Lots of stories from around the world this week, but first…our contest for planting a tree is still happening – it’s easy! Plant a tree, take a picture, email me at tatsiana@bromebirdcare.com and be entered to win a free feeder.
We know how sugar is bad for us, but have we ever thought about how bad it is for birds? I’ve been using crushed grapes instead of grape jelly in my oriole feeder to try and limit how much processed sugar my birds are exposed too. It also reduces the chance of them getting sticky jelly on their wings. Dr. Bird answers a question about Mallards nesting in trees (odd, I always thought they nested on the ground as well) and in the headlines, the American National Insurance building joins the Lights Out program after the horrible bird collision that killed 400 birds earlier this month. As much as we may dislike drones, they are still practical – in Ireland the police are using them to patrol and protect the nests of Peregrine Falcons. The birds are still endangered, and for some reason, people keep poisoning them. Newer, more severe laws will hopefully put a stop to this. Egypt is building more windfarms along the Suez Canal, but they are also installing radars as an early warning system for when huge flocks of birds migrate. The radar picks up the flocks and the windfarms can shut down within a few minutes. It’s certainly a step in the right direction!
Have a fantastic week everyone – see you soon!
View the whole episode here
Backyard Feeding
Ask Dr. Bird
The Headlines
Mallards in a tree – who knew? In the late 80s I volunteered with Fort Whyte Alive working the wood duck habitat program. Would prepare the boxes along the shore of the Assiniboine River in south Winnipeg and the only other residents I encountered were screech owls.
Second year in a row I did not attract a single oriole. Not certain others in Winnipeg were the same predicament.
Here is a link to Winnipeg’s falcon cam. They are nesting near the top of the Radisson Hotel and have for decades. https://www.shaw.ca/FalconCam/ I did a placement with MB Parks in 1989 and we used to watch them through a spotting scope. Prior to the days of the internet and falcon cams. 🙂