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Science Fair Project: Duncraft's No Waste Seeds Win!

"Hi--We thought you might like to know that our 11 yr. old daughter tested birdseeds this year for her science project. She used 4 of the same feeders on one tree branch all of which contained different blends of seed. Two were purchased from you and two from local stores. They were measured daily. Results: Your Four Seasons No Waste was by FAR the big winner!  And your Super No-Waste came in second! After the experiment was over she switched the feeder placement on the branch. The same pattern continued with with Four Seasons No Waste as the absolute favorite!!!  Needless to say, both No Waste blends are now our food of choice for our ... (read more)

Survey: Is Your Backyard Wildlife Friendly?

Hello Folks!

We're curious as to how many of you provide all four essential elements required for wildlife to survive and thrive. Does your yard currently offer birds and other creatures: food, water, shelter and places to raise their young? Let us know. Simply post your comment and tell us if you are providing these four essentials. Any additional detailed information you care to share is also welcome! Thanks, Michelle

 

 

Sharon and Darryl Vaught share their Tennessee orioles

(Photos and story sent in to us by Darryl and Sharon Vaught) This is our first year to have Baltimore Orioles in our yard, and they first came to feed on our hummingbird feeders (note the picture showing a female oriole and a hummingbird together on the same feeder)!  We immediately started putting out orange halves and set up a couple of oriole nectar feeders as well, and they quickly began to visit them. We are including representative photos (out of many that we have taken).  Some are better quality than others, but each shows the striking plumage, and at least a few of the interesting poses these birds have shown off for us in the short ... (read more)

More great oriole photos!

 (Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) Barbara Friederich I look forward to the return of the Orioles every year. They seem to come to my window to let me know that they are back and want to eat!             Wayne Wentworth While making coffee I looked out to view this event taking place. This is the first opportunity for me to take a picture of the orioles. My wife and I were very excited to see these beauties especially knowing that a pair was visiting the feeder, both male and female.                   Marg Petersen, Maplewood, MN. Here is a picture of an ... (read more)

Your Oriole Photos

Hello Folks! Enjoy these Oriole photos sent in to us by Duncraft customers...Michelle         From Sam Wilson in Arizona:  Hooded Oriole        From Melanie Chesser:  Orchard Oriole   These are some of the oriole pictures I got last week. It ended up being a 1st year, 1st summer, male orchard oriole. I really enjoyed him. Had to ask an expert exaxtly what kind it was though.            Nell Obsharsky            Kathy Ceno  I am in Upper Michigan ..... waaaaaaaaay north. Almost as far north as you can go. ... (read more)

Attract More Hummers!

(Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) Hummingbirds - Joyas Voladoras  When the Spanish first saw hummingbirds in the New World, they called them joyas voladoras; flying jewels. Hummingbirds are often described as gem-like or jewel-like because of their brilliant iridescent coloring. Some hummingbirds are iridescent all over while on others, the brightest colors appear on the gorget, an area on the front of the bird's neck. Usually the female birds do not exhibit the brightest colors, but they still have an iridescent sheen about them. The color on a hummingbird isn't caused by pigment in their feathers. Instead, the top layer of a feather is covered with ... (read more)

Wings & Water

(Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) Water is a very important element to add to your backyard habitat. Birds need water not only for drinking and bathing but also for many other reasons. Adding water to your backyard helps to attract birds of different species. Birds do not drink a large amount of water, but they do drink some and need good sources all year long. Birds also require water for grooming--to keep feathers in top flight condition, so important for the ability to fly efficiently and to evade predators. Birds also find relief in water during periods of molting. A non-scientific reason for birds to take advantage of water may simply be that they ... (read more)

Attracting Orioles

 (Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) When we think of orioles, most people think of a vibrantly colored black and orange bird, but there are six species of orioles in the US, and they are all different.  The males usually have a black back, wings, head or face combined with variations of yellow or orange. The eastern Baltimore Oriole is a rich orange, while the Bullock's is more orange-yellow. The beautiful Scott's Oriole is a brilliant lemon yellow in contrast to the Orchard Oriole that is a rusty chestnut color.  Male orioles don't attain their fully colored plumage until their second fall.  During their first ... (read more)

Squirrel Photo Mystery--Solved!

Squirrel Photo Contest Mystery--Now Solved! (I saw this question posed to Photo Contest Winner #3...thought you all might be curious to read the response from our photographer, Bill G.) Question to Winner #3.... story behind your photo??? Any clue as to why he was holding his tail???  Posted by Jan on Monday, March 24, 2008 06:54 PM Response from Bill G.   Funny you should ask. I took this photo yesterday. Squirrels are always scratching something, and frequently take their tails and bite through the fur the entire length of the tail. I assume to rid it of fleas or some other biting insect. In the case of photo  # 3,  I ... (read more)

The American Goldfinch

(Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) Did you know that a flock of goldfinches is called a "charm"? There are three species of goldfinches in the US; the Lesser and Lawrence's, found in the southwest, and the American Goldfinch, which can be observed almost everywhere, except in the high Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains.  One of our best loved songbirds, the American male (all decked out in his summer plumage) is absolutely brilliant! You can't help but take note when he enters your yard with his bold lemony colored body in dramatic contrast to his black cap and wings.  In winter, his plumage resembles that of the females and first year ... (read more)

And Your Winner is....

