MY BIRDS PICS: 2012-11-04

Experience the new year-round, interactive lorikeet exhibit

Visitors will experience up-close and personal the majestic and colorful lories, or lorikeets, in our new, year-round, walk-through aviary. Often referred to as the clowns of the parrot world, lories are playful, colorful parrots from Australia. Not only are these birds charismatic, but they are very unique in that they eat nectar.

Their specialized tongues look like a bottle-brush and they use them to scoop out nectar from flowers. Visitors will experience this sensation as the lories will fly, or jump down, landing on hands, heads or whatever else they feel is a good perch and eat the nectar directly from the guest’s cup.

Admission
$1 per person, includes a nectar cup (plus Park admission)
Additional nectar cups $1

HoursWednesday - Saturday
9:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(Closed 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

Sunday10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(Closed 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

Rufous-sided Towhees in Our Yard!

The Rufous-Sided Towhee has a scientific name that is nearly impossible to pronounce (Pipilo erythrophthalmus). Translated it means “red-eyed chirper” refering to the red eye and its most common call, “chewink”. In fact, this bird is sometimes called Chewink. The Eastern and Spotted Towhee were once considered a single species (Rufous-sided Towhee) but not any longer.

This information covers the general habits and identifications of Towhee’s. The appearance of this bird varies in different parts of the country. Male Towhees are 7 to 9 inches in length, the eastern birds have dark heads and backs, rufous sides, a white belly, and a red eye. In the West they have a similar appearance except that they also have white spots on their dark wings and back. And in the South they may have a white eye instead of red. Females are smiliar to the males in appearance, but the black areas are more of a brown or brownish gray. Mating Habits You’ll most likely hear these birds than see them since they are a secretive bird.

Males usually arrive first and begin singing to announce and defend their territory of about 1 1/2 to 2 acres. When the female arrives and the two pair, the male will discontinue his singing and the pair will begin using the “chewink” call to keep in contact with one another. Nesting Habits The female does all building of the nest. A cup of grass, twigs and rootlets hidden on the ground, usually under the bough of a tree or shrub. These nests can be difficult to find since the female does not fly directly to the nest. Instead,

she lands a few feet away and using the cover of brush, walks to the nest. The female lays 2 to 6 cream-colored or greenish eggs that are spotted with brown which she incubates for 12 – 13 days. The young will leave the nest in 10 – 12 days after hatching. During nest building and incubation, the male towhee will rarely come near the nest. After the young hatch, the male helps feed the nestlings. Feeding Habits The feeding habits of the Towhee are a bit unusual. A ground feeding bird, their behavior is similar to that of the white-throated sparrow.

They hop forward and then jump backward, dragging their feet to pull leaves and debris to reveal insects and seeds. These birds are primarily seed and berry eaters, they will eat insects during spring and summer when found on the ground. A ground platform feeder placed near underbrush may attract the Towhee to feed in your yard. Keeping in mind the slightest disturbance will have them diving for cover.

few weeks ago I noticed two spotted Rufous-sided Towhees frolicking in the bushes and trees at the side of our house. They were visible from my kitchen window. I wasn’t sure but they appeared to be going through some kind of mating ritual. After a week or so I only saw one towhee and was afraid that something had happened to the other. Then, yesterday when I was watering my front yard I saw a Rufous-sided Towhee on my next door neighbors sidewalk. I assume it was one of the ones I’d seen previously but can’t be sure about my assumption since this was on the opposite side of the house from where I first viewed the pair. I heard the bird calling and then saw a fledgling Rufous-sided Towhee a few feet away from the adult bird. The fledgling had a very short tail with few tail feathers and had dark mottled-color feathers over the remainder of the body. I later saw two adult birds and was pleased to know that both were alive and well!

Nesting Materials Attract Bird Families!

Putting up bird houses is a great way to bring nesting birds into your yard. And it helps the birds by providing nesting spots that are sometimes difficult for birds to find, especially if there is a lot of competition for those spots in the area.Some birds nest in cavities, such as old woodpecker holes in trees or in natural cavities caused by broken-off branches.

These are the birds that will also use a nesting box or bird house. But many other birds build open-cupped nests in the branches of a tree or shrub, or build specialized nests such as the hanging bag-like nest the orioles make.

No matter what types nests your birds build, almost all of them use soft materials that dry quickly to line their nests. You can help all your birds by providing natural cotton fibers, pieces of thread or yarn, feathers, aspen fibers, or even Spanish moss. Birds will also use fresh green moss as well as string, animal hair and pine needles in their nests.

Provide nesting materials for your birds. You can simply hang a mesh produce bag of natural cotton fibers from a branch. Or you can use a hanging nesting basket filled with cotton and then refill it with cotton or other nesting materials such as aspen fibers and Spanish moss. Use grapevine balls filled with cotton. These are also refillable! An unused suet feeder also makes a great nesting materials holder.You’ll love watching the birds come and go as they pull out tufts of materials to carry back to their nesting site. And by offering the proper materials that provide the softest lining, the best insulation, and the driest nests, you’ll be ensuring that your baby birds have the best chance at survival. And next year these same babies will return to build nests of their own in your backyard!

Mama Barred Owl is Back!

Wild Birds Unlimited’s Owl Box Cam Resident

Everyone at Wild Birds Unlimited is excited to announce the launch of Owl Box Cam. For a second consecutive year, they have the pleasure of watching a mama Barred Owl raise her young and share in all the milestones. Currently mama is on two eggs, which should be hatching very soon!

An 11 year project, this is the second year that Jim Carpenter, President, Founder and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited has successfully attracted a Barred Owl to his nesting box, located in northwest Indianapolis, Indiana. Owl Box Cam is live streaming during daylight hours (US Eastern Time).Enjoy many of the milestones from last year’s brood (Sarah & Percy) bywatching these recorded videos. With Owl Box Cam, we hope to bring people and nature together by sharing our joy and passion for the hobby of backyard bird feeding and the natural world all around us.Please visit Wildbirds Unlimited Blog visit our blog to share your comments and observations about mama and her young.

Lesser Goldfinch

American Goldfinch and Lesser Goldfinch both eat seeds at my backyard feeders. They are year round residents here in northern California.

American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) and Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria) are members of the family Fringillidae and the genus Carduelis.

Finches are small, colorful birds with conical bills adapted to seed cracking. They nest in late summer, after most birds have fledged their young. They build finely woven cup nests in trees and shrubs, lining them with thistle and milkweed down. Females usually do the nest building and incubation, while males contribute food to them and their young.

Their food preferences are thistle seed, sunflower seed, and sunflower hearts.Last week a female Lesser Goldfinch collected nesting materials from one of my hanging flower baskets while the male Lesser Goldfinch perched atop a stake nearby. I was able to get photos of the male but the female flitted around too much and I could not get a clear picture.

Athletic Birds (13 pics)

All these parrots are very unusual. They participated in the Bird Sports Meeting in China showing their personal best in weightlifting, skating, rolling, acrobatics and other sports.

Kung Fu, Birds Style (7 pics )

Just like Kung Fu Panda, these birds seem to have studied martial arts.

Just like Kung Fu Panda, these birds seem to have studied martial arts.

Post 4 ,,Beautiful Birds of the World

Who knew there were so many gorgeous birds in the world? This collection will introduce you to all kinds of colorful pigeons, parrots, hummingbirds, toucans and many others. Beautiful Birds of the World