Watch Your Birds Bathe

Enjoy Watching Your Birds Bathe, Dip, Play and Preen in a See-Through and Easy to Maintain Birdbath You Can Place Anywhere in Your Yard

CONCORD, N.H. — Duncraft Wild Bird Blog — Our pole-mounted Clear Birdbath with Post is the most practical way to keep your birdbath clean and keep your birds coming back. So easy to clean, you can wipe the basin right where it stands without taking the bath apart. Place near your patio, in your garden or beside a flower patch to make your yard more bird-friendly and attract robins, and other birds that won’t often visit feeders, for more bird variety.

“Like all animals, birds need water to survive,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Though they can extract some moisture from their food, most birds drink water every day. Birds also use water for bathing, to clean their feathers and remove parasites. After splashing around in a bath for a few minutes, a bird usually perches in a sunny spot and fluffs its feathers out to dry. Then it carefully preens each feather, adding a protective coating of oil secreted by a gland at the base of its tail.” Birds preen their feathers on a regular basis to make sure they can fly away from predators at a moment’s notice with a greater chance for survival.

Perfect for attracting smaller, colorful songbirds, our Clear Birdbath with Post has a narrow lip for perching and a two inch deep basin — an ideal depth for bathing birds and preferred by most small songbirds. Easy to install, this low maintenance bath includes a two-piece sectional pole that stands 36 inches tall before being inserted six inches into the ground with a flanged pole end for greater stability in almost any soil. Made in the USA with a basin made from one solid piece of clearview plastic for better bird watching season after season. The bathing basin measures 16 inches in diameter with plenty of room for smaller birds to play and preen, while the rubber grommet creates a watertight seal.

“The best birdbaths are designed with the birds in mind,” said Melissa Mayntz, the Birding and Wild Birds Expert on About.com. While “a narrow lip is a more comfortable perch for small birds,” Melissa continued, “the height of the birdbath is critical for which birds will readily drink from it. Smaller birds are comfortable at taller baths that give them a better field of view.”

Perfect for helping you relax on a warm summer’s day, “The clear plastic bowl looks great from the side when the breeze moves the water,” wrote Duncraft.com customer Paul from Swansea, MA. Unlike other birdbaths, our see-through plastic bath lets you see how much fun the birds are having as they bathe, play and preen — with great bird watching from any angle. Find our Clear Birdbath with Post onDuncraft.com.

Ready-to-Use EZNectar

You’re making nectar at home…is it three cups water to one cup sugar? or four cups water? Instead of finding a calculator to figure out exactly how much nectar to make for your 16 oz. hummingbird feeder without having an exorbitant amount leftover, pause for a moment. Making nectar doesn’t have to be this hard, be gentle with yourself and take a well-deserved break.

With EZNectar, the nectar is already made. Unlike other nectars available on the market, this is the only one made with the exact ingredients you use at home. With a mother’s touch, this sugar and water formula is mixed to the exact proportions you use to provide hummingbirds with the nutrients they need to maintain their awe-inspiring acrobatics and survive migration. Made without dyes, electrolytes or preservatives, EZNectar promotes healthy hummingbirds — and lively hummingbirds are something we can all appreciate.

The most important thing to remember when feeding hummingbirds is…fresh nectar. And continually providing fresh nectar on a regular basis. During the summer, temperatures can easily reach into the 90’s and above. And while we may be enjoying the nice weather by spending the day in our garden, these hot temperatures can be a real threat to birds as small as the hummingbird, with the Ruby-throated weighing a mere tenth of an ounce — or as much as a penny. When temperatures rise, the sugar in hummingbird feeders starts to ferment within a day or two, which causes mold to form. You can recognize this as little black dots in the nectar. In the same way some people are allergic to mold, hummingbirds have a poor response to this toxic substance. Mold can be fatal to humans and hummers alike, which is why it’s so important to clean your feeder every day or at least every other day. Using pre-made nectar makes this process much easier, so you can get on with your day.

