Attracting Purple Martins

(go to duncraft.com)male Purple Martin

Perhaps no other North American bird has a more interesting association with humans than the Purple Martin. As early as the 1800's, it was discovered that Native Americans had been providing the birds with hollowed out gourds to attract them to their dwellings. Martins were useful in driving off vultures, small hawks and crows from the vicinity, and it's possible that the Native Americans also appreciated the birds' voracious insect-eating appetites! 
 
Being insect eaters, martins won't be visitors at your feeders, but housing for martins is very important to the success of this bird. Over time, perhaps because of the safety of being near humans, and the success of provided nesting gourds, martins began to prefer nesting in close proximity to us and using man made housing over the natural cavities they previously used. Now martins use man made housing exclusively and are very particular about wanting to nest near their human benefactors.
  
All inclusive Purple Martin Package house and pole system 
The most important consideration for Martins is a proper habitat. The ideal spot for a Martin house would be in the center of a large open area, approximately 100 feet or less from your own dwelling and in fairly close proximity to a water source. Martins are strictly insect eaters and need open spaces to spot and dive for prey. Tall trees will harbor predators like hawks and owls, so Martins won't nest near wooded areas.Pre-assembled 12 room Purple Martin house
  
The next consideration in attracting and maintaining martins is housing. Make Duncraft your housing resource! Duncraft offers an excellent selection of martin houses and pole options. We have taken care to offer housing that has been time tested to be attractive to Martins, is easy to clean and maintain, and offer pole options that make accessing houses a breeze. And now Duncraft offers pre-assembled aluminum Martin houses. So, if you’re not handy, and dread figuring out all the pieces and screws, nuts and bolts it takes to assemble most aluminum martin houses, this could be the perfect option for you.
  
Male Purple MartinNew 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.
  
So, talk to other landlords, join a few on-line forums, continue to expand your knowledge and enjoy your new hobby. And don't forget, when your birds return next year to raise the another generation...you'll be a grandparent!

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For expert assistance choosing martin houses, poles and accessories, contact us at:

Duncraft, Inc.   102 Fisherville Road, Concord  NH  03303   800-593-5656

Welcome winter birds with ice-free water!

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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

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Hangers and Poles make Winter Bird Feeding Easy!

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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 hangers that can be used to move feeders closer to the house and also in position for better bird viewing?
The time to buy the poles and get them into the ground is now—before the ground freezes! With a little forethought, you can be enjoying beautiful bird views all winter long from the comfort of your house—and filling feeders will be easier than ever!
Bring birds up close to decks and porches with handy deck brackets
These days, the deck, patio and porch are integral parts of a home’s living space. In winter, these areas can be cleared of snow and made bird- friendly all year long by using hangers that easily clamp to a deck rail. Some clamp-on hangers offer multiple places to hang feeders, while other, single arm hangers feature a particularly striking feeder. For patios, use multi-armed hangers with ground stakes that can be pushed into the ground around the patio or porch’s seating spaces. The trick is to get them into the ground before it freezes!
 
Wall mount your feeders outside a frequently viewed window—no ground space needed!
Wall-mount hangers take up very little wall space, but really add impact. Most swivel on their hangers so that you can move them to the most ideal position. These work extremely well on the outside of a kitchen window over the sink, or outside the window of a breakfast nook. Think of the places where you spend a lot of time in the house and think of how pleasurable it would be to watch birds while you're there! Washing dishes is certainly not drudgery when you are viewing beautiful birds chirping and fluttering outside your window—and close enough to see every detail!
 
Another great place to put a pole and feeder would be at the end of a walkway, or along the side of the driveway. These are areas that are frequently kept clear of snow and makes reaching and filling feeders much easier. Keep seed handy and close by.  If the seed is located in the garage, use a container that deters mice and other critters from getting into it.  Another great idea is to freeze your five pound seed bags and suet.  Frozen seeds and suets are fine for the birds and freezing kills off any flour moths that might be present.  With a few new feeders and a couple of versatile, movable poles, you can be enjoying your winter birds like never before!
--R. Brune
Duncraft, Inc.  102 Fisherville Road   Concord NH  03303
800-593-5656

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)