Ask Mark

We know from banding data that many of the bluebirds we have here in winter are actually northern birds who have moved down to more inhabitable areas. So the answer is not necessarily. The key to attracting nesting bluebirds is habitat and a well-placed box. While bluebirds may seek food in wooded areas in winter, they pre­fer open areas with scattered trees for nesting. You may see them visit a nest box as early as mid February but they will not get serious about nesting in our area until the first week or so of April.

Many birds only nest once each summer but most of our residents attempt multiple nestlings. It is always a good idea to clean out bluebird and wren houses after each nesting if you houses are designed to do this easily. Once young birds leave their nest, they do not return. Cleaning out the nest is a good way to prevent passing one set of problems along to new residents. Bluebirds will not use the same nesting materials and will simply build a new nest on top of the old. If the old nest had an issue with lice or mites, those problems will make it hard on the new hatchlings. The exact date for fall cleaning is tough. Since many species will attempt a nest very late in the season if conditions are favorable, I would put off your “winterizing” until October or so if you can.

Yes. Though rare, we know that a small population of rufous hummingbirds over winter in Florida. Many of those birds pass through our area each fall. One of my customers gave me a great description of an adult male rufous that visited his feeder for a day late last August. Keep your eyes open, take notes if you see something different and don’t hesitate to call me.

Well . . ., you may have heard me rant a little about the House Sparrows at my feeders and my desire to thin them out a little. Keep in mind I am talking about the non-native House or English Sparrow that crowd out our native birds. To learn more about the many wonderful native sparrows that can be attracted to your feeder station ask for a copy of Winter Sparrows, a reprint of an article I wrote for the Missouri Conservation magazine several years ago.

There are generally two major issues that plague birdbaths. First is their distance from cover. Just as with feeders, a birdbath that is too far from escape cover will make birds feel vulnerable. By far, the most common problem is that the birdbath in question is too deep. Birds need shallow water and most “bowls” don’t have shallow areas. We recommend placing rocks in a bath to give different depths of water but now we have a new option. The Bird Raft ™ is designed to fit in water features to create a shallow bird bath that can change with the feature’s depth.

Definitely. We have had loads of reports this spring of “never seen before” birds feeding on oranges and especially jelly. Aside from the Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, we have had the semi-regular Grey Catbirds, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, House Finches, Northern Cardinals, Cedar Waxwings, and Northern Mockingbirds. We’ve had reports of American Goldfinch, Scarlet Tanagers, Summer Tanager, Western Tanager (very rare in MO) and Tennessee Warblers feeding as well. Call or e-mail us if you have any species that we can add to the list.

Hummingbirds build their nest primarily from spider webs, moss and plant down. Songbird Station now has a new nesting helper that contains materials they can use as nest liner.

Goldfinches are resident birds that come and go from feeders primarily with wild food availability. In the early spring, one of the first wild seeds available are the dandelions. Soon to follow are the oaks, maples and other trees. Last year most of that food crop was killed by the “Easter Freeze” so goldfinches were plentiful at the feeders’ right through spring. Don’t fear, they will be back on and off through till July when they start nesting.

These two native sparrows are among the easiest birds to keep happy. They love white proso millet spread on a flat surface. A nice tray feeder low to the ground helps keep the seed dry but the sparrows are perfectly happy eating right off of the ground. See also new Ground Throw Mix.

As I almost always do with this kind of question, I look to what kind of summer we have had and what the natural food supply is like going into winter. The cool, wet summer has really produced a bountiful natural food supply and birds are reacting to that. Many woodpeckers, especially Red-headed's are driven by acorn supplies and will sometimes concentrate in areas where they are heavy. Rest assured that when times get tougher (low temperatures, ice, snow) they will be at your feeders just as often as any year.

Plain and simple, it really is expectations. The “cheap” birdseed blends are filled with fillers like milo, cracked corn, wheat, sticks, stems, rocks and who knows what else. If he is OK with feeding hordes of House Sparrows, grackle and Mourning Doves then the cheap mixes are probably fine. If he wants to attract cardinals, chickadees, flickers and other beautiful birds then he will do far better with quality seed. I can’t imagine a bag of the “cheep” seed costing much less than a 50lb bag of Black Oil Sunflower (the favorite seed of more birds than any other). If he does want to feed the sparrows and doves, he is better just buying a bag of White Proso Millet and spreading in on the ground and leaving the feeders for the sunflower and better birds. The proof is in the results. Give this a try and see what happens.

Yes. I have been using an extension cord (generally a 50 ft. one) with my deicers for 15 years and have never had a problem with them. I do have to get a little creative with my lawn chair placement to keep my chew happy Black Lab from getting to it. The most important safety precaution is to make sure it is plugged into a groundfault outlet.

No. Do not place dryer lint out for the birds. I know that several publications a few years ago put this out as a way to help birds and Ornithologist have been trying to undo this damage ever since. The fear is that the small dust that is present in lint will be dangerous for the hatchling’s lungs. We have many good alternatives here at the store. Nesting material wreaths, bells and cages can be filled over and over again with various refill packs that contain a mixture of strings, feathers, cotton, etc.

