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 Tuesday, February 16, 2010 12:48 PM
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Welcome winter birds with ice-free water!
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 dripping icicle. But this is energy better spent in keeping warm. A bird bath supplied with fresh water will make winter much easier on the birds. (Waxwings and Robins photo by Joyce Gibson).

A heated bird bath or bird bath heater can keep an area of water open enough for birds to get a drink. Birds won't normally bathe in temperatures lower than 32 degrees because the water may freeze on their feathers. For this reason, make the bath shallow enough that birds won't be tempted to bathe. This can be done by adding sand, pebbles, aquarium gravel or clay bird bath fillers to the bath to create different levels of water and also ice-free places for the birds to land. If there is suddenly a warm, sunny spell, go ahead and add more water to your bath on that day so the birds can bathe if they want to, but remember to empty some when the weather turns cold again.
It's alright if the heated bath or water heater leaves some ice around the edges of the bath. This is a visual cue for birds to refrain from bathing when the weather is too cold.
Heated baths offer the convenience of having the heater as an integral part of the bath. All that's required is to plug it in. Some are designed to hide the cord in winter, while others offer a socket in the base of the bowl so your extension cord can be removed completely.
If you have an existing bath and plan to use a separate heater, be sure that the bath is rated to be safe with a heater. Then, make sure that the heater is completely submerged. This enables the thermostat in the heater to work properly, turning on when the water temperature approaches freezing and shutting off when the water reaches about 40 or 45 degrees. If the heater is exposed to the air, it will detect air temperature rather than water temperature and may not turn off properly. You can anchor the heater in place with a rock or other landing place for the birds.
The wattage of a heater will tell you how effective the heater will be. Most heaters are in the 75 to 200 watt range which is more than enough for most situations. Compare it to the heat radiated from a 100 watt light bulb. All heated baths and bath heaters come with a relatively short cord so the connection with an extension cord will be above snow level. Make sure your extension cord is rated for outdoor use and waterproof the connection by wrapping with electrical tape. A last precaution is to plug your extension cord into a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet.
Another consideration for the winter bath is its location. Keep the bath away from bushes and shrubs where predators can hide. Having your bath near a tree is better so the birds will have a high place to retreat if they are disturbed when drinking or bathing. Having the bath in a sunny, southern location will also cut down on the amount of time the heater needs to stay on. And keep the bath clean. A change of water and a scrubbing at least once a week is best; more frequently if bird seed or droppings are seen in the bath. Bird diseases are frequently spread through droppings and contaminated seed, so it's very important to keep your baths and feeders clean all year round.
Duncraft, Inc. 102 Fisherville Road Concord NH 03303
800-593-5858
To go to duncraft.com--click here
- 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
- 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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Irruptive Winter Finches!
(go back to duncraft.com) You may think that now our summer birds have migrated south, you won’t be seeing any new birds this winter. Think again! You might be treated to a visit by Red or White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, or Redpolls. That’s because these birds are considered an “irruptive” species—a large number of birds that suddenly leave their normal wintering grounds for areas where they’re not normally seen. And other birds are known to do this too, such as Red-breasted Nuthatches, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Bohemian ... (read more)
- Posted at Thursday, December 10, 2009 09:52 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 Monday, November 23, 2009 09:13 AM
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Helping Winter Birds Find Night-time Shelter
To go to duncraft.com--click here All winter long, a bird’s most difficult task is to continually forage enough food during the day to provide the calories they need to keep warm at night when they aren’t eating. Cold winter wind saps energy and warmth from birds, and this is especially so at night when their reserves aren’t being replenished. And if a bird’s energy reserves are compromised during the night, it makes the next day’s survival that much more difficult. Most of us provide birds with food and water during the day, but we can go one step further. We can help birds make it through long, winter ... (read more)
- Posted at Thursday, November 19, 2009 01:50 PM
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Barred Owls!
To go to duncraft.com--click here The first time I heard Barred Owls was on a camp-out. Two of them were trading calls in the middle of the night from each side of a wide field. The sound was positively eerie! And two times in the last week, I’ve heard a Barred Owl calling at about 4:30 a.m in my back yard. Now that I know what I’m hearing, it’s more fascinating than frightening! The Barred Owl’s most typical call, and the only one I’ve heard, has been described as a hooting, “who-cooks…who-cooks-for-you-all” with a drawn-out, decending “all” at the end. But many other vocalizations ... (read more)
- Posted at Wednesday, November 18, 2009 08:04 AM
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Use Poles and Hangers to Create Beautiful Windowscapes and See Birds Better
To go to duncraft.com--click here Too often, bird feeders are hung on the handiest tree in the yard. That’s great if the tree is close to the house and near a window that you look out often. But if your view is mostly out to the front yard and the feeder is in the backyard, you’re not going to catch a lot of bird activity. Poles and hangers can bring birds up close to decks and porches and near the windows where you spend the most time indoors. Think about creating attractive windowscapes that you can enjoy from the rooms you use most. Here’s how to do it! Position your bird feeders for easy viewing from your ... (read more)
- Posted at Tuesday, November 17, 2009 09:02 AM
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