Fortunately, since you’re filling your feeders with EZNectar Hummingbird Nectar, you can easily refill your existing feeders. Since this hummingbird nectar comes sealed in a Tetra Pak and stays fresh until you need it, you can swap out the nectar at any time and serve the freshest homemade nectar in your feeder. Your hummingbirds are going to thank you by coming back to visit! Each hummingbird is relying on you for proper health to make it through migration, so you may as well make it easy to serve your hummingbirds fresh nectar daily by having it at the ready.

Whatever the size of your hummingbird feeder at home, make sure you always have homemade nectar on hand so it’s easier for you to get on with your day. Make nectar feeding easy with EZNectar, so you can spend more time watching your amazing, acrobatic hummingbirds. Learn more about this 100% all natural Ready-to-Use Hummingbird Nectar on Duncraft.com. Or create a separate feeding station for your territorial hummingbirds with this handy Disposable Hummingbird Feeder — place several around your yard to encourage peaceful hummingbird feeding. Enjoy learning more about EZNectar in the following video, which is worth watching. Happy Birding!

About Seed Blocks

How Seed Blocks Can Attract More Wildlife to Your Yard, While Keeping Squirrels Away from Your Bird Feeders and Providing You with a Cleaner Lawn

CONCORD, N.H. — Duncraft Wild Bird Blog — Made from generous amounts of premium bird seed, our solid seed blocks bring nature to you by attracting a wide variety of birds and other wildlife to your yard. You can attract cardinals, chickadees, finches, juncos, titmice and woodpeckers, while keeping doves, jays, chipmunks and squirrels away from your other bird feeders.

Even if you’ve never used seed blocks before, you can place one on the edge of your yard, like Duncraft customer Jan P. did — and look forward to your surprise visitors. “The next morning I was delighted to see a large flock of wild turkeys surrounding the block and eating to their hearts’ content!” Jan shared with us. “What a sight! Now they are frequent visitors to my yard.”

Create frequent visitors of all kinds with convenient seed blocks. Establish separate feeding areas to distract any unwelcome guests from your bird feeders, including squirrels, raccoons and deer. By offering these guests their own feeder, you’re distracting them in order to reduce waste at your existing feeders while creating a safe haven for smaller songbirds. Locate your seed block several feet away from your feeders or place in separate corners of your yard. Seed blocks can help you keep any mischievous visitors at bay, so you can control how much seed is used — without risking any damage to your existing bird feeders. So you can enjoy watching the birds you love!

Make the most of your bird feeding budget by using our hearty seed blocks, which can last for weeks at a time — without having to spend another dime. While seed blocks take longer to finish, the process is more enjoyable because you get to watch birds chip off the seeds they want a little at a time. Safe for birds and critters to eat, the gelatin — or edible “glue” used in seed blocks — helps maintain their shape as the seed gets eaten bit by bit, keeping the seed off your lawn. Place the seed block under a bush to provide hungry songbirds extra protection from hawks scouring the area.

Our seed blocks are available in five delicious flavors: Black Oil Sunflower Seed, Very Berry, Premium, Critter Block and Wildlife Snack. Our blocks are made in the USA from the finest and freshest possible ingredients, since we give the A-okay on every single shipment of bird seed we receive and send it back if it doesn’t meet our standards. Find our bird seed block ingredients online. Place bird seed blocks on a platform feeder to attract clinging and perching birds. Choose from our ground seed block feeder or our hanging seed block feeder, safe from the reach of ground predators. Happy Birding!

About Painted Buntings

Painted Buntings have amazing colors–like a rainbow or a brightly colored crayon drawing of a bird. Believe it or not, Painted Buntings make their home right here in the U.S.! They can be found throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi during the summer, reaching into northeastern Mexico. Once it’s time to migrate, Painted Buntings fly through Mexico and Florida to spend the winter in Central America and the southern part of Florida.

A determined bird, the Painted Bunting has been known to fly through spiderwebs in order to catch an easy snack. Consider this nature’s way of offering “fast food!” While this bunting prefers to eat seeds most of the year, they switch to insects during breeding season in order to supply their nestlings with protein. Painted Buntings catch grasshoppers, weevils and other beetles, caterpillars, bugs, spiders, snails, wasps and flies. It may be of interest to note, as colorful as these birds are–their favorite seed is plain as can be. Fill your caged tube feeder with white millet, easily found in mixed seed blends, to attract Painted Buntings.