In the spring it is all about set up territories and finding a suitable place for a nest. If you have birds at your feeders in the spring but not during the early summer it usually means the females didn’t find the nesting conditions she wanted in your “yard”. Don’t feel bad, most of us do not have nesting hummers. The good news is the easiest time to attract them to your yard in the late summer. The more dedicated you are to your flowers and landscaping in the spring will pay dividends later.

Other than being twice as expensive as our house blend, there is very little difference. I always say that a sunflower is a sunflower no matter what color the bag is. A customer brought in one of these expensive bags of seed recently and here is what I found. They include four seeds that I would never use in my premium general seeds (white millet, red millet and canary seed and nyjer). I do use millet in my ground mixes to take care of the sparrows, dove and blackbirds. Canary seed, I do not use at all and nyjer is a finch seed that should be limited to use in finch feeders. Trying to put too many kinds of seed in the same bag, more often than not, leads to problems with less desirable birds.

It is definitely true. The Missouri Department of Conservation recommends that you do not intentionally feed critters such as raccoon and deer. There are many reasons but the picture here should illustrate the point well. One little masked bandit is cute but 17 are nothing but trouble. What do they do when the free food runs out? Trash cans, dog bowls, grill covers, anything that smell remotely like food is fair game. On top of all that, don’t forget that raccoons can carry rabies and distemper. Raccoon baffles from ERVA are super effective at keeping these rascals from climbing your feeder poles

The keys to keeping mosquitos from using your water features as a breeding ground is moving water. Our best selling device is the Water Wiggler. It is very simple and works great in most bird baths. Two D cell batteries make two “aggitators” run for weeks. The water surface constantly ripples so mosquito eggs will fall to the bottom of the bird bath.

People who are overrun by grackle can’t wait till they leave. Typically, they leave the feeders in August and move out into the farm country. They will head to the southern states in September/October. Until then, use Safflower, Nyjer and cage feeders to keep them in check.

American Goldfinches never leave our area. In the late summer early fall season, they primarily retreat to weedy fields to feast on Mother’s Nature’s bounty. Seeds from many weeds such as Giant Ragweed are just too plentiful to resist. By late November, those seeds are starting to drop to the ground and become harder to find, thus the return of the finches (in their winter plumage) to our feeders. Our number of our goldfinches can grow heavily in the winter as birds from Iowa, Minnesota and points even further north come here to overwinter.

If you think about what is happening in the plant world during the spring, you quickly realize this is probably the most important time to provide seed for birds. The natural seeds and berries that birds have been feeding on all winter are gone and freshly growing plants will not be producing any seed for quite a while. When you factor in the number of returning species like Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings, there is a good reason to feed birds for them and for us.

According to hummingbird “experts” , it is not good to use raw sugar. I understand this is a growing trend among many for human consumption but the fear is that there are more impurities in the raw sugar that could be harmful to the hummingbirds.

First, I am jealous of all the trees. You have great habitat for the birds and shouldn’t have to worry about furry creatures. One of the best performing products we have gotten in lately is Flaming Squirrel from Cole’s. Nothing is 100% effective for everybody, but this product has received extremely high reviews from our customers. It is a habenero oil that you mix in with your seed. Birds are not affected but most mammals can’t take the heat.

This is actually a very common problem and a simple fix. We have portal protectors from 3 different companies in stock. They come in 3 different sizes and easily drill into your box. If the hole is too big now, it is best to cut a new square of wood that will fit over the old hole, drill a new hole and attach the protecter to the new piece of wood.

The short answer is Yes. Wet seed leads to mold and promotes bacteria growth. The exception to the rule is if the seed is in a feeder that provides good protection and rain is followed by good sunlight and wind, the seed can dry quickly and your fine. If it is an extended period of rain and grey, overcast conditions, the seed will need to be thrown out. Adding a good hood to feeders that have hulless seed is especially helpful.

This is one of our signs of spring that we do not look forward to each year. In most years we start to see Brown-headed Cowbirds, Common Grackle and Red-winged Blackbirds showing up at feeders as early as late February. Last winter it was so cold and snowy during that time so they didn’t return in good numbers until late March. Many switch to Safflower in their open trays as the blackbird group really don’t like it. Caged feeders work extremely well against grackle for sunflower or peanuts.

Last summer, my nephew in North Carolina found this female Ruby-throated Hummingbird that had gotten tangled up in a web quite severely. Luckily he was able to get her cleaned up and on her way again.

The only real way is to feed hulless seeds like fine, medium or coarse kernels. Shelled peanuts will not germinate and neither will Nyjer seed (it has a seed coat but is sterilized before packaging). Regularly raking up the mess under your feeders can cut down on sprouting as can lots of Mourning Doves (the vacuum cleaners of the bird world).

I actually like to place nesting helpers out but you need to be selective. DO NOT use dryer lint. I know you probably have heard this from me before, but it is too dusty with very small particles. Use things like various lenths of strings, feathers, natural wool, fur (bison, Alpaca, dog, etc) and cotton. I like to place it under the overhang of my deck. Over 50 species of North American birds have been documented using people provided nesting materials.