Birds - Your Bird Feeder | Your Bird Feeder

41iWkIDzijL. SL160 150x136 Bird Watching Binoculars Make A Great Gift

NIKON 7294 Monarch III 8x42 Binoculars

Looking for a gift for your favorite bird watcher? What does a bird watcher bring along when he or she is out there in the woods? Check out these great gifts that your bird watching enthusiast would love.

A good pair of binoculars is one of the most valuable items to have when you go bird watching. There are many companies that carry binoculars. Nikon, Bushnell, Swarovski, Zeiss and Pentax are a few of the great companies that handle bird watching binoculars and scopes. There is a pair of binoculars for any budget. Beside the cost of the binoculars and scopes know how the bird watcher will be using them.

The most popular pair of bird watching binoculars is the 8×35 or 8×42. The numeral 8 signifies the number of times the bird will be enlarged when you look through the binoculars. The 35 or 42 digit is the field of view. This is important because it allows the user to follow the bird in their field of view when the bird decides to take off.

Nikon 13-30x50 Fieldscope ED 50 #8320

Should the bird watcher that you are buying a gift for already have binoculars you may pick them up a scope instead. Scopes, straight or angled, are wonderful to take out into the woods or just use them in the backyard for birding.

Remember when you look for a scope or binoculars they have to be waterproof. Bird watchers are out in all weather conditions and have to have equipment that works effectively.

A gift of bird watching binoculars or scope for a bird watcher would give them many, many hours of fun and enjoyment.

In the next post we’ll take a look at some other gifts that would be very valuable to bird watchers. We’ll check out the proper clothing, books and journals that are great gifts.

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There is a tradition in Sweden that is carried out each year at Christmas. The families will place a sheaf of wheat or oak stalks outside their home for the birds to eat. If it attracts lots of birds then the next years harvest will be a good one.

The tradition probably began as a way to keep the birds out of the barn-away from the stored wheat. Since that time the sheave of wheat, the Julkarve, has become an attractive decoration. The people still place some bird seed by their front door at Christmas to feed the birds and bring some good luck for the upcoming year.

Why not begin the tradition by placing some bird seed outside your front door during the Christmas season? Bring a little luck to the birds and a little luck to you!!

Technorati Tags: bird seed, Birds, Christmas tradition, feed birds, Julkarve

Red-Tailed Hawk

This red-tailed red hawk was right outside my bedroom window this morning. We are used to seeing them soaring high over the field but this one caught us by surprise 12 feet from the house.

The red-tailed hawk is anywhere from 19-26 inches long and has a wingspan of 4 1/2 feet. This hawk is usually found near farmlands, open woodlands, plains and deserts.

The red-tailed hawk soars in circles over open farmland looking for voles, field mice and other mammals.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk Getting Ready To Take-off

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It’s getting cold outside and winter is slowly approaching! Your little feathered friends will be feeling it, too! The winter brings the birds a limited supply of water. Birds need water for drinking, bathing and preening. An excellent way to help birds in the winter is to provide the birds with a heated bird bath. This will supply the birds with the liquid water that they need in the cold weather.

Heated bird baths are operated by thermostats, similar to your home heating unit, and as the temperature falls to specific levels the unit will turn on and heat the water. The advantage of the thermostat is that the heating element is only used when needed. To eliminate electric all together, a solar bird bath can be used.

Heated Deck Rail Bird Bath

Heated bird baths come in many different styles, colors, sizes and designs. It is easy to choose one that will be well-suited to your special bird feeding area.

The distinct styles of heated bird baths include deck mounted, ground level, hanging, standing or pedestal models. This provides birders with many different options and placement opportunities.

A dark colored heated bird bath works better in the winter. The two advantages of the dark color is that it absorbs more solar radiation so it uses less electricity and it can be seen more easily by the birds in the snow.

The size of the heated bird bath will determine the variety of birds that it will attract. A smaller bird bath will limit the number of birds, while a larger bird bath will attract a wider variety of birds. A bird bath will attract different birds that you would not normally see at your bird feeder.

Heated bird baths can be purchased in a number of unique designs. Some of the many designs are: bird bath spas, tilt and clean, bird bath fountains, 2-tier solar bird baths, sculpted bird baths, drippers, misters, wigglers and bubblers to name a few.

Remember to keep the bird bath clean and keep the rim clear of snow. This winter provide the birds with a heated bird bath and they will provide you with hours of entertainment.

Technorati Tags: bird, bird bath, Bird Bath Fountain, bird feeder, Birds, deck mounted bird bath, hanging bird bath, heated bird bath, pedestal bird bath, scalloped bird bath, Your Bird Feeder

Get those hummingbird feeders ready for the 2011 spring migration of the ruby-throated hummingbirds. The migration back into the United States of the ruby-throated hummingbirds has started. February 23rd, 2011, was the first reported sighting of the ruby-throated hummingbird on hummingbirds.net along the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi.

Few details are known about the migration of the hummingbird. Not many hummingbirds are banded each year and of those who are, very few are recaptured to provide the necessary facts of the tiny bird’s migration activity. It is unlikely that enough data will be collected to fill in the unknowns, until very small, lightweight transmitters are invented.

The ruby-throated hummingbirds have started to migrate north after spending their winter in southern Mexico or western Panama. The tiny hummingbirds must double their weight to fuel this extremely long journey. Many of the birds will be migrating up to 2500 miles, including a trip across the Gulf of Mexico that is around 500 miles long and will take some 20 hours. Some ruby-throated hummingbirds will choose the longer, but less difficult, trip along Eastern Mexico into Texas and then migrate up the United States from there.

The males begin the migration first with the females following approximately a week and a half behind. The ruby-throated hummingbirds will spread the migration over two or three months.

After arriving in Eastern Texas or southern Florida they travel as far north as Nova Scotia, Labrador, New Brunswick or as far west as Minnesota into Manitoba , Saskatchewan and Alberta. Depending on the weather and the availability of food, the ruby-throated hummingbirds will travel up to 20 miles a day. It is fascinating and evidence shows that individual hummingbirds use the same migration route and return to the same place each year.

Follow the ruby-throated hummingbirds migration this year and don’t forget to get the hummingbird feeder ready because they will need a sip all along their route.

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Categories

Bird Watching Binoculars Make A Great Gift

Birds And A Swedish Christmas Tradition-The Julkarve

Red-Tailed Hawk Visits The Backyard

Heated Bird Baths For Winter

The 2011 Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Migration Has Begun

Heated Deck Rail Bird Bath

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