When looking for Painted Buntings in your yard, you can see them at almost any level, either on the ground or foraging in trees 30 feet above ground. Consider your landscape when attracting them because these birds prefer to visit feeders surrounded by low, dense vegetation. Remember, birds feel an extra sense of security when there are bushes or shrubs for them to scoot into when larger birds swoop in for a surprise visit. Birds are more likely to visit a feeder when they can see a hiding spot nearby, so adding low-growing bushes or shrubs can encourage Painted Buntings to visit your yard. With Painted Buntings, a little white millet and a caged tube feeder go a long way! As you can see.

Remember when there was a Painted Bunting spotted far from home, in Vermont? It was pretty memorable! Here’s a link to the rare bird alert. Enjoy your backyard bird fun and Happy Birding!

About Indigo Buntings

We’ve recently been asked how you can attract Indigo Buntings to your yard. Our Facebook fan Valorie asked the following question, since Indigo Buntings are new to her backyard: We’ve had 3 of these beauties in the yard (never have before), is there a way to get them to stay? Do they eat anything special that I can put out for them?

What a wonderful question, Valorie. Thank you for asking! As it turns out, there are at least six common types of buntings in the U.S., including the well-loved Painted Bunting, Indigo Bunting, Snow Bunting, Lazuli Bunting, Varied Bunting and Lark Bunting. For the purpose of answering your question and learning more about the Indigo Bunting, we’re going to focus on the Indigo Bunting in this article.

The Indigo Bunting is a beautiful bird common throughout most of the U.S., from Maine to the southeastern tip of California, although they spend the winter in Central America. Often confused with the Blue Grosbeak, the Indigo Bunting is all blue with black wing edges while the Blue Grosbeak has obvious rusty bars on its wings.

When you look for the Indigo Bunting, look high and low because these birds can be found foraging on the ground or picking insects from leaves at any height on a tree. During the warm summer months, the Indigo Bunting forages alone for small seeds, buds, berries and insects including caterpillars, grasshoppers, aphids, cicadas and beetles. During the cold winter months their diet changes to mostly seeds with occasional insects. Indigo Buntings also like to eat blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, serviceberries and elderberries. Plant berry shrubs in your backyard to help attract these beautiful blue buntings!

Indigo Buntings produce two broods each year and nest along roadsides, in fields or on the edge of forests. Preferring to nest in a concealed location near the ground, their nests can be found three feet above the ground and tucked between the fork of intertwining branches.

It seems one of the Indigo Bunting’s favorite pastimes is singing along the roadside. When you find yourself driving along rural roads, open your window for the chance to hear their bouncey song. Indigo Buntings can sing for hours at a time and are quite active around dawn when they sing up to 200 songs per hour and continue the day with about one song per minute. Each bunting’s song is slightly different because young “Indigo Buntings learn their songs from males near where they settle to breed, and this leads to ‘song neighborhoods’ in which all nearby males sing songs that are similar to each other and that are different from those sung more than a few hundred yards away.”

Because Indigo Buntings tend to be shy at feeders, choose a caged tube feeder to protect these beauties from larger birds. Fill your feeder with Nyjer seed or whole sunflower hearts, or sprinkle a few mealworms in a hanging hopper or platform feeder, to attract Indigo Buntings to your backyard. Enjoy your beautiful birds and Happy Birding!

Houses for Bluebird Trails

Easy to Clean, Tried-and-True Bluebird Houses for Bluebird Trails
Protect Nesting Bluebirds from Invasive Cavity Nesters with the Gilwood House’s Smaller Nesting Cavity, a Tried-and-True Bluebird House Design Originally Created by Field Expert Steve Gilbertson

CONCORD, N.H. — Like many nesting birds, bluebirds are susceptible to losing their nesting box to larger, invasive cavity nesters, including House Sparrows and starlings. However, there are natural ways to discourage these unwelcome cavity nesters. According to Sialis.org, “Boxes should be properly designed (with correct hole size) for small cavity nesters you want to attract, with a door or roof that opens for monitoring and cleaning, and be solidly constructed so they will keep rain and predators out, and last for years.”

