 Source : Wikimedia Red Headed Wood Pecker In late winter birds are ready to nest and mate. This is a unique opportunity to draw dozens of species of different kinds of bird to your yard by providing artificial nest boxes. Decide what kind of birds you want to attract before building your bird house. Robins and phoebes only nest in sheltered but open areas. They prefer simple sheltered platforms. Wrens, bluebirds and tree swallows are birds who like one unit enclosed bird houses to nest in. Wrens prefer these bird houses be near some sort of cover such as shrubs while bluebirds and swallows prefer more open areas such as along a fence row. All bird houses should have adequate ventilation on the top and adequate drainage on the bottom. The hole on the house should face north or east to prevent birds from over heating. Ideally they will not have a perch outside the entrance as this entices predators. Mounting bird houses on metal poles instead trees also discourages predators. Also, bird houses should be easy to clean as to prevent the spread of parasites from nest to nest each year. Making song birds welcome in your yard should be the goal of the placement of all nesting boxes and feeders. There are four elements s that most song birds need to feel comfortable. These elements are food, water, nesting sites, and shelter. Many of these things are already present in our back yards. We have trees and shrubs to provide nesting areas and place that water pools to provide water. We have insects or grass that has gone to seed to provide food. To make our yard stand out from our neighbors we simply can do a few extra things.  Bird Seed dispenser We can provide nesting sites by the standards first discussed in this article. The next most difficult element is providing clean water sources for song birds. Avoid placing water in metal bowels but birds do appreciate warm water left in small containers outside for clean drinking and bathing during the winter months. There is a chance that you will get longer glimpse of song birds in the winter near a warm water bath as birds preen after bathing in the winter to keep ice from forming on their feathers. A good quality seed such black oil sunflower seeds and cracked corn can help songbirds maintain their weight during the winter months and ensure their survival til Spring. Again the type of seed and feeder will determine the type of birds that are attracted to your yard. All bird feeders should be equipped in a way to discourage other four-footed friends in the back yard from raiding the feed. Tubular feeders are a practical feeder that can service a number of different kinds of birds. In nature wild birds never become dependent on just one type of diet. Instinct lets them know that a single food source might dry up. Wild birds have a pretty good system of sampling a buffet of different food sources. We can make it easier on our winged friends in the winter by adding a little variety to their diet. Bird lovers know the more types of wild bird we can attract the better. Many experienced backyard bird lovers use a tube style bird feeder with black oil sunflower seeds .These seeds are usually found in the pet aisle of your local grocer and are relatively inexpensive. Daily maintenance is required to free the slots of the debris left from the hulls or the seeds or other feed by-product. If you neglect the daily maintenance the birds will no longer be able to easily access the food in the feeder. Most tubular feeders are made out of hard plastic and offer a variety of different port designs and perches to attract different type's wild birds. They all work on the same principal. The food is put vertically in the feeder and as the food level drops the bird must move to a lower feeding position. Tubular bird feeders come in many different sizes but there are basically three types. The first type is a more general feeder that can easily dispense sunflower seeds. This will attract a number of backyard birds. The second type is on that has smaller holes meant to allow only Nyjer™ seed to drop .This is to attract finches. The third type of Tubular feeder has unique perches above the feeding port to give goldfinches a chance to feed without the company of the more plentiful house finches. The upside down design allows the more agile goldfinches more feeding time than their less coordinated cousins. Songbirds always feed exclusively from tubular feeds. Variety of diet will attract many different types of songbirds. It may take some experimentation with feed to attract the feather friends you are most interested in attracting to your yard. Additions to a tubular feeder are a tray to catch loose seed and plastic caging to discourage four-footed yard residents from feeding on your bird seed. A well made tubular feeder can provide you and your feathered friend's year round enjoyment for many years. |
Monday, July 28, 2014
How To Attract Song Birds To Your Yard
Sunday, July 27, 2014
The Right Cockatiel Diet
Picking The Right Diet for Your New Cockatiel
Source: Morguefile
You can and should feed you cockatiel fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh pears and apples are a favorite . They should be feed sparingly as not to cause loose bowl movements. You can also feed your bird spinach, cabbage hearts, carrot tops, and Brussels spouts. Make sure food is fresh and not wilted. Remove the left over from the cage daily. You bird will not eat even slightly aged fruits and vegetables and they just become a potential source of bacteria.
Spray millet and hard yellow cheddar can be used as treats .
Picking the right seed mixture for your cockatiel is important to the overall health and well-being of your bird. In the wild cockatiels eat seeds from a wide variety of grasses. This is the mainstay of the wild cockatiel's diet. In captivity it is best to feed seed mixtures geared specifically for cockatiels as these are those mixtures that most closely mimic their natural diet. Most cockatiels mixes include millets, oats, and sunflower seeds.
To assure your bird is getting the freshest seed it is best to purchase seed in smaller quantities. You can test the freshness of seed mixtures by wetting a small amount in a small bowl and keeping it moist. If the seed is fresh; much of it will have spouted within a few days. Keeping your seed in an air tight container in a dry environment will assure you seed stays fresh for a reasonable amount of time. Check your feed bowl often because it may look full when it is not. Cockatiels eat unshelled seed and the bird eats the kernel and disposes the hull. Be sure the bowl is full of unshelled seed and not just the shells of the discarded hull.
Millet
Source: morguefile
Fresh Fruits and Vegtables
You can and should feed you cockatiel fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh pears and apples are a favorite . They should be feed sparingly as not to cause loose bowl movements. You can also feed your bird spinach, cabbage hearts, carrot tops, and Brussels spouts. Make sure food is fresh and not wilted. Remove the left over from the cage daily. You bird will not eat even slightly aged fruits and vegetables and they just become a potential source of bacteria.
Spray millet and hard yellow cheddar can be used as treats but should only be a small amount of your bird's diet. Yellow cheddar is a good source of calcium essential from your bird's health. A more accepted way to give calcium is from a cuddle bone or grit. Use of grit is controversial in using it as a digestive aid. However, digestible grit is a good source of calcium.
Pellets and Vitamins
Most cockatiels will do fine on a seed diet with an addition of a calcium source. Many owners like to supplement the bird's diet with vitamins. You should consult your veterinarian before introducing vitamins supplements into a bird's diet that has not consumed them before. Pellets are available as an alternative to the seed diet. These pellets are nutritionally complete. A good compromise for those concerned about their birds' vitamin intake would be to do a mixture of pellet based and seed diet. Introduce pellets into you bird's diet very slowly to avoid any digestive issues.
Keeping Consistent With A New Bird
If you adopt a bird from another person or group it is good to maintain the diet and supplements the bird is already receiving if the bird is healthy. If your cockatiel is molting it does not require a change of diet only a more ample food supply. It is best to leave your birds diet alone if your bird is healthy
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