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 hummingbird in the garden Wild Bird Center Saturday Walks:
From 7:30 am (promptly) to 9:45 am (approximately)
Every Saturday year-round.
Every last Saturday of the month we travel further afield than normal and return a little later.
Birdwalks
Special Bird Walk on Saturday, July 26!
This month our special walk on the last Saturday of July (7/26) will take us to Camp Dick and/or Ceran St. Vrain Trail to try to escape the heat and see some mountain birds. We will leave at our normal time, carpooling from the store at 7:30am promptly. We will return at about 11:30am. Be prepared for high altitude hiking.
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Wild Bird Center
of Boulder
Quick Links
Xcel Energy BirdCams
One fun way to participate in the lives of local birds is by viewing Xcel Energy's Web Cams
owl cam
eagle cam
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Nature Photography
by
Wendy Marie Stuart
golden eagle
photo by Wendy Marie Stuart
Visit our store to see a gallery of Wendy's matted and framed printsand greeting cards for all occasions or
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Photo Credits
"White-eared Hummingbird" by
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Welcome to "Boulder Backyards" white-eared hummingbird
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| - - - - - Coupon - - - - - Coupon - - - - - Coupon - - - - -
20% Off
Wild Bird Center
Pure Hummer Nectar
Tired of waiting around for the sugar in your hummingbird nectar to dissolve? Try Wild Bird Center Pure Hummer Nectar for the healthiest nectar that dissolves in an instant. 20% Off.
Reg $7.99/24 oz which makes 4 ½ quarts of nectar. - - - - - Coupon - - - - - Coupon - - - - - |
Attracting Hummingbirds
As we proceed into July, local and migrating hummingbirds are swarming at feeders and some even move out onto the plains. In May, we put an info page on our web site to answer many questions about attracting and feeding hummingbirds. One area covered by Hummingbird Basics is the subject of dealing with rufous hummingbirds. As the rufous push their way south, they tend to bully the other hummingbirds away from feeders. If you are having this problem, check out the advice on our web site in the Hummingbird Basics section.  rufous hummingbird
Hummingbird Demonstration Garden
Wild Bird Center staffer Marlene Bruning planted a hummingbird attractive garden outside the store this spring. The planter is located between the Boulder Vision Center and the Wild Bird Center. Many of the plants in the planter are also available as seeds at the Wild Bird Center. We are just entering hummingbird season on the plains so we haven't seen any hummers visiting yet, but I'm sure they'll show. The planter looks fantastic so come for a visit and be sure to tell Marlene it looks great and ask her about what's in there. |
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"On Zwecks Farm"
A photographic exhibit by Jane Gabrilove
At the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center
In the modern world of agribusiness and factory farms, some family farms survive, and even thrive. Photographer and Wild Bird Center Customer Jane Gabrilove has spent the last two years photographing Zweck's Farm, a Centennial Farm on the western edge of Longmont. An exhibit of her photographs, On Zweck's Farm, opens July 19 and runs through August 24, 2008.
photo by Jane Gabrilove
 Gabrilove's photographs record the richness of the land and its products. Bright red tomatoes, vibrant carrots, rainbow chard, and luscious raspberries provide mouth-watering evidence of the farm's success. Wildlife co-exists with agriculture, and more than a century of history permeates the photo by Jane Gabrilove landscape. As Gabrilove puts it, "The family, the land and the fruits of their relationship sing a song of life that, I would hope, would inspire us to appreciate the food that sustains us." The vegetables and cattle produced on Zweck's farm contribute to the growing "local food" movement. This movement aims to reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment by reducing he the distance from farmer to consumer. It also allows food to ripen naturally and arrive in stores fresh from the land.
Visitors to On Zweck's Farm will see color photographs that document each season in the life of this small modern farm, plus farm and beekeeping equipment.
Join us for a public reception featuring local food from area farms, including Zweck's Farm. | |
 Ask Steve
Q: We just found a baby bird, what should we do to help it?
A: In most cases, just leave it alone and make sure no obvious threats like cats, dogs, or cars are lurking nearby.
Most baby birds that people are concerned about have already fledged (left the nest). These birds are about the same size as their adult parents and are fully feathered. However, they still look a little dopey like most baby birds. Unless injured, these birds fare far better if left alone for their parents to tend to. It takes a few days for baby birds to coordinate flight, get their strength up, and to figure a few things out. This means they spend a lot of time on or near the ground. Does that mean that they are "safe"? No, like all animals, baby birds face daily threats. Some people are concerned that the baby has been left alone. The parents are nearby hunting for food to feed the young and they will respond if the baby is threatened. If you watch the baby bird too closely, the parents may not approach their young to feed them because they don't want to give away its location. Give them some space and everything will work out fine. However, if the bird needs to be moved for its own safety because it is too close to a busy road,  for example, either herd the bird away or if you can just pick it up gently and move it close by out of danger and the parents will find it. Most birds cannot smell worth a darn so don't worry about your scent scaring off the parents.
