Altricial Birds When do baby birds leave the nest (fledge)? Not all baby birds leave the nest in the same time frame. Some birds such as woodpeckers and songbirds (i.e. cardinals, chickadees, titmice, wrens, orioles, grosbeaks) are born with their eyes closed, are bald, completely helpless, and are totally dependent on their parents to keep […]
Category Archives: Backyard Birds
What Is A Fledgling?
What is a fledgling? A fledgling is a baby bird that has left its nest but is still being cared for by its parents. They have all of their feathers but they are not fully grown (i.e. short wings and tail) . You have probably seen plenty of fledglings this spring/summer already in your yard. […]
Identifying Bird Eggs Is Easy
Have you ever come across a a bird egg on the ground or in a nest and wondered what kind of bird laid that egg? It can be a real puzzler especially if you do not see any bird activity nearby. Here’s the good news…identifying bird eggs is easy if you know what […]
Should You Feed Birds In Summer?
Do you still feed the birds during the hot summer months? I certainly do because I enjoy watching my backyard visitors all year long. Plus, there are some birds that I only see in the summer time and if I didn’t have my bird feeders stocked with good food, I would probably miss them. […]
What Birds Eat Mosquitoes?
I think that you will agree with me that most people do not like mosquitoes. If you are like my husband you probably do not mind them because they do not bother you. However, when I am outdoors at night in particular, those blood sucking pests eat me alive. So I got to thinking, what […]
What Do Goldfinches Eat?
You may not notice these beauties during the winter time as they are pretty dull looking, but come springtime the males plumage starts to pop into a vibrant yellow coloring that really stands out in your garden. Do you know what bird I am talking about? Many people call them wild canaries but their actual […]
Birds in Your Backyard
Have you checked in your backyard garden lately? You might be surprised to see some new birds there. Spring migration is at its prime right now and it sure is very exciting! Just in the last few days here in Northern Kentucky, we have had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a Green Heron, a […]
Birds That Nest In Birdhouses
I’m pretty sure that a pair of Carolina Chickadees are building a nest or already have a nest in a birdhouse out in my yard. I thought it was the first time for a chickadee to build a nest in it but my husband reminded me that we had a pair two years ago. That […]
Attracting Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
Attracting Rose-breasted Grosbeaks was easy in our home over in Ohio. This was on six and a half acres that was mostly wooded. They were our welcome visitors for the entire summer there and I just loved them! They would come in to our platform feeder and at our window feeder (photo left) that was […]
How to Attract Orioles
Spring is such an exciting time for bird watching around my house here in Kentucky. Song birds are starting to arrive such as the Eastern Phoebe which has been here for about two weeks now, the Tree Swallow which I spotted just last week, and over this past weekend, the Chipping Sparrow. Warblers are […]