Welcome to "Boulder Backyards"
Wild Bird Center of Boulder adheres to a strict privacy policy that means your information will not be shared, sold, or otherwise distributed. If you do not wish to receive any further eNewsletters with Offers and Resource information, click the "SafeUnsubscribe" link at the bottom of this page. We value your relationship!
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bird watchers (that's us)
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.
Call for more info: 303-442-1322
Birdwalks
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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
"American Kestrel" by Wendy Marie Stuart
Visit our store to see a gallery of Wendy's matted and framed prints
and greeting cards for all occasions or
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Photo Credits
"American Kestrel" by Wendy Marie Stuart
"White-trhroated Sparrow" by Jeff Lemons
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Nature Book & Blog
We are starting a new feature to Boulder Backyards and our web site. Several times a year we will tell you about a nature book to explore. We'll have the books for sale at the Wild Bird Center. After reading the book please join in our blog about the book. Several staff members will be joining in the blog with you. So look for our announcements about the Nature Book & Blog in upcoming issues of the newsletter and join in the exploration.
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Identiflyer Cards
Wild We are discontinuing the Identifyer (a handheld device for playing bird songs in the field), but we have a lot of cards for the player. So if you have an Identiflyer, we would like to offer you FREE identification cards for it. Take as many as you like, they are normally a $10 value.
Identiflyer Card |
Juncos and Millet Sprays
Winter is always a great time for juncos in my yard. I always put out millet and millet sprays to keep them coming all winter long. This year, for some reason, I have really been enjoying their antics on and below my millet sprays. Millet sprays are just the seed heads of the millet plant. I use 3-5 seed heads and twist-tie them together. Then simply hang them over a branch in a bush and watch the juncos and other sparrows devour them.
junco
Click here to view our Bird Seed & Suet page in our Catalog and details of Millet Spray.
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Birding Community Bulletins
 National Wildlife Refuge Association
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Thank you for all of your support from all of us at YOUR
Wild Bird Center! We couldn't have done this without you! Twenty-one years is a long time in anyone's book and we owe our success to you -- our customers, compatriots, fellow birders, and friends. A hearty thank you to you all!
Steve, Wendy, Marlene, & Bill
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Contact Information
Steve Frye, Owner . Wild Bird Center Boulder
1641-28th Street
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 442-1322
WBCBoulderCO@aol.com (email)
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Life is Richer in the
Presence of Others
by Steve Fyre
Now that all the presents of the holiday season have been opened and the excitement has waned, winter depression can creep up on us. It's cold, the sun sets too early, and spring is a long way off. But we backyard birders know about something that can change our attitudes. Birds at our feeders can lift our spirits and bring life and sparkle to the dullest of winter days. How can bird feeding elicit such a strong positive emotion?
When I contemplate why bird feeding is so enjoyable, and how it has influenced me, I find many answers. I derive great pleasure just from appreciating the beauty of the birds in my backyard. The most engaging and entertaining aspect of the hobby for me, however, has always been behavior watching. Birds in the backyard are continually interacting with each other, and the careful observer can view them in all stages of life and  death. These observations give one insight into the workings of the natural world and the ways animals interact with each other. (Some insights can even be applied to the human animal.) Through bird feeding, I participate in the lives of these creatures and make a direct connection with the natural world. When a person connects with and is in the presence of the natural world-whether by driving a scenic highway, hiking, or bird feeding-it always has a calming and invigorating effect. Every day I see evidence of the positive impact that bird feeding can have in people's lives. As evidenced in the story below, simply feeding birds and being in the presence of other creatures can profoundly change lives.
In 1982, a bird feeder project at a nursing home was started with the help of Dr. George Banzinger of Marietta College in Ohio. The project was designed to study residents' response to increased involvement in the world, through bird feeding and the responsibilities of maintaining a feeder. This seven week study involved residents from 57 to 96 years old. Three groups of participants were given feeders and told different things about the project. The group that showed the best results was the one made up of residents who were told that the feeder outside their window was their responsibility. The home was giving them the feeder, but they would have to maintain it.
Following the study, the residents' response delighted activities director Karen Shambarger. She stated, "There were surprising improvements in the quality of the residents' self-expression and social interactions; not only among project participants, but also among the staff and other residents. There appeared to be an immediate increase in self-confidence, and this led to greater initiative and assertiveness. Residents moved more independently and freely within the home and displayed more interest in other activities. The bird feeding sparked memory links to their past lives, and they more openly expressed these memories. I simply had no idea of the degree and depth of the positive effects a bird feeding project would have on our nursing home residents." Citing specific examples, Karen said, "Sam and Robert lived just across the hall from each other, but in all the time I'd been there they never talked. About a week after they got bird feeders at their windows, here they were, walking down the hall comparing notes on the birds they'd seen."
"Walter was not only introverted and sullen, but often angry and constantly complaining about the nursing care his wife was getting. He'd talk only to his wife in the dining hall-on one else. But about four weeks into the bird feeder study, I noticed he began turning around during meals and talking with Robert and Sam. And Robert, who had never initiated any conversation with me or even said hello to me, came up to me in the hall-four days into the project-and chided, 'If you're going to get us interested in birds, I think we need a book on identification,' and then he told me where I could get one. The bird feeding project not only entertained and engaged the individual residents; it also provided them with a shared experience which helped them interact with other residents.
