The Wild Bird

New Products... MatMates and Yard DeSigns

Scott — 2011-12-08T20:06:25Z

We now stock MatMates and Yard DeSigns from Magnet Works. You can buy a yard stake or floor mat (tray) and then add your choice from a number of inserts. This allows you to change the look of your sign or mat as the seasons change. We currently have a number of holiday themed inserts along with some that would work all year long. We will refresh our stock of inserts as the seasons change so there will always be something new to choose from.

We are offering a monthly special on both lines. Buy either a yard stake or tray and receive 50% your first insert.

Outdoor mat (tray) w/insert.

Ornamental yard stake w/insert.

It Is Time To Prepare For Winter Bird Feeding

Scott — 2011-10-18T21:32:12Z

Winter survival is everything for wild birds. The search for food starts at dawn and continues until dusk. Birds also require fresh water, shelter from the elements and protection from predators. Research shows that birds get 25% of their food from human sources. Here are some tips on how to handle bird feeders through the winter:

Proper coverage of feeding ports, perches and trays so seed does not become buried in snow is very important. Fly-through feeders are a good choice for winter bird feeding.
Location! Placement of bird feeders in a protected area will insure that the birds have coverage from the storm. It also makes it easier to watch your favorite backyard birds from inside!
Use feeders that hold a higher capacity of seed as they don't need to be refilled as quickly. Keep in mind that moisture can cause molded seed and that platform feeders should be emptied and refilled daily to prevent mildew and spoilage.
Keep them clean. Natural food sources are scarcer in the winter and feeders will have more visitors. Properly cleaning and sterilizing can minimize mold, mildew and diseases.

For more information on how to help out the backyard birds in your area, visit The Cornell Lab of Ornithology website (www.birds.cornell.edu) or come in to The Wild Bird and let us answer your birding questions.

More Great Events at Islandwood

Scott — 2011-09-06T17:28:20Z

Hiking, critter watching, pumpkins, WFR class, tours and more. Click on the link below for the full list.

Click here to see the list of events.

Bird Feeding 101 Presentation for Flotsam and Jetsam Garden Club

Scott — 2011-08-26T16:34:53Z

Time	Wednesday, September 14 · 10:30am - 12:00pm

Location	The Greater Hansville Community Center 6778 NE Buck Lake Road Hansville, WA 98340

Created By	The Wild Bird

More Info	The club meeting will begin at 9am but Nancy and I will begin our presentation around 10:45am. I have been told that the public is welcome to attend. We hope to see you there.

First/First !

Scott — 2011-06-11T17:30:28Z

Nancy called me over to look out the kitchen window this morning to look at a bird she didn't recognize. I wasn't sure of the identification at first but then noticed the it's obvious and unique feature. We had a Red Crossbill on our seed feeder! It was the first time we had ever seen one much less sighting it in our own backyard.

Red Crossbill Info

Thank You Kingston Garden Club!

Scott — 2011-04-21T16:06:00Z

Nancy and I gave a basic bird feeding presentation yesterday morning to a very welcoming Kingston Garden Club. We would like to thank all the members for making us feel welcome and for showing great interest in learning about making their yards more bird friendly.

TheBird-Feeder.Com Web-Comic

Scott — 2010-10-19T19:00:00Z

I received a comment from a writer/artist who publishes a web-comic featuring birds. Visit www.thebird-feeder.com to give it a read.

Coming soon? Seattle's first wildlife sanctuary

Scott — 2010-09-09T14:28:00Z

From the Seattle PI...

By the end of the year, Seattle may have its first and only official wildlife sanctuary in a park.

City officials have begun steps to designate Kiwanis Ravine, a steep, wooded 16-acre city park on the north side of Magnolia Hill east of Discover Park, as a sanctuary for nesting herons that are already well-known there.

Read the full story here.... www.seattlepi.com

Chickadees have a language of their own

Scott — 2010-08-23T22:10:00Z

From the University of Alberta...

