FAQ
If you've found an injured animal and need to find a wildlife rehabber, here is a site that can help you find one in your area.
If you don't see your question in the list below, try Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Frequently Asked Bird Questions. You can also always ask your questions in the Comments Section of the Birdchick Blog and get answers from not only the Birdchick, but from many of her knowledgeable readers as well.
- What should I do if I see a baby bird out of the nest?
- I've found a bird that is obviously injured. What should I do?
- How can I find out what rare or unusual birds are being seen in Minnesota?
- Is it bad if I don't fill my feeders all the time?
- What can I do about woodpeckers pecking on my house?
- I'm seeing robins in the winter in Minnesota, is this normal?
- What field guide do you use?
- I used to have a ton of birds at my feeder and now they are gone. Where did they go?
- When is it time to put out the feeder and when do I take it in?
- Why aren’t the birds using the new bird bath I just purchased?
- How do I keep birds from hitting my window?
- Is there any seed that squirrels won’t eat?
- I’d like to raise baby ducks or baby pheasants as a project with my kids to help the environment. How do I get started?
- Is that Sharon's real hair color?
- Where does Sharon get her hair done?
- Is Sharon married?
Q: What should I do if I see a baby bird out of the nest?
A: First of all, let me dispell a popular myth: that if you pick up a bird chick, its parents will smell a human's scent and abandon the chick. Not true: most birds have a very poor sense of smell, and will not abandon a baby just because a human has handled it.
That having been said, here are a few rules about "rescuing" a baby bird.
- Baby birds with little or no feathers should be placed back in the nest as quickly as possible. If the nest has been destroyed, take the contents and put them in a plastic bowl (like the kind whipped cream comes in) that has holes drilled in the bottom. Place this "nest" in the tree directly above where you found the chick. And remember, just because you don't see the parents, doesn't mean they're not there.
- Bird chicks have a very specific diet and require around-the-clock feeding. The best thing to do for a baby bird is to get it back to where its parents can feed it, or take it to an experienced bird rehabilitation center (like the Twin Cities Wildlife Rehabilitation Center ((651) 486-9453). Do not give the baby bird anything to eat or drink, but get it to help quickly.
- Not every bird needs your help. Birds go through a fledgling period where they're still "learning to drive." If the bird is fully feathered, doesn't appear to be injured, and is in no immediate danger from predators, you should probably leave it alone to figure out how to fly.
Q: I've found a bird that is obviously injured. What should I do?
A: For birds of prey (eagles, hawks, owls, falcons) contact the U of M Raptor Center at (612) 624-4745. For all other birds (and animals) contact the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at (612) 624-7730. Get the animal to one of these places as quickly and safely as possible (the Raptor Center also has volunteers to pick up birds of prey). Do not give the animal any food or water unless instructed to do so by an expert: their diets are very specific.
Q: Where can I find out what rare or unusual birds are currently being seen in Minnesota?
A: The Minnesota Ornithologists' Union has a web page dedicated to recent sightings, along with pictures.
Q: Is it bad if I don't fill my feeders all the time? I heard that once you start, you have to keep doing it or your birds will starve.
A: No, this is not true at all. Wild birds do not rely on humans as their only source of food. If anything, birds treat bird feeders the way we should treat a McDonald's. Birds have a daily route of various food sources that they visit. Studies at Cornell University have shown that even in the worst of weather birds never rely on bird feeders more than 20%. The only reason to feed birds is because you enjoy watching them.
This also applies to feeding birds in summer. Many people think that if you feed year round the birds will stop relying on natural foods. That simply is not true. In fact feeding birds in summer can be more fun because you can watch adult birds teaching their young to use feeders and since birds are in their breeding plumage they tend to be prettier.
Q: What can I do about woodpeckers pecking on my house?
A: There’s not an easy solution to keeping woodpeckers off the house. They are usually searching for food. If you have cedar siding, they are after leaf cutter bees that lay eggs in gaps in the siding. You want to try and fill in the holes as soon as possible. If left alone, they serve as a beacon to other woodpeckers that someone found food there once. Also, house sparrows and starlings will sometimes nest in the holes. Try to hang up reflective material like old cds, foil or pie tins around the affected area. You can buy Mylar tape or bird scare balloons from wild bird stores that also can be affective. You want to make sure that the shiny stuff moves in the breeze because it makes woodpeckers uneasy and keeps them away. It varies from house to house how much you will need to put up but you need to put the shiny material over the affected areas.
I know some people start feeding woodpeckers suet as an alternative food source, but for every person I have that says that works great, I have another that says it just brought more woodpeckers. Some people fear that feeding suet in the first place encourages woodpeckers to peck on their. Regardless if you feed suet, if you have insects in your siding the woodpeckers will peck on it. I have met many people with woodpecker problems who have never fed birds in their life.
