June was a very busy month for our growing population of Black Bears. We've gotten reports of damaged feeders and hardware, especially from Leelanau County. Cubs in the second season with sows received an abrupt farewell from Mom bears as they are ready to be bred again to produce the next litter of cubs. Male bears roam in search of receptive females, and for a short time it seems as though the bears are everywhere. Don't panic, things will soon settle down as bears return to their normal secluded, secretive habits.
Young Rose-breasted Grosbeaks should start showing up at feeding stations. First arrivals will be young begging from adults at feeders. In areas where feeders are close to windows you may want to place Window Alert decals on the glass panes. Young grosbeaks are often lost to window strikes this time of year.
My backyard rain gauge has been a very useful tool this last week. At midsummer, lake effect sunshine begins to dry things out. Keep birdbaths scrubbed out and filled with fresh water.
Mister/Drippers are a great way to keep the fresh water flowing during hot weather. Misters are perfect for hummers. They bath in flight often hovering against wet foliage for a refreshing shower. Drippers can be adjusted to match the evaporation rate of water in a birdbath, keeping a fresh supply of water ready all the time. The constant drip, drip, drip sound of water attracts birds and keeps mosquitoes from laying eggs in your water source.
The collie boyz and I are looking forward to beach walks and splashing in the refreshing waves on the shores of Lake Michigan. I'll be gobbling down sweet cherries soon and thinking about an August journal as I kick back to enjoy the secret lives of birds in our backyard gardens."