Bluebird house specialist and creator of the Gilwood house Steve Gilbertson, spent years on his bluebird trail testing bluebird houses to see which one they prefer. He observed bluebirds paid, “a lot of attention to these four elements [entry hole, nesting depth, cavity size and ambient light level] when selecting a nestbox.” Originally designed by Gilbertson, the Gilwood Bluebird House uses several of these features to deter larger birds. The 3/8 inch metal wire rod stretches across the entrance to reduce the entry hole to 1-1/2 inches to keep out larger birds, while letting in the desirable amount of ambient light and ventilation to attract nesting bluebirds. Since starlings and other invasive nesters prefer larger nesting cavities, the Gilwood’s proven 4-1/4 x 3-1/2 inch flooring provides bluebirds with additional, and necessary, protection.

After years of trail research, “[Dick Peterson and myself] discovered that the birds, when given the choice, were more inclined to choose a nest box with a floor size of between fourteen and sixteen square inches. A floor size in this range would serve another purpose: it deters the European Starling, a competitor species that prefers a much larger cavity.”

Gilbertson continued, “The Peterson nestbox has a nesting area of around fourteen square inches [at nest level], and starlings almost never attempt to nest in that box! even though they can squeeze through the Peterson oval entry.” Although Steve Gilbertson is now retired, his legacy of proven bluebird house designs continues to live on at Duncraft, where the durable Bird-Safe® Peterson Eco Bluebird House is now available in new colors: classic Duncraft green and brown.

“It is our responsibility to keep the birds safe by designing and building a nestbox that is tight and dry, won’t overheat and is easy to monitor,” noted Steve Gilbertson, who is recognized for his vital contributions to bluebird recovery. Two new Duncraft bluebird houses pay heed to Gilbertson’s insight with a double layer roof on the Bluebird Trail House & Pole and Gilwood Bluebird Slotbox & Pole to better reflect the hot sun and prevent nestlings from overheating.

Protect your bluebirds from predators with the following tried-and-true bluebird house designs, inspired by Steve Gilbertson: Gilwood Bluebird Nest Box & Pole, Bluebird Trail House & Pole, Gilwood Bluebird Slotbox & Pole, Bird-Safe® Peterson Eco Bluebird House and Bluebird House with Pole & Noel Guard available at Duncraft.com.

About Duncraft

In 1952, Duncraft, based in Concord, NH, became a leader in the backyard bird feeding industry with their original Flight Deck Windowsill Feeding Station, an innovative design at the time, bringing birds close-up while enjoying bird seed, peanut butter and water right outside your window. Today, Duncraft manufactures more than 600 original bird feeders and houses, designed for intermediate to advanced bird lovers. A national provider of backyard bird feeding supplies, Duncraft connects you with the products you need to succeed in your bird feeding adventures with products for beginner to expert bird enthusiasts. Browse 53 expertly crafted bluebird houses at http://www.duncraft.com.

SOURCE Duncraft | Wild Bird Superstore

Start a Bluebird Trail

“Nesting boxes are everywhere. Really, there are too many. But they are for bluebirds, and there can never be too many bluebirds.” — Shirl Brunell, I Hear Bluebirds

CONCORD, N.H. — One person can make a world of difference when caring for local bluebirds on a bluebird trail. What we call a bluebird trail is a collection of between 5 to 6 or more bluebird houses located within relative distance from each other. Depending on which bluebird species you want to attract, these houses may be placed 100 to 300 yards apart, so nesting bluebirds can safely guard their territory while encouraging the survival of all nesting bluebirds. There are three species of bluebirds living in the United States, ranging from the Western Bluebird to the Mountain Bluebird and the Eastern Bluebird.

According to Cornell University’s Department of Natural Resources’ article called “How to Make and Enjoy Your Own Blue Bird Trail” by Mr. Richard Wells, “The eastern bluebird population may have plummeted as much as 90% due to shortage of natural cavities for nesting, competition from house sparrows and starlings, and pesticides. What is needed is a widespread effort to help the bluebirds in its struggles and an easy way to help is to provide nesting sites. Bluebird trails are becoming increasingly popular and are a source of great pleasure and satisfaction to those who operate them.”

