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The Little Bird That Could...
One half-pound bird, flying 20,000 miles each year from the Arctic in the summer to central/southern Argentina in the winter, reaching speeds up to 100 mph. Sounds unbelievable, doesn't it? Wait, there's more...one part of the journey traverses the Atlantic from eastern Canada to northern South America--some 3,000 miles nonstop! Who is this athletic aerialist? The American Golden-Plover.
American Golden-Plover
Photo by Kevin Karlson
Compliments of Thayer Birding Software  |
The Golden Plover is but one example of the amazing feats of migration. At a fraction of an ounce, Hummingbirds also fly thousands of miles, as does the Purple Martin. Why do they do it? Why leave the lap of tropical luxury to travel north to breed and then right back down south again come fall? The simple answer is food. A summer day can last as long as 16 hours in far northern reaches vs. 12 hour southern tropical days. When you're trying to feed a hungry brood that will increase in body weight by 50 times in just 2 weeks, you need all the time you can get to gather seeds, insects, fruits and nectar!
5 Ways to Help the Birds:
1. Keep those birdfeeders out and fully stocked to help fuel the migrant travellers!
Our best seller ever! Give them what they want! Cleans those tube feeders
2. Offer birds a variety of different foods to ensure they all have something to eat. Seed, nectar, nuts, suet and fruit will help attract as many birds as possible. pssst...Don't forget fresh water!
  
4. Let birds know your yard is a good place to stop. Create an oasis with fruit trees, flowers and shrubs to offer a natural food source, and do not remove fruit from the limbs. Fruit that stays on the plants through the winter will also provide food for winter birds.
5. Collisions with buildings is the leading cause of death to birds. If you live or work in a tall building, encourage neighbors and co-workers to turn off the lights at night. Save money and thousands of birds each year.
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The Big Year...The Movie
A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession
The Big Year | Steve Martin playing a birder? Yes, starring in the major motion picture, The Big Year, based on the best selling book by Mark Obmascik.
Shot in Vancouver and due out in 2011, the movie also stars Jack Black and Owen Wilson with Anjelica Huston. Just how exciting can a movie about birders be? Put it in the context of the TV hit, The Greatest Race except this is a year long, 275,000 mile, beat-the-clock oddyssey, ultimately leading one man to a new record-one so gigantic that it is unlikely ever to be bested . . . finding and identifying an extraordinary 745 different species by year-end. |
 Binocular Blowout!
The Vortex Fury is on Sale!
Put a Fury binocular to your eyes and experience its WOW factor. Why does the Fury perform beyond expectations? Because it is designed with the perfect formula for bright, crisp details-phase corrected and silver-coated prisms, XR multi-coatings, and a five-element eyepiece. Waterproof, argon purged, and backed by Vortex's VIP unconditional lifetime warranty, the Fury binocular is meant to last for generations. See for yourself why the Fury is the perfect choice.
Fury Binoculars
on Sale!  |
Retail Price: $409.00
Sale Price: $235.00 10x32 Fury Binocular
Retail Price: $379.00
Sale Price: $220.00
Quantities are limited and we cannot guarantee availability! You will never see prices like this again!
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Good birding!
Pete Thayer & The Wildbirds.com Team!
WildBirds.com
809 Walkerbilt Rd.
Suite 4 Naples, Florida 34110
800-865-2473 |
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Thayer Birding Software |
I've never seen that bird before!
Fall migration brings birds you've never seen before--birds that are "just passing through" and not common to your region.
Be able to identify 957 birds of North America, including 31 "accidental" species.
Windows/iPhone/iPod/MP3 compatible.
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Did you find a bird... |
That hit a building?
1. Pick it up gently and place it inside a brown paper bag or small cardboard box.
2. Do not handle the bird more than necessary.
3. Make sure the bird is sitting upright to aid normal respiration. If the bird is leaning to one side, make a donut-shape using tissue or paper towel and place the bird in the center.
4. Call your local conservancy, wildlife department or audubon society for further direction.
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20 Wacky Bird Facts |
WindStar Wildlife Institute provides new ways you can improve your own habitat to attract more birds and animals. It also has tons of information on birds, such as...
Did You Know...
- The goose was the first bird to be domesticated by man? An ancient story tells how a flock of white geese raised the alarm when Rome was attacked by the Gauls, and thus saved the city. Incidentally, speaking of the ancient Romans, they also ate flamingo tongues and regarded them as a rare delicacy.
-The emperor penguin incubates the penguin egg by balancing it on his feet and covering it with the bottom of his belly? Penguins openly accept same-sex commitments and gay penguin couples are a common sight in penguin colonies.
-A group of chickens is called a peep? There are more chickens in the world than people...They are also the closest living relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex.
Read more zany facts!
There are 17 different kinds of penguins found from the South Pole all the way up to the equator! Learn all about these delightful birds!
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A Gift Card is Never Wrong! | |
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