If the baby bird is not fully feathered and you can reach its nest, simply pick up the baby and return it to the nest. If you know its nest but cannot reach it, you can make a nest and put it close to its real nest and the parents will take care of it there. A simple way to make a nest is to use a small strawberry container and line it with a rag. Wire that nest in a tree or under the eave near its nest.
If the bird is injured or you have no idea where it came from (and the bird is not feathered), then the best strategy is to call Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at 303-823-8455.Put the bird in a small container in a dark place which will calm it down until you can get it to Greenwood.
Q: How do I clean my bird bath?
A: If your bath is being used, then it can get pretty disgusting (and empty) in one day.
To clean out the dirt and poop left behind all you really need to do is dump the dirty water or blast it out with the hose, rinse and refill. This maintenance is most important for the health of your birds. An all-out sterilization of the bath is not required, just rinse and refill. Every week or so I use a scrub brush and give my bath a good scrubbing. This also keeps down the algae.
If algae is your concern, that is not necessarily the birds' concern. Algae is a perfectly natural and harmless plant that won't harm the birds. However, most people don't want a whole garden of algae in their bird baths. As mentioned above, a simple scrubbing once in a while will usually keep the algae in check. Nothing will get rid of the algae permanently short of using nasty chemicals. We do carry an item called BirdBath Clear which is natural and safe for the birds. This product is especially useful for small ponds or fountains where the water is not being replaced daily like most bird baths. You can also use hydrogen peroxide to help knock down your algae. Just pour in about a quart at night. By morning the peroxide will all have broken down to oxygen and water and your algae will be significantly reduced. If you can move your bath so that it does not get direct sunlight in the afternoon, that will also help reduce the amount of algae that grows. Algae likes warm water and sunlight.
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| Upcoming Events
On Zweck's Farm: Saturday, July 19 through Sunday, August 24, 2008
Photograhic exhibition by Jane Gabrilove at the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center (see above article).
Water Garden Tour: Saturday August 9, 9am to 5pm and August 10, 10am to 5pm
Rocky Mountain Waterscapes will be holding its first annual Water Garden Tour (see above article).
Backyard Beekeeping: Saturday August 16, 10:30am to noon
Organic beekeeper Corwin Bell will show how to create a simple backyard beehive, He'll even bring along some friendly bees. Note: This event is taking place at the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center in connection with the "On Zweck's Farm" showing. |
Water Garden Tour
Rocky Mountain WaterScape will be holding its first annual Water Garden Tour this August. Water features from the all over the north metro area will be included in this self-guided tour. The tour will range from Arvada to the south, Brighton to the east, Longmont to the north and Boulder to the west. Over 20 homeowners have graciously opened their yards for nature lovers to view and enjoy both ponds and pondless water features. Come and join the fun!
The dates of the tour are August 9 from 9-5 and August 10 from 10-5. Tickets went on sale July 1st at many area locations including The Wild Bird Center in Boulder, Louisville Shoe Repair and the Birds of Prey Thrift Shop in Louisville and Tan Express and The Flower bin in Longmont. Tickets will be $15.00 per person and children under 12 are free. The tickets will provide maps with directions to each site on the tour.
All proceeds of this event will go to the Birds of Prey Foundation in Broomfield. Birds of Prey treats injured and orphaned wildlife, primarily raptors, such as eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls. Then they return the healthy members of the breeding population to their natural habitat.
For any questions or for more information, please call Lannie Hagan at Rocky Mountain WaterScape: (303) 666-5430. Come and visit their award-winning water features inspired by nature! www.rmwaterscape.com
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Send Us Your Pictures 
A fun new feature at the store is a digital photo frame to show customer pictures. Please send us photos of your backyard wildlife and we will add them to our slide show. Along with your pictures please give us your name, date of the photo, and your general location. (We especially love to get pictures of birds on feeders)
E-mails can be sent to: WBCBoulderCO@aol.com. |
We Love to Hear From You!
Stop on in, send an email, or, give us a call. We love to hear about your latest birding experiences and look forward to sharing ours. Thanks for your support! Happy Birding!
-- Steve, Scott, Marlene, Bill, & Wendy |
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Contact Info: Steve Frye, Owner WBCBoulderCO@aol.com (303) 442-1322
Wild Bird Center of Boulder 1641 - 28th Street Boulder, CO 80301
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