Wild Bird Company
Quick Links
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Xcel Energy
Bird Cams
Osprey Cam
from Earth Cam
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| Osprey ©Wendy Marie Stuart |
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Wild Bird Company Saturday Bird Walk
(Every Saturday morning for our Colorado Birders)
Bird Watchers (that's us)
From 7:30 am (promptly)
to 10:00 am (approximately)
Every Saturday year-round. No reservations required. Every last Saturday of the month we travel further afield than normal and return a little later. Bird Walk locations are determined on the morning of the walk. All ages and birding abilities are welcome! Meet at Wild Bird Company 1641 - 28th St., Boulder, CO 80301
Call for more info: 303-442-1322 Wild Bird Company Weekly Bird Walk Newsletters & Bird Counts Wild Bird Company
Weekly Bird Walk Slide Shows
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Ask Steve
Q: When are my hummingbirds
going
to arrive?
A:
As a broad generalization, we always tell customers to expect their first hummingbirds on Tax Day (i.e. April 15). At least that gives a positive spin to the date. We had a few first sighting reports for a couple of weeks before the 15th, but many more just within a few days of the 15th. The snow storm put a hold on hummingbird activity for a few days, but I expect many more as the weather warms. Even though we get our first reports around Tax Day, the majority of hummingbirds won't return until late April/early May. Your first sighting will also depend on your altitude. The higher (and colder) you are, the later your average first sighting will be.
As for the snow storm and the well-being of the hummingbirds, hummingbirds are uniquely designed to withstand short periods of severe weather. They can enter into a state of torpor to conserve energy until the extreme conditions pass. That's not to say that all the early hummingbirds survived, but that is the gamble early returners take in order to establish prime nesting/feeding territories.
Q: Are my juncos leaving? I haven't seen them
around much lately.
A:
Probably. If you live on the plains or foothills below about 7000 ft, the dark-eyed juncos are only winter residents. We do have one subspecies, known as the gray-headed junco or more properly the gray-headed subspecies of a dark-eyed junco, which nests in the upper foothills and mountains along the Front Range. During the winter months, we get all of the dark-eyed junco subspecies. It's a veritable smorgasbord of earth tones sparrows with white outer tail feathers!
So it may be too late in the year for you to enjoy your juncos until next fall. One big hit among the juncos at my house is hanging millet sprays in the lilac bush. Try it next winter or now for other sparrows and ground feeders.
Q: How do I make my yard a migrant trap?
A:
Birders are always visiting their favorite migrant trap at this time of year. A migrant trap is quite simply a patch of habitat that is extraordinarily attractive to migrating songbirds. If you want to turn your yard into something extraordinarily attractive to the birds, the first thing to consider is the habitat of your property. Habitat is a big concept and it encompasses many aspects like the availability of food, water, shelter, and space. To improve your habitat you will have to address each of these aspects and come up with a plan because changing the habitat of your property will not be an immediate process. As you develop your plan, make sure to include many (if not all) native plants. Ornamental plants might be bird attractive because of their fruits, but they often do not have other attractive qualities like an associated insect fauna, which is very attractive to the birds. A recent study of black-capped chickadees showed that chickadees only nested in suburban landscapes where they had access to native trees. This study showed the necessity of feeding their nestlings insects from native trees. The insects associated with native trees will bring birds like warblers into your yard.
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Follow the Latest Sightings
on BirdTrax
As part of our new website, we have state portals which give links and resources specific to all of the 50 states. One of the great features on each state portal is an application called Birdtrax. This application is powered by eBird data to give you real time bird sightings. Bookmark the BirdTrax for your state and visit it often. This is also a great tool for planning some bird watching the next time you travel. On the link below choose the state you wish to view. Go to the Wild Bird Watching Resources Section and select BirdTrax. Then bookmark it for future reference.
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Like (follow & share)
Us on Facebook
Next time you are on Facebook please like us so you can view our slide shows from the bird walks and see other interesting bird and nature posts that we like and share. Click on our Facebook page (and click on the slide show link to see this week's images).
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Spring Break in San Francisco
by Steve Frye
During Spring Break my family travelled to San Francisco. We had wonderful weather and did all of the touristy things like go to Fisherman's Wharf and
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Golden Gate Bridge in
San Francisco
©Steve Frye
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ride cable cars. Of course, as an obligate bird watcher, I took every opportunity to look at the birds of the Bay Area. I added several life birds which is always a thrill and got to spend time with some familiar species in a different landscape. For instance, Brewer's Blackbirds in Colorado I always think of as a grassland blackbird out in open country with farmlands, pastures, and barbed wire fences. In San Francisco, Brewer's Blackbirds are plentiful in very urban settings. In fact, they seem to be filling the niche of "French Fry" bird instead of house sparrows at the fast food establishments.
Here is a List of the Birds I saw in the San Francisco Area.
I also have included a Slide Show and some video (at the end of this article) from our travels.
Steve's Bird Walks in San Francisco more . . .
Golden Gate Park--Stow Lake, San Francisco
, California, US Apr 2, 2016 12:30 PM - 1:15 PM
Golden Gate Park--San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Francisco, California, US Apr 2, 2016 1:15 PM - 3:30 PM
San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California, US Apr 3, 2016 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Presidio--Crissy Field Lagoon, San Francisco, California, US Apr 3, 2016 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, US Apr 4, 2016 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Land's End, San Francisco, California, US Apr 4, 2016 3:30 PM - 6:45 PM
Ocean Beach (SF Co.), San Francisco, California, US Apr 4, 2016 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Fort Baker, Marin, California, US Apr 5, 2016 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM
Muir Woods NM--Main Trail, Marin, California, US Apr 5, 2016 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Muir Beach
Marin, California, US Apr 5, 2016 5:15 PM - 6:20 PM
Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, US Apr 6, 2016 12:01 PM - 5:01 PM
Levi's Plaza, San Francisco, California, US Apr 7, 2016 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
____________________
Total Species Seen - 91
____________________
Videos From San Francisco
Bird Walk Slide Show from San Francisco
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Walk in the Wild
May 21st Festivities from 9am to 2pm
Walden Ponds Open Space
The Wild Bird Company and Environment for the Americas will host Walk in the Wild to commemorate International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) on May 21th. Please join us for some or all of the activities! We will have bird walks, live raptors, education stations, silent auction, and prizes. There will activities for all ages so come out and join in the fun. Also, please consider donating before or during the event to raise money for habitat restoration in Boulder County. See the link below for more information.
Note: The regular Saturday Morning Bird Walk from the Wild Bird Company will leave as always from the store promptly at 7:30am. We will end up at the Walk in the Wild to continue our birding.
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Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas II
E. Kingery, Editor and
Illustrated by Radeaux
The second edition of the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas is coming soon. It has been more than 15 years since the publication of the first Atlas and a lot has changed. The first edition will be hard to beat. It is fantastic-beautiful art work, great maps, and excellent species presentations of the breeding data and life histories. When I think of the changes I've seen in the last 15 years around my home, I can't image all of the changes this book will explore. You can order your copy of the Atlas and find out more about the book at the link below.
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Save 20% O
n
Outdoor Finch Mix
Available in
8, 20 and
per pound amounts
Outdoor Finch Mix is a great
all-purpose blend for platform and hopper feeders (but not for nyjer feeders). Try some today!
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Not to be combined with other offers.
Expires 5/31/16.
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Don't forget to pro-actively attract your favorite birds. Stop by the Wild Bird Company today or
Sincerely,
Stephen Frye
1.844.442.1322 (toll free)
Wild Bird Company Headquarters
1641- 28th Street, Boulder, CO 80301
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