Attracting Purple Martins

New martin houses must be put up very early in the spring. Most are equipped with door plugs to keep out invasive house sparrows and starlings that arrive earlier in spring than martins do. You'll have to be very dilligent in keeping these birds out of your houses and also be on the watch for other predators such as rodents. You can track the martin's journey north on the Purple Martin Society's website. But don't be discouraged if martins don’t occupy your house at first. Often it takes a few years for the right colony to find your house and settle in. Purple Martin decoys placed on the house help create the appearance of a nesting colony and may help attract new martins. And once martins begin to nest in your house, they will be back year after year. For expert assistance choosing martin houses, poles and accessories, contact us at:
Duncraft, Inc. 102 Fisherville Road, Concord NH 03303 800-593-5656
- Posted at Wednesday, July 28, 2010 02:20 PM
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The Beautiful Great Egret
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All summer long on my commute home from work, I had been seeing a group of Great Blue Herons in a marshy, beaver pond right off the highway. I was surprised that there were so many together, usually three to six at a time, feeding in the water.
birds, but I felt lucky to see them as I whizzed past.
The Great Egret is now a common bird in the U.S. and can be seen in a variety of wetland habitats, including marshes, coastal tide flats, rivers, streams and flooded fields. They feed mostly on fish, but will also eat frogs, crayfish, small mammals and reptiles. They stalk their prey slowly and methodically, then strike out quickly to stab with their long bill. Their nests are built of sticks and greens and can be found in trees or shrubs with other herons and egrets. Great Egrets are migratory in their northern ranges, but are very influenced by temperature. During mild winters, they may stay in their summer breeding grounds as long as the waters stay open. If the waters freeze, Great Egrets will migrate southward, either alone or in loose v-shaped flocks.- Posted at Wednesday, July 7, 2010 07:45 AM
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Attract insect-eating and fruit-loving birds with suet!
To go to duncraft.com--click here
Birds are always eating to satisfy their constant demand for energy--and fat provides the most concentrated source of calories in a bird’s diet. That translates into energy for flying, keeping warm, nesting, raising young and foraging. No wonder birds crave suet! In fact, you can attract many more birds with suet than you can with bird seed. Suet attracts insect and fruit eaters that
won’t come to eat at a seed feeder.
balls, fed from a suet ball feeder, suet plugs to fill a suet log feeder and suet nuggets. Nuts'n Bugs is a mix of suet and dried insects, perfect for insect eaters! And you can offer other types of high fat foods that will attract these birds too, such as peanut butter, vegetable shortening, and vegetable based suet pellets.Duncraft, Inc. 102 Fisherville Road, Concord NH 03303
800-593-5656
- Posted at Friday, June 4, 2010 10:14 AM
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Attract and enjoy Bluebirds
Attract and enjoy Bluebirds! Bluebirds are one of the most beautiful and desired of backyard birds. They can be found all across the country–and their names correspond to the region in which they are found; Eastern, Mountain and Western. Each differ somewhat in appearance and song, but they are all equally breathtaking and also prefer similar habitats. Because they are insect eaters, mainly feeding on ground dwelling insects, they prefer open areas such as parks, orchards, pastures and cemetaries where it is easier to spot their prey. Although bluebirds are now making a comeback, there was a time when their numbers had seriously declined. The ... (read more)
- Posted at Monday, April 19, 2010 08:04 AM
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Introducing your Friends and Family to the Joy of Birds
To go to duncraft.com--click here What's more exciting for us birders than seeing a new bird at your feeder? I remember the first time I saw Evening Grosbeaks appear at my feeder, and then come back with a fledgling a few days later—I couldn't take my eyes off them. And I remember the summer I had orioles visit. On a whim, I put out some orange halves and hoped for the best—I was thrilled when two orioles showed up within days. I scrambled to find the binoculars so I could get a really good look. I’m sure you’ve done that too, and maybe even got a few snapshots. But I think I love bird feeding the most on a ... (read more)
- Posted at Friday, March 26, 2010 10:19 AM
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Choosing Bird Foods
(go back to duncraft.com) Choosing the right bird foods does make a difference in the kinds of birds you attract—and how much you spend on your hobby. Some people ask, "Why pay more for seed from a specialty catalog or a specialty store when you can get the same thing cheaper at the grocery store?" Well, it's not the same thing!—cheap bird seed is often full of sticks and other harvesting debris. And it usually contains a lot of “filler” seeds that most birds won’t eat, such as milo, wheat, and millet. These seeds are okay, but you don’t want them to predominate in the mix because they only ... (read more)
- Posted at Monday, March 15, 2010 01:26 PM
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Welcome winter birds with ice-free water!
To go to duncraft.com--click here All creatures need water, and birds are no exception. Birds bathe in water to keep their feathers in top flight condition and to help keep parasites at a minimum. Songbirds extract enough water from the fruits, berries and insects they eat in spring and summer, but these foods aren't available in winter. That's why providing drinking water in winter is especially important. Even an early fall frost can create an impenetrable layer of ice over a bird's normal water sources. Many times you will see birds gleaning water from leaves where melting frost provides a few small droplets, pecking at snow or drinking from a ... (read more)
- Posted at Thursday, January 7, 2010 11:10 AM
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Hangers and Poles make Winter Bird Feeding Easy!
To go to duncraft.com--click here Now is the time to start thinking about how you’re going to enjoy your birds this winter. When you have to tramp through deep snow and blowing winds to fill your feeders, some of the fun goes out of bird feeding! But the birds do need our help. What to do? Here are a few tips. Many times our largest feeders are stationed out in the middle of the yard on immovable poles or posts. These feeders can be filled on nicer days, but often these feeders go unfilled because it’s just too difficult to get out there and do it. Rather than let the birds go hungry, why not invest in a couple of poles and ... (read more)
- Posted at Friday, December 18, 2009 08:58 AM
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What's new at Duncraft?
To go to duncraft.com--click here At Duncraft, we’re constantly looking for new products for our customers—the latest and greatest! And we’ve just added a wonderful line of bird feeders in six themes from Woodstream’s Lifestyle Collection—Southwest, Asian, Beach, Heritage, Nautical and Whimsical! Each feeder is fully functional, and easy to clean and fill. They have all-metal parts with beautiful, rust-resistant finishes and durable, plastic tubes and hoppers. Such a fun way to feed the birds! Below you’ll find one example of each collection. See them all online–click on “Just ... (read more)
- Posted at Friday, December 11, 2009 02:15 PM
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The Wonderful Wingscapes BirdCam!
To go to duncraft.com--click here We recently awarded the Wingscapes BirdCam to our essay contest winner Mark Hudson. We hope he's enjoying it! And here is a letter from David Lindquist, telling of his experiences with this fantastic product! Just look at the action captured by the BirdCam! A whole new way to enjoy your birds! The BirdCam is a weatherproof, motion activated digital camera that takes videos and still pictures—outdoors where the birds are! (read more...) Yesterday I celebrated my first “BirdCam birthday”, having operated the product for one year. In that time, the camera was operating all but 20 ... (read more)
- Posted at Friday, December 11, 2009 09:38 AM
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