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.

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.

  

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.

To view the web version or post a comment, go to http://duncraft.atom5.com/attracting-purple-ma-3723.html

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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

To go to duncraft.com--click here

http://duncraft.atom5.com/welcome-winter-birds-3658.html

To create your own Blog at Atom5, go to http://www.atom5.com]]> http://duncraft.atom5.com/welcome-winter-birds-3658.html http://duncraft.atom5.com/welcome-winter-birds-3658.html#c http://duncraft.atom5.com/hangers-poles-make-w-3592.html Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:58:14 -0600 To go to duncraft.com--click here

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

To go to duncraft.com--click here

http://duncraft.atom5.com/hangers-poles-make-w-3592.html

To create your own Blog at Atom5, go to http://www.atom5.com]]> http://duncraft.atom5.com/hangers-poles-make-w-3592.html http://duncraft.atom5.com/hangers-poles-make-w-3592.html#c http://duncraft.atom5.com/whats-new-at-duncraf-3580.html Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:15:06 -0600 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 in”!  Have fun designing your backyard with a whole new look!

      The Fathom Feeder            The Pagoda Feeder                The Gecko Feeder

     The Solstice Feeder           The Patriot Feeder                The Sea Shore Feeder

       

 

Duncraft, Inc.  102 Fisherville Road  Concord NH  03303

800-763-7878

 

To go to duncraft.com--click here

 

http://duncraft.atom5.com/whats-new-at-duncraf-3580.html

To create your own Blog at Atom5, go to http://www.atom5.com]]> http://duncraft.atom5.com/whats-new-at-duncraf-3580.html http://duncraft.atom5.com/whats-new-at-duncraf-3580.html#c http://duncraft.atom5.com/birdcam-3579.html Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:38:07 -0600 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 days, in almost all of the weather North Carolina can dish out, from a pretty cold January morning to torrid June, to the passing of tropical storm Hannah. The unit cheerfully endured a range of 17 degrees F to 101 degrees F, wind gusts up to 52 mph, freezing rain, and a rainfall of 4.72” in one day. It snapped pictures as early as 6:21 AM and as late as 7:51 PM. 

I’ve logged 25,742 photos (1,084 of which were added to my “best of” folder) and 1,892 10 second films, at 22 different feeder/habitat “looks”. I recorded 31 different species, including four that reached the BirdCam life list, and I made six short movies that I posted on Youtube. All of this, save one day, took place just in my own back yard.  I also snapped, not exactly with a great deal of happiness, 6,877 photos of squirrels. I believe I have used all the features of the camera at least once, save the time lapse mode (we’ll give that a try one day!).

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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 Waxwings and Black-capped Chickadees. 

  

Irruptions are not the same as migration. Migrating birds leave every year, and generally for the same wintering grounds, usually in Central and South America, where they remain until spring. Irruptive species don't travel to South America, but stay in the U.S. and Canada. Some winters they may not move at all from their wintering grounds, but during other winters they will travel great distances to follow a food source. During an irruption, these northern birds have been seen as far south as Texas.  

Irruptive birds are seed-eating birds and an irruption will occur when seed supplies in their wintering areas become scarce. Then the birds simultaneously take flight to a new location with more abundant food sources. At any given time in the winter, there are usually at least one or two species irrupting in North America. Irruptions are not particularly predictable, but they do coincide with years when the birds natural foods are limited. Sometimes only a few species will be irrupting, and in other winters, many. However, when all the winter finches irrupt, it’s called a “superflight”. Irruptions and superflights have been tracked over the years by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and you can participate in their Irruptive Bird Survey.

How lucky to awake one morning to a large flock of grosbeaks or siskins! They may not stay long, but studies have shown that if the new area has a steady supply of winter food, birds may abandon their old wintering grounds and adopt the new one, staying to nest in the spring. But whether they stay long or not, you can be sure of one thing—they’re going to be hungry! So, what can you feed them? Here’s a listing that will help you out!

http://duncraft.atom5.com/irruptive-winter-fin-3576.html

To create your own Blog at Atom5, go to http://www.atom5.com]]> http://duncraft.atom5.com/irruptive-winter-fin-3576.html http://duncraft.atom5.com/irruptive-winter-fin-3576.html#c http://duncraft.atom5.com/introducing-your-fri-3548.html Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:13:50 -0600 To go to duncraft.com--click here

Times like these and the simple pleasures of feeding the birds are too good to keep to yourself!  Why not let your friends and family in on the fun? A simple, inexpensive gift of bird seed and a bird feeder will get them started instantly. Make sure you recommend hanging the feeder outside a window where the birds are easily seen. Children especially love birds and it’s a great activity for them to share with parents and grandparents. Once they see birds coming to the feeder and you help them learn what the birds are, they’ll be hooked for life—it’s addictive! And when birthdays and holidays come along, birders are so easy to buy for--birding books, binoculars, bird prints, bird seed, feeders and more feeders!