These nursing home residents discovered the positive effect that being involved in the natural world can have in one's life. Bird feeding is not the solution to world peace, but it can positively impact the lives of those willing to "listen" to the natural world. The residents discovered, as I have, that life is richer in the presence of others.
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----- Coupon ----- Coupon ----- Coupon -----
Fat is Where It's At
(at least for winter bird feeding)
Buy 3 Suet Cake and Get 1 FREE!
chickadee on suet feeder
Go to our Online Catalog to view feeders & other products:
Hopper feeders, Nyjer feeders, Platform feeders, Specialty feeders, Squirrel-proof feeders, Suet feeders, Tube feeders, Window feeders
NOTE: Just let us know when you order that you have seen this coupon. Or Call (303) 442-1322. Some restrictions may apply. Not valid in combination with other promotions. Expiration date: 2/28/10.
----- Coupon ----- Coupon ----- Coupon -----
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Coming Events
Mark Your Calendar! The 13th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count is just a few weeks away.
It's your chance to count for fun and count for the future, from Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15. Whether you participate once or several times, by submitting your list of the birds you see at www.birdcount.org, you will help scientists learn more about how birds are faring in your neighborhood.
Help Make this the Biggest GBBC Ever!
The more people who participate in the GBBC, the better the information scientists will have about how bird populations may be changing over time due to habitat loss, climate change, disease, or other factors.
Tweet About the Count!
In the weeks leading up to the Great Backyard Bird Count, and during the event, we want everybody to get tweeting on Twitter about what you're doing to get ready, and what kinds of birds you're seeing. Just add this "hashtag" to your message: #gbbc (make sure the letters are lower-case; a "hashtag" is simply text you leave at the end of your message). When you add that tag, tweets about GBBC will show up in a special widget on the GBBC home page so we can all share. If you don't have a Twitter account, it's free and easy to sign up at www.twitter.com. It'll be fun!
Win Great Prizes
Everyone who submits a bird checklist during the GBBC is automatically entered in our drawing for bird-related items donated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, Woodlink, Droll Yankees, and DK Publishing.
Brush Up on Your Birds
Thank you for all you do for the birds!
If you have any other questions about GBBC, call the Wild Bird Center at 303-442-1322 |
 Ask Steve
Q: Would you put up a bird feeder for me? (submitted by Djina Frye, Steve's Mom)
A: The When I was at my folks home in Minnesota earlier this month my mother asked me this question. They have a feeder up, but it is not very easy to fill because it's on a somewhat inaccessible hanger, the snow drift was in the way and things just aren't as easy to do as they used to be. Feeders that are hard to fill just don't get filled after a while no matter how good our original intentions. One of the feeders in my backyard is a very simple feeder made from scrap wood. It's attached to the fence about 3 feet off the ground. It's a skinny trough about 4 feet long and 4 inches wide named the 'pig trough' because the birds absolutely love it. Sometimes the most simple feeders are the ones birds love the most. In the movie Harold and Maude, Maude has a feeder that I loved. She had an old skeet thrower used by hunters to practice shooting birds. It was attached to her window sill and she would fill it with bird seed and then pull the string to have the thrower fling seed all over her yard. A very simple, if not ironic, way to feed the birds.
The solution for my folks was to put a basic platform feeder on the deck rail. The birds had easy access to the feeder and filling it up is as simple as dumping a can full of seed on the feeder. My mom asked me, 'won't the squirrels get into it?' Sure, I replied, to which my mom said 'well they're fun to watch too.' Sometimes it's better to just enjoy what comes to our feeders whether it's a bird or a mammal. The birds found the feeder almost immediately. In just a few days they had about 20 chickadees coming to the feeder as well as white-breasted nuthatches, American goldfinch, blue jays, and downy woodpeckers. A couple of black phase gray squirrels showed up, but they really didn't spend much time at the feeder. The birds are the real show.
I'm sure even more birds are using the feeder now and bringing some entertainment and joy to my parents. Chickadees are such good company.
deck feeder
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Wild Bird Center Website
The Wild Bird Centers launched a new Website which has some neat new features. One slick new feature is the Common Bird Field Guides which shows photos and videos, lets you listen to songs, and has a lot of great info including how to attract the most common species.
We are always working on increasing the value of our site. The address for the new site is www.wildbird.com/franchisee/bld and you can always reach the new site by going to our Product Catalog at www.wbcboulder.com and clicking on the Wild Bird Center Home link on top of the left navigation column. Be sure to bookmark both of them! Or you can just use the links below to navigate our local Boulder pages of the new site.
common western birds common eastern birds
 
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Wild Bird Center of Boulder
Catalog Web Site
We continue to add products to our Catalog Website for our Boulder Store. While we are under construction, we invite you to check it out at www.WBCBoulder.com. For all you locals who get seed delivered, you can use the site to figure out an order and delivery charges. Feel free to email us or call (303) 442 1322 with your product questions.
Click Here To View Our Online Product Catalog
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white-throated sparrow