A deep-voiced black-capped chickadee may wonder why other birds ignore it, but there could be a good reason behind the snub, according to University of Alberta research that studied how the bird responds to calls.
Dr. Chris Sturdy, a U of A psychology professor, and Dr. Isabelle Charrier, a post-doctoral fellow in Sturdy's lab, modified the black-capped chickadee calls, played those sounds back to the bird and observed how it reacted. They found that the chickadee relies on several acoustic features including pitch, order of the notes and rhythm of the call. It also rejected the calls of the control bird, the gray-crowned rosy finch, in favour of its own species. The findings are published in the current edition of the journal Behavioural Processes.

Read the rest of the article here>>>>> http://www.archives.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article/2005/11/7108.html

10 Ways to Deal With "Bully Birds"

Scott — 2010-06-08T19:17:00Z

From our friends at the National Wildlife Federation...

Bully birds such as blue jays and European starlings are a nuisance, but you can take some simple steps to prevent them from dominating feeders—and allow less aggressive birds to enjoy your hospitality. Here’s how:

Click here for the rest of the article>>>> Bully Birds

The Effort-Less Bird Feeder by Zenith Innovations

Scott — 2010-02-23T17:19:00Z

The Wild Bird now sells the new Effort-Less Bird Feeder. This feederis very easy to use and has some incredible features. It comes withits own pole & stand, includes an anti-squirrel baffle, is easy tofill and is great for patios and decks.

THE EFFORT-LESS BIRDFEEDER was developed to give you years ofeffortless wild bird feeding enjoyment. The feeder slides up and downthe center pole eliminating the drudgery associated with re-filling andcleaning your bird feeder. No more reaching. No more bending. Much morefun.

Features:

Easy Re-filling & Cleaning
Squirrel Guard
Free Standing Base
Upper & Lower Feed Trays
Funnel Feature
Feed Tube
Easy to Keep Clean

Specs:

Assembled Height Approx. 80"
20" Base Diameter
30 lbs. Base Sand Capacity
8.25" Upper Feed Tray Diam.
16.75" Lower Feed Tray Diam.
16.00" Squirrel Guard Diam.
11.5 lbs. Weight (without sand)
10 cups Feed Tube Seed Capacity
1" Pole Diameter
Commercial grade, U.V. stabilized Resin Components
Stainless steel Hardware
Five Year Warranty

Contest: A Murder of Crows and Other Spooky Bird Tales

Scott — 2009-10-08T17:34:00Z

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is having a Halloween themed contest this month. Click the link below to view the flyer.

Murder of Crows and Other Spooky Bird Tales

Birding Basics Classes in Seattle's Seward Park

Scott — 2009-09-03T21:50:00Z

Seward Park Audubon staff will be offering Birding Basics classes from Oct through May.

Join Seward Park Audubon staff, volunteers, and local experts in identifying the many birds that call Seward Park and Lake Washington home. While each outing will vary in route walked and in birds observed, we'll always go over binocular and spotting scope use, field guides, bird behavior, and bird identification techniques...and hopefully spot some great birds, too!

Click for more info >>>>>>>>> http://mailman2.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/2009-September/072810.html

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge BirdFest and Bluegrass Festival

Scott — 2009-08-27T17:15:00Z

From Their Press Release...