Some of my customers have tried insecticidal paint but that seems to only work for one or two years and is not a permanent solution.
The best solution is to switch to aluminum siding, but of course this is easier said than done.
Q: I'm seeing robins in the winter in Minnesota, is this normal?
A: Yes, robins can be found year round in Minnesota. As long as robins can find a reliable source of food, water and shelter they will stay the winter. The robins we see in winter in Minnesota are not the same birds that nest here in summer but are from further north. Robins will eat a variety of foods in winter from dried fruits and buries to hidden larvae. Out behind the Wayzata Wild Bird Store we see robins lurking near the bait shop looking for dead minnows and other bait the guys toss out in winter.
If you wish to provide for robins in winter consider providing a heated bird bath, planting fruit bearing trees like chokecherry, mountain ash, serviceberry, sumac, and crabapples (and regular apples). An excellent book for plantings is "Landscaping for Wildlife" by Carrol Henderson. You can also try scattering mealworms and dried fruit in areas where you see robins on a regular basis.
Q: What field guide do you use?
I currently don't take a field guide out with me when I bird, but I do take a notebook to record observations and then I consult the guide later. I always keep a Sibley Guide to Birds in my car for fast and easy reference.
I have used several field guides over the years, like them all for various reasons, and still keep them around. You can never have too many field guides, because birds never look the same to each person. So it's good to have different perspectives from both photography and illustrations.
If you are just getting started, I can't recommend Stan Tekiela guides enough, especially if you are only interested in the birds you will find in the backyard. Stan has written books for just about every state in the union and each one has the birds you are most likely to see. They are organized by color where most other field guides are organized by taxonomy. Many hard core birders dismiss Tekiela's books, but I think these are birders who forget what it was like to be a beginner, not knowing things like there's a species difference between a house sparrow and a tree sparrow. Most beginners don't realize that there are different sparrows and that all they notice is a "brown bird."
I love Peterson guides because of the bird silhouettes in the front and back. I used the Stokes' guides for years because I found photos of birds more useful than illustrations. I used a Kaufman focus guide for a couple of years because I appreciated the digitally enhanced photos. And of course I have used the National Geographic guide to birds since I was about 9. I still have them all and refer to them on days when I find a tough bird and can't figure out from one field guide what I am seeing.
Q: I used to have a ton of birds at my feeder and now they are gone, what happened, where did the birds go?
A: Depending on the time of year and weather you will have times of low bird activity. Seasonal movement is a big factor, especially in the spring and fall as some birds may migrate out of an area and it may be another week or two until other birds migrate in.
One of the first things to do when you have low bird activity is to clean out your bird feeder. This is one of the most important and yet most often overlooked aspect of attracting birds to the yard. When there has been a lot of rain, mould can build up in bird feeders causing birds to leave it alone or worse yet get sick from the bacteria growing inside it. At the very least bird feeders should be thoroughly cleaned out with anti-bacterial soap once a month and after there has been heavy rain. It's is also important to clean up unused seed and hulls under the bird feeder to prevent the spread of salmonella.
Another cause of low bird activity can be any kind of construction going on in your yard, especially during nesting season. If you are getting your roof replaced, birds don’t want to raise their chicks with that kind of ruckus going on. Also, major landscape changes can upset bird activity. For example, if a large cedar tree that birds used for cover before flying in to your feeder is taken out of the yard, that could cause birds to shift their feeding patterns.
Some people worry that hawks will cause songbirds to abandon a feeding station. It’s true that when a raptor such as a Cooper’s Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk is perched around a feeding station birds will hide. But soon after the hawk leaves birds will resume normal feeding activity.
Cats can be a different problem. Once a hawk has hunted a particular spot for a day it will move on to another. Cats that tend to stalk feeding stations for play will sometimes spend hours beneath a feeder. This will cause a decrease in bird activity. Hawks only take what they need for food and then move on. Cats will take a larger volume of prey.
Q: When is it time to put out the feeder and when do I take it in?
A: The only time to take in your feeder is when you are tired of watching the birds. Wild birds never need bird feeders to survive. Studies show that even in the worst of weather, like a blizzard, healthy birds only use a bird feeder for 20% of their overall diet. They treat bird feeders the way we should treat fast food. Birds will know to migrate and find other food sources in spring even if you leave your feeder out.
Feeding birds in warmer months can be very rewarding as you watch adult birds bring in the young to teach them how to use your feeding station. Many male songbirds are in their breeding plumage and are incredibly beautiful, natural yard art.
Q: Why aren’t the birds using the new bird bath I just purchased?