“Where you choose to place the box is as important as how the box is designed. Bluebirds are birds of open areas. They rarely nest in wooded areas, but will nest in clearings. Open areas with scattered trees are best. Open fields are suitable if there are posts or wires for perching. Look for any area where the vegetation is kept short by mowing, or grazing such as parks, campgrounds, pastures, large lawns, cemeteries, golf courses and abandoned orchards. Proper placement of your nesting box (boxes) can encourage bluebirds and discourage other competing birds and predators. The boxes should be mounted 4 to 5 feet from the ground. It is recommended that they be placed 100 yards apart because bluebirds establish a territory during the nesting season and a nesting pair will not allow other bluebirds to enter their territory,” added Mr. Richard Wells.

This may be of note, the longer you maintain your bluebird trail and protect your nesting bluebirds from predators, the more bluebirds you can expect to see in the following years. While you may luck out and see bluebirds during your first season, Dr. Richard Wells points out, “it may take about six years to build up a substantial population of bluebirds. I can guarantee it is worth the wait.”

Sialis.org offers this gentle reminder, “It’s never too late to put up a nestbox, as they may be used for a subsequent nesting, for roosting, and are also often checked out in the fall by birds that may return the following spring.”

About Duncraft

In 1952, Duncraft, based in Concord, NH, became a leader in the backyard bird feeding industry with their original Flight Deck Windowsill Feeding Station, an innovative design at the time, bringing birds close-up while enjoying bird seed, peanut butter and water right outside your window. Today, Duncraft manufactures more than 600 original bird feeders and houses, designed for intermediate to advanced bird lovers. A national provider of backyard bird feeding supplies, Duncraft connects you with the products you need to succeed in your bird feeding adventures with products for beginner to expert bird enthusiasts. 

A Gardener’s Best Friends

Ladybugs are found around the world, in nursery rhymes, folklore, toys, art and windowsills. They’re considered to be good luck charms, and gardeners know just how lucky they can be! Female ladybugs lay tiny eggs on the undersides of leaves, usually near aphid colonies. Once the larvae hatch, they can eat over 350 aphids during the two weeks it takes them to reach their full growth. An adult ladybug can eat up to 75 aphids in a day. Good luck for gardeners, but not so much for aphids and other garden pests like fruit flies, thrips and mites.

There are about 5,000 different species around the world, and around 400 found in the US. You can’t tell a ladybug’s age from the number of spots on the wings, but it can help you figure out which species it is. The number of spots vary by species. So does the color; both the wings and the spots come in a rainbow of different colors and combinations. Sometimes they have stripes instead of spots! And guess what – their spots don’t fade with age, as many of us think.

I bet you didn’t know this: ladybugs make good astronauts. Ladybugs will climb up a plant to capture aphids, but when the aphids sense them coming, the little pests will just drop off the plant to escape. Scientists were curious how this would work in a zero gravity environment, so in 1999, NASA sent four ladybugs and some aphids into space to learn about the effects of low gravity on predator-prey relationships. Good news for the gardeners of the future – ladybugs hunt aphids in space!

If you’re still gardening here on earth, you might like a few tips for attracting these cute and helpful little beetles to your garden:

• Ladybugs don’t just eat insects – they also eat pollen. Make sure your plantings include plants with shallow flowers, like cosmos, marigolds, calendula, dill, coriander and Sweet Alyssum.
• Ladybugs spend about half of their lives searching for water. Make their lives easier by putting out a few very shallow basins of water for them, and they’ll be happy to stick around! Overturned jar lids, or shallow bird baths with a few rocks to land on work well.
• Offer shelter, like our adorable Eco-Ladybug House. Hang it in your garden so the ladybugs have a warm, dry place to spend cooler nights. They may even use it for their winter hibernation, ensuring that our favorite beetles will be back again next year.
• How about a ladybug feeder? Find a piece of tubing (think PVC pipe or even bamboo) about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, and about 10 inches long. Thread a piece of twine through it and knot the ends to create a hanger. A couple of raisins or crumbs of cheese will help keep the ladybugs happy when the aphids are in short supply.

Whether you call them ladybugs, ladybirds, or lady beetles, these helpful (and cute) little insects will help keep your garden free of nasty pests. I hope they’ll also bring you a few smiles and plenty of good luck.

