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September News from

Wild Bird Habitat Store

connecting families with nature for 21 years

Changing Seasons

September, 2014

 
 Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted nuthatch
September's Bird Of The Month
Red-breasted Nuthatch typically begin to arrive in the Northern and Central Great Plains and Midwest by late September to spend the winter months, but just how many will arrive depends on several factors. The mass irruptions of these "Northern Birds " is thought to be either a great number of birds were fledged or there is a lack of natural food supply in their normal range. The truth may be either reason or a combination of both. Since it has been extremely dry in the northern forests I hope we see good numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches in our backyards this winter.
 
Dave
 Dave's September Bird Chatter

It seems as if we were just celebrating the arrival of our summer Neo-Tropical migrant birds, and already we're telling them good-bye till next spring... The avian calendar is swift. We began receiving reports of hummingbirds at feeders in early August. This will continue to be the case through most all of September, so there is plenty of time to get a hummingbird feeder out and enjoy them as they pass through...read more bird chatter

 
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North Lincoln, NE in the white house at4840 Orchard St

 

 
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Saving Eagles

Nat'l Wildlife Refuge Association

Tips for Attracting Hummingbirds Dr JB's Feeder

The Ruby-throat Hummingbird arrives in the middle latitudes of the United States about the first of May and departs in October. If you live in an extensively wooded area or along a river, you may see them all summer long. Generally we can expect to have them most of May and then returning in mid August until their final departure south.  One thing for certain is that a Hummingbird feeder will not stop them from migrating when the time arrives. The key to attracting them is habitat, minimal or no use of pesticides, and the types of flowers in your garden. Hummingbirds can be attracted to feeders containing artificial nectar....click here to read Wild Bird Habitat's "tips on attracting hummingbirds"

 

How Intelligent are Jays, Crows, Ravens, & Magpies?

What are your thoughts about Blue Jays and other members of the Corvid family of birds: Crows, Ravens, Magpies and Jays. Whether you enjoy these often boisterous birds or not, you don't want to miss Dr. Alan Kamil's presentation, "The Memory of Corvids". Corvids are cleverer than most other birds. They have been known to outwit small children and other primates. Perhaps you have witnessed a crow or jay acting in a particular manner and wondered what it was up to.

 

Dr. Kamil is an experimental psychologist. He is the director of the School of Biological Sciences and Psychology at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Dr. Kamil is also a professor at the Center for Avian Cognition at UNL. His work focuses on the evolution of memory and adaptive learning in many animals especially that of Jays and other members of the Corvid family of birds.

 

You don't want to miss this light-hearted, entertaining, and informative presentation as Dr. Kamil elaborates on the cognitive (memory perception and knowing) abilities and behaviors of Jays. You just might come away with an added respect for these remarkable birds. 

 

This event is free and open to the public.7:00 pm, Thursday September 11, 2014 in the lower level of the Dick Administration Building, Union College, 3800 South  48th St. Lincoln, NE. Refreshments served after Dr. Kimil's presentation. 

For info call (402) 486-4846

 

 
PAR-A-SOL Feeders, 10% OFF in September at Wild Bird Habitat
More On Attracting & Feeding Hummingbirds
Visit these websites for more information on hummingbirds:

The Society is a nonprofit charitable organization, founded in 1996 and incorporated in Delaware. Its office was moved from Newark, DE to Arizona in 2006 and is currently in Sedona, AZ. It was founded by 1996 with the goals of teaching about hummingbirds and working to prevent their extinction, the latter in response to approximately ten per cent (10%) of the known species being at risk.


We would like to share some information from Sheri L. Williams, one of the foremost experts on hummingbirds.  

 

Wachiska  Audubon Field Trip / Sunday / Sept. 14th.

Warbler Walk at Waubonsie State Park 

Waubonsie State Park is Wachiska Logo located just east of Nebraska City in Iowa's Loess Hills, a unique landform created from wind blown sediment when glaciers melted 14,000-28,000 year ago. This scenic park offers ridgeline trails with expansive views and wooded ravines that could be harboring migrant birds this time of year. A hike in the hills will give us a chance to take in the rich autumn colors of prairie grasses and hardwoods while scouting for migrant warblers, flycatchers, and vireos.

 

We'll meet at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, September 14 in the Wachiska office parking lot at 4547 Calvert Street in Lincoln. Participants can either caravan or carpool for the 55 mile drive. Suggested items to bring include insect repellent, water bottle, any lunch snacks you may desire, and binoculars if you have them. Anyone interested in joining the group by Nebraska City can meet us around 9 a.m. at the Cenex gas station on the south side of Hwy. 2 just west of I-29. If you have questions call John at 402-475-7275.

 
Those Dreaded Balckbirds
With the approaching change in seasons, many birds will be flocking together preparing to move south. Most are enjoyable to watch, but not the masses of blackbirds that may take over your backyard bird feeders. 

Although they will move-on as we move into fall, they can become quite annoying. You may wake up one morning and your yard will be free of blackbirds and you sign a relief. Yet two days later you may be overrun again. These are flocks from northern areas passing through replacing the earlier group that has probably moved on. But be patient. Large flocks of blackbirds on the wing is as sure a sign winter is approaching as are shorter days. Soon all the blackbirds will have retreated south. In the mean time I hope this information helps.

Are Blackbirds Taking Over Your Backyard Bird Feeders?
 
Hummingbirds On the Move
Dr JB Hummingbird Feeder

I believe most people begin to feel summer slipping away shortly after the Fourth of July and the arrival of hummingbirds on their southerly retreat during the first few weeks of August seem to alert birders of the seasonal changes to come. Wild Bird Habitat  recommends that people have their hummingbird feeders filled and ready now. Check out "Attracting Hummingbirds"


 
Our BEST hummingbird feeder - 

Dr. JBs 16 oz. Hummingbird Feeder

 
 
On -The-Go Birding Media
Field guides have been a staple for bird identification and they always will be. There is just something about having a hard copy guide when out birding. Maybe its the quick easy access when trying to identify a bird. The fact it is an integral part of the birding experience. How about it never needs charging. Hard copy field guides will forever be an essential tool for birders, but new smartphone apps are complimenting the use of field guides in bird identification. Check-out these apps for both smartphones and tablets.  

Answer five simple questions about a bird you are trying to identify and Merlin will come up with a list of possible matches. Merlin offers quick identification help for beginning and intermediate bird watchers to learn about North America's most common birds!

 

Audubon Birds

Field Guide Apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Android, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, Windows 8 and more.

 

Bird-Eye Birding

BirdsEye North America is a simple but powerful tool for birders. It is simple, easy and fast to use so you can spend your time seeing birds! BirdsEye is the only mobile app for helping you find birds worldwide "Bird Finding" app that uses eBird data.

 

BirdJam

 Simple, fast, and easy-to-use. birdJam delivers the finest bird song collections with definitive photographs on an Apple iPod, iPhone or iPad. With the flick of your finger, you'll have instant access to intuitive playlists designed by birders for birders. 

 

 
Nebraska Bird Library
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