A: As a rule, birds do not trust new things. Different is usually bad for birds, so when a new item is introduced at a feeding station, they will naturally be wary. Birds tend to find water by sound like that of the babbling of a brook or trickling of a small waterfall. If you set out your bird bath you need to find ways of making a splashing sound to get their attention. You can purchase recirculation pumps and drippers that plug into an outdoor outlet and create a relaxing sound in your bath. If you have a sprinkler, aim it so that some of the water falls into the bath; that will get the birds’ attention.
Sometimes, birds have a tougher time seeing water in lighter colored baths. If you have a light colored bird bath, try placing some darker decorative rocks on the bottom to see if that makes a difference. Birds might also avoid a bath that is too deep for them. An inch and a half of water is sufficient for most birds, so if your bath is deeper, place some rocks in there to add some different levels and make it easier for smaller birds to perch and bathe.
Q: How do I keep birds from hitting my window?
A: This is not an easy question to answer. Birds will strike window panes for different reasons. During mating season, a male will sometimes see its reflection as a rival for their territory and will try to fight the intruder to get it to leave. Migrating birds will see a reflection of the space behind them as they fly and perceive that they will be able to fly ahead only to fatally encounter the hard surface of a window pane. Feeder placement can also play a role in window strikes. In some instances, hawks will drive birds into a window to stun them and make them easier to catch.
There are several options to try, but they’re not simple. For birds fighting their own reflection, you need to get them out of the habit of seeing the reflection. Every day, when the bird is inspecting its nesting territory it comes to the same spot and finds a rival waiting for him. You can get him to forget about this rival by placing a barrier on the outside of the window. Cover the glass with a bed sheet or newspaper for ten to fourteen days. This might seem like an inconvenience, but it’s much better than listening to a bird slamming itself against your window for half the summer.
If birds are flying into the window, look at the location of your bird feeders. Having feeders within ten feet of a window prevents birds from hitting the pane so hard. Having feeders right on your window is even better. A feeder right on the window forces the birds to slow down and inspect a possible feeding area.
Feeders within twelve to thirty feet of the house can cause more bird fatalities. The feeders are far enough away that the birds can get a good speed going before they hit the window. If feeders are more than thirty feet away, that tends to force the birds into a flight path away from the window panes.
If hawks are driving birds into the window, there is little you can do. Birds are trying to flee a predator and if panic sets in, they are not going to make the best flying choices. If this is a regular problem try placing decals, sun catchers, or Mylar tape on the outside of the window to break up the reflection. These MUST BE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE WINDOW; if they are placed on the inside birds will not see them.
Another option is getting the type of netting that is used by gardeners to keep birds from eating berry bushes and placing that six inches away from the window pane on the outside. This creates a type of cushion, preventing songbirds from hitting the window. The netting is so fine that it is barely noticeable when you look outside, however it can block some of the light coming into your home.
What we really need are for architects and glass makers to find a way to either develop building designs that are safer for birds or create glass that birds can see.
Q: Is there any seed that squirrels won’t eat?
A: Ha ha ha ha ha! Pardon my chuckle.
Often gray squirrels will leave plain safflower alone--this is not a guarantee, red squirrels and chipmunks will for sure eat it, but generally gray and fox squirrels will not eat safflower. It needs to be fed by itself, do not mix it with other seeds because then squirrels will kick out the safflower and eat the seeds they like. Cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, house finches, mourning doves and rose-breasted grosbeaks all eat safflower.
Most people find that squirrels generally do not like plain Nyjer. If you mix that with fine sunflower seeds, then the squirrels will eat it, but Nyjer by itself often does not interest a squirrel and is the safest bet for a finch feeder.
Otherwise your best bet is investing in a squirrel resistant feeder and mounting it properly.
Q: I’d like to raise baby ducks or baby pheasants as a project with my kids to help the environment. How do I get started?
A: Don’t get started! Places that sell ducks and pheasants for people to raise and release in the wild are generally more interested in making money off the birds than helping the environment.
Remember that baby birds imprint on whatever they see feeding them. So young ducks or pheasants raised by people will think of themselves more as humans than ducks and quite frankly, we make lousy parents for birds. We don’t teach ducks or pheasants how to hide from predators or even what potential predators are. Baby birds don’t hatch with that pre-programmed into them, they learn it from the birds raising them. Most pheasants and ducks raised by humans and released in the wild are eaten in less than a week after they are released by coyotes, foxes, house pets, mink and hawks.
If you learn that your school is involved in raising ducks and pheasants for release, please encourage them to discontinue this practice.
Q: Is that Sharon's real hair color?
A: Hahahahahaha.
Q: Where does Sharon get her hair done?
A: Sharon's stylist is Rachel, who works at Studio 411, located at 411 South Cedar Lake Road in Minneapolis. (612) 708-0424.
A: Yes, happily, to a non-birdwatcher, the poor dope.