       

http://duncraft.atom5.com/introducing-your-fri-3548.html

To create your own Blog at Atom5, go to http://www.atom5.com]]> http://duncraft.atom5.com/introducing-your-fri-3548.html http://duncraft.atom5.com/introducing-your-fri-3548.html#c http://duncraft.atom5.com/helping-winter-birds-3543.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:50:35 -0600 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 nights by providing shelters where they can escape freezing winds and icy temperatures.   

 

One way to help the birds stay warm is to leave your bird houses up all winter. Stuffing cotton nesting materials and dried grasses inside will help insulate them, and the box will serve as a cozy place for birds to get out of the elements. Blocking the ventilation holes will help too. You can stuff cotton, hay or grasses in the openings or anything else that will keep out the drafts. Just remember to remove these materials in spring, before nesting begins.

 

An inexpensive way to help birds in winter is to put out thatched roosting pockets. Put out as many as you can, so more birds can find shelter in them. You can stuff the insides of these with nesting materials too, such as cotton and grasses.

 

Roosting boxes are even better. These have the entrance hole at the bottom and perches inside for roosting. Having the hole at the bottom keeps warm air up inside the box. Sometimes many birds will share the same roosting box. Facing the opening in a southerly position will help warm the box in late afternoon. 

 

Finally, you can hang nesting materials out in winter for those birds that have found shelter in natural cavities. Birds will take thecotton, grasses and other materials and stuff them into tree holes or anywhere else they have found a place to spend the night.

 

By taking a few steps now—stuffing your bird houses, putting out roosting pockets, roosting boxes and hanging stuffing materials, your birds will be able to find and get used to their new shelters well before the worst of winter really sets in.

 

Duncraft, Inc.  102 Fisherville Road,  Concord  NH  03303

800-593-7878

To go to duncraft.com--click here

http://duncraft.atom5.com/helping-winter-birds-3543.html

To create your own Blog at Atom5, go to http://www.atom5.com]]> http://duncraft.atom5.com/helping-winter-birds-3543.html http://duncraft.atom5.com/helping-winter-birds-3543.html#c http://duncraft.atom5.com/barred-owls-3542.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:04:18 -0600 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 have been recorded. And of all the owls, he’s the one most likely to be heard in the daytime, although I’ve only heard them in the dark of night.

Barred Owls are mainly nocturnal and hide their daytime roosts extremely well. They’re good-sized at about 21 inches long, with dark barring on the upper chest—hence their name—and a streaked breast. They have a round face with no ear tufts and they have dark eyes while most owls’ eyes are yellow. Interestingly, the owl’s ears are placed at different levels in it’s head to help determine if sounds are coming from above or below. And although an owl’s head has a great range of motion, it’s a myth that they can turn their heads completely around.

Like all owls, Barred Owls are carnivores and eat mammals such as mice, rabbits, bats, fish and snakes. They eat the entire animal and in the process, they swallow a lot of material they can’t digest, such as bones and fur. These are regurgitated in the form of a pellet. If you find these pellets under a tree, you’ll most likely discover an owl’s roosting spot above. Barred Owls are found in the eastern half of the U.S. and up into western Canada. As they progress westward, they have been blamed for usurping nesting sites of the Spotted Owl and also hybridizing with them, leading to lower populations of Spotted Owls. But the Barred Owl has it’s own problems—one of it’s major predators is the aggressive Great Horned Owl.  

   

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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. 

Window feeders are great for this. Some window feeders attach to the outside of the window with suctions cups. They are simple and inexpensive, but they really bring birds up close! Duncraft began business making window feeders, and 57 years later, they’re still a big hit! You can choose a simple platform, a hopper feeder, window feeders with roofs, even window feeders that have two hoppers for offering different kinds of seeds and feeders with mirrored backs to prevent the birds from seeing the activity inside the house. If you want a fancier variety, Duncraft offers a beautiful, wooden window feeder that attaches to your window with suction cups for the closest viewing ever. And there are a multitude of hummingbird window feeders, too!

Create windowscapes with multi-armed hangers—hang bird feeders and flowers

These days, the deck, patio and porch are integral parts of a home’s living space. You can make these spaces even more enjoyable by using hangers that easily clamp to a deck rail. Some clamp-on hangers offer multiple places to hang feeders and flowers—always a lovely combination—while other, single arm hangers feature a particularly striking feeder. Use several around the deck, alternating flowers and feeders. You can even use one for a hanging waterer and enjoy watching birds drink and bathe while you relax on your favorite outdoor chair. And don't forget hummingbird feeders! 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 same rules apply—hang seed feeders, hanging waterers, or hummingbird feeders, but add colorful baskets of flowers to optimize your viewing pleasure!

Wall mount your feeders outside a frequently viewed window—no ground space needed!

    

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