Learn About Grackles

You can’t deny that grackles are pretty birds, with their purplish blue iridescence and bright yellow eyes.  They are the largest of our native blackbirds, about the size of a Mourning Dove or Blue Jay.

They eat just about anything, including small fish, reptiles, amphibians, and crustaceans. In the winter their diet is mostly grain, but during the summer about 30 percent of their diet is insects, including lawn and garden pests like grubs and Japanese Beetles. But they also mob our bird feeders, driving away other songbirds.  They can decimate a suet block or empty a seed feeder in no time. So how to keep them out of your feeders?

Keep cracked corn and milo out of your feeders; they are favorite grackle treats. They may be less inclined to eat safflower seed, so that’s something you might try.

Avoid platform feeders and feeders with trays where the grackles can land. Instead, try a weight activated feeder, which can be set to exclude the large grackles.

Caged feeders work well, both for suet and seed. Make sure the feed is far enough from the caging so the grackles can’t reach in to nosh. Grackles don’t like to cling, so the mesh feeders and upside-down feeders may also help discourage the greedy fellows.

Shorten perches or use perch-less feeders. The little clinging birds will love it, and the grackles won’t be able to land and eat. The Satellite and Cling-A-Wing could be good choices.

Wait it out! The spring and fall migration periods are when the grackles visit our backyard feeders the most. If they’re really a problem, just remove your feeders for a couple of weeks until the large flocks of migrating grackles move on.

We hope that some of these tips will help you with your grackle problems. If you’d like more information or assistance choosing the best feeder for your needs, please contact our customer service department. One of our bird experts will be happy to help you.

Happy Birding!

National Bird Feeding Month

Offer Birds Fresh Water in a Heated Bath for Drinking and Preening to Keep Their Feathers Clean and Support Birds’ Fast Metabolisms with High-Energy Seed and Suet in Cold Weather

Concord, NH — 02/24/2016 –National Bird Feeding Month started on February 23, 1994 when Illinois representative John Porter read a new entry into the Congressional Record identifying February as the month wild birds need the most help.

February was chosen because it’s the coldest month in many states across the U.S., which means natural food and water sources for birds are no longer available. In many cases, the fruit on the trees has dried up or ponds have frozen over, eliminating high-energy foods and fresh water birds rely on to maintain their energy levels which reduces their chances of survival.

Bird feeding is a popular pastime enjoyed by people of all ages, especially with older generations introducing the joy of bird watching to younger generations. Representative Porter established, “Bird feeding provides a needed break from today’s frantic lifestyles. Adults enjoy the relaxation and peacefulness afforded by watching birds — nature serves to relieve the stress and can get one’s day going on a tranquil note.”

“[National Bird Feeding Month in February] is right in the middle of two transition times,” stated Mike Dunn, owner of Duncraft, a family-owned bird feeding company. “The first migration of the year takes place [in the U.S.] between early March and late May when birds return to the northern states. The second migration takes place around October [between early September to late November in the U.S.], making February the perfect month to take care of birds when natural resources are scarce.

“Start prepping for housing in the spring–in February or March,” Dunn continued, “so then the migrating birds have something to look for. By getting your house up and starting to feed the birds, you can expect 2-3 broods.”

Feeding the birds during winter can be as simple as scattering a handful of seed on the ground or by placing suet cakes or fresh black oil sunflower seed in your bird feeder. After National Bird Feeding Month ends, every citizen is encouraged to continue feeding the birds for a beautiful flash of color in their yard and to promote a healthy environment.

Duncraft has everything you need to attract and feed the birds in any weather with a complete bird feeding selection available 24/7.

About Duncraft

In 1952, Duncraft, based in Concord, NH, became a leader in the backyard bird feeding industry with their original Flight Deck Windowsill Feeding Station, an innovative design at the time, bringing birds close-up while enjoying bird seed, peanut butter and water right outside your window. Today, Duncraft manufactures more than 600 original bird feeders and houses, designed for intermediate to advanced bird lovers. A national provider of backyard bird feeding supplies, Duncraft connects you with the products you need to succeed in your bird feeding adventures. Shop Duncraft’s website for a complete selection of bird feeding supplies for beginner to expert bird enthusiasts.