Squirrel Photo Contest Winner Results! What a success! We had about 1,200 votes--and your comments were terrific. Here are your amazing top three winners and I'm pleased to say that each one of our photo finalists (all 24!) received votes. What fun this contest was for all who entered and voted! Stay tuned for future contest announcements. Congratulations to all of our winners and each fabulous contest participant! Your #1 photo: by Kelly B., from Riverside, Illinois This note from our winner... First off, thank you to all who voted for "Uh Oh Squirrel."  He is a cutie.  I was asked to give a little ... (read more)

Vote Now for Your Favorite Squirrel Photo!

(Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) Let the Voting Begin! Wow! You submitted over 600 entries (and more than 800 photos) for this contest--a higher number than any past photo contest we've run! And trying to narrow down the field of finalists was not easy--as you will see from the total number of finalists we've chosen. To Vote: Click on each photo to view it full screen, then post a comment with the number of your photo pick. Have a great time...and don't forget...we welcome all votes so invite your friends and family to join in the ... (read more)

'Little Bitty'...A Squirrel Tale

(Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) Hi, This is a picture of my little friend. I saved her life almost two years ago. She was about to drown and I rescued her. She was so exhausted and frightened and she just sat by me for a little while. I was able to pat her back. When she regained her strength, off she went into the woods. (I live in a beautiful wooded area in the country.) Every morning I put out some whole peanuts for the squirrels, scrub jays, titmice and woodpeckers. Shortly after the rescue of 'Little Bitty', she started coming up to me to get her own peanut. She will now come to my door and look inside. She will come to my kitchen window and look ... (read more)

Fun with Squirrels Photo Contest

Hurry! You only have about two weeks left to enter this photo contest...then the voting will begin! One of our Duncraft customers suggested the theme for this photo contest--Fun with Squirrels. Let's face it--whether you think they are cute or just plain ol' pains in the you-know-what, squirrels are interesting little creatures. And they just happen to be incredibly photogenic! Digital images that are clear, uncropped and in a large-size format (the highest quality your camera can output) work best for an online photo contest. Pictures will be collected through 3/2 and voting will take place shortly thereafter. The winner can select either our Squirrel ... (read more)

Attract Bluebirds To Your Backyard

(Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) Bluebirds are, without question, 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 food. Although bluebirds are now making a comeback, there was a time when their ... (read more)

Proper Care of Mealworms

(Go back to duncraft.com)  Some birds are not seed eaters: their main source of nutrition is live insects. Other birds that do eat seed also enjoy a supplemental snack of live insect protein. For both kinds of diets, live mealworms are an ideal food. When you add live mealworms to your bird food menu, you'll attract: bluebirds,  cardinals, jays, kinglets, orioles, robins, tanagers, thrushes, titmice, warblers, and waxwings. The following is a list of tips you need in order to properly store and care for this live bird food. First, we recommend you purchase your mealworms from a reputable mail-order company, rather than a ... (read more)

The Great Backyard Bird Count

 (Go back to duncraft.com) The Great Backyard Bird Count! February 15 - 18th    For four days each year in February, Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology jointly sponsor the Great Backyard Bird Count—and they need your help! It's easy to participate and the information you provide helps scientists determine how weather and disease may affect bird populations, where "irruptive" species (increasing rapidly and suddenly in number) are appearing, and how migration timing compares with previous years as well as lots of other data.   Here's how you can join in the effort: plan to count birds for at least ... (read more)

Prepare for Spring Nesting Season

(Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) Although spring sometimes seems slow in coming, it certainly doesn't for the birds. Some of our summer birds have already returned from their winter migration grounds. Most of them have traveled thousands of miles on their journey north and now face the stress of finding nesting sites, procuring a mate and rearing young. In addition, many species of summer songbirds are declining as nesting sites dwindle due to loss of habitat. The ideal backyard habitat offers birds nesting boxes, nesting materials, food and water to ease the stress of the mating season and help to boost the survival ... (read more)

Spring Migration

  (Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) North American birds that migrate do so by means of a complicated network of flyways and routes. The largest geographical areas of travel in North America are known as the Atlantic, Pacific, Central and Mississippi Flyways. Within these flyways are countless routes which have been established by groups of birds coming and going from various locations. All the flyways converge in Panama, then spread out again throughout South America.  One of the first signs that spring has finally arrived is the return of summer songbirds to our feeders and the sound of their singing. Compared to ... (read more)

All About Cardinals

 (Back to Duncraft.com Home Page) For northerners, there is seldom a more welcome sight on a blustery fall or winter day than the flashy red male cardinal and his attractive mate.  Even their call, an exuberant "cheer, cheer, cheer" brightens up a dreary day.    But the Northern Cardinal was not always a northern bird.  Originally a bird of the southeast, early settlers there were reminded of the red robes of Roman Catholic Cardinals, and so named the bird. Its plumage was so favored, that before the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, thousands were captured and sold as caged birds to northerners and even shipped to ... (read more)

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