BirdFest and Bluegrass 2009

A celebration of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Guided bird, plant, and history walks, kayak
tours, bluegrass music, a salmon bake and storytelling. Fun for birders, musicians, historians and families.
Saturday and Sunday, October 10th and 11th all day.
In Ridgefield, WA, just 25 minutes north of downtown Portland. I-5 to exit 14 follow the signs. Park your
car once and ride an eco-shuttle to experience it all. Come see the beauty and explore the rich cultural
history of the refuge. Adults and children can participate in so many free activities while enjoying the
sights and sounds of fall migration. Archeologist led demonstrations and walks will follow in the footsteps
of Native Americans and Lewis and Clark to a replica of a Cathlapotle (Cath-lah-poh-tl) plank house, hand
built using ancient techniques and tools. Sunday afternoon a traditional Salmon bake will be held at the
plankhouse. The Bald Eagle is the featured bird and will be the focus of many of the expert guided walks
and presentations. The refuge is home to many nesting pairs of these soaring beauties. Free children
activities include Audubon guided bird walks, Oregon Zoo “Wildlife Live” show, raptor displays, craft
stations, storytelling and much, much more. When you get tired of looking up head to the Birders
Marketplace with great buys on, garden items, pottery, art, photography birdhouses, clothes and books.
Fly the coop and try something new, see the refuge from the water on a guided kayak/paddle tour.
(Reservations required ,children twelve and under are free, with an adult in a double kayak)
Spectacular sunrise and sunset tours to view Sandhill Cranes flying in to a traditional roost, a rare
opportunity to visit a closed area of the refuge, are offered on a limited basis, reservations and fees
are required.
14 Bluegrass bands will play from 11:00am to 9:00 pm in downtown Ridgefield on Saturday only. All
venues are within walking distance of each other, $10.00 gets you in all shows (children 12 and under
are free) Bring your string instrument along, jamming is encouraged and workshops will be offered.
All these activities might make a stomach grumble, food booths will be serving tasty treats to keep you
playing all day. Proceeds from Birdfest and Bluegrass go to the Friend of the Ridgefield National Wildlife
Refuge to support programs on the refuge. For more information go to www.ridgefieldfriends.org

West Sound Wildlife Shelter Hosting Basic Wildlife Rehab Class

Scott — 2009-07-22T17:30:00Z

I poached the following directly from an email I received from the WSWS. I hope they don't mind!

The West Sound Wildlife Shelter will be hosting the Basic Wildlife Rehab Class taught by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council on Bainbridge Island August 22 & 23. For more information visit the IWRC web site.

This is an introductory course for beginning wildlife rehabilitators, or novice and experienced rehabilitators seeking formal education.

Lecture topics include: introduction to wildlife rehabilitation, basic anatomy and physiology, calculating drug dosages, handling and physical restraint, thermoregulation, stress, basic shock cycle, initial care and physical examination, nutrition and associated diseases, standards for housing, zoonoses, euthanasia criteria, and release criteria.

Lab topics include gavage (tube-feeding), physical restraint, intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, physical exams, limb immobilization, and weighing. Lab procedures are performed on cadavers.

Fee: Member: 125.00
Non-member: 159.00

Spaces are limited, so sign up soon!

Vortex Fury Binocular Specials Begin July 1!

Scott — 2009-06-30T18:19:00Z

Vortex is announcing a $50.00 rebate on their very popular line of 32mm and 42mm Fury Binoculars. This is your chance to get a deal on a pair of binoculars that were already offered at a great price. Now is the perfect time to get that 32mm pair of binoculars that you have been thinking about. The 32mm is a nice size for travel but is also bright and sharp enough to be your everyday "go to" binos.

Free Gift With Any Optics Purchase!

Scott — 2009-05-28T20:40:00Z

I have recently received a few items at a nice discount that I would like to pass on to my customers. So, I want to offer a free gift with the purchase of any spotting scope or pair of binoculars. The gifts are valued between $9.99 and around $99.99 and will be given out based on the value of the item purchased. This offer is valid while supplies last and may end at any time.

Shop here in order to earn your free gift>>>> The Wild Bird E-Store

Training Crows to Use a Vending Machine

Scott — 2009-05-14T17:36:00Z

The Wild Bird Will Be at EcoFest - May 2, 2009

Scott — 2009-04-29T18:02:00Z

The Wild Bird will once again have a booth at Stillwaters Environmental Education Center's EcoFest. This year we will be handing out free bird feeders as well as bird friendly coffee freshly roasted while you watch. We hope to see you there!

View Larger Map

Peregrine, Goshawk and Golden Eagle Videos From The BBC

Scott — 2009-04-16T18:09:00Z

The BBC has released some pretty neat video. They mounted micro-cameras on the backs of the birds and recorded some great in-flight images. Give them a view by following the links below.

Golden Eagle

Peregrine Falcon and Goshawk