JANUARY 2018

Happy January! Cold.....Warm......Cold....Warm...... That seems to be the way of January. I hope you all are seeing some wonderful birds at your feeders.  These are the birds I had this morning:

Cardinals, Bluejays, Dark-eyed Juncos, Bluebirds, Mockingbirds, Starlings, White Winged Dove, Mourning Doves

Eurasian Collard Doves, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskins, House Finch

Crows, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, House Sparrows

We are seeing some great birds this winter. Many of you have brought pictures of Kinglets, Warblers, Brown Creepers, Brown Thrasher and more. We love pictures!

We are having an amazing Pine Siskin and Goldfinch year!  Keep an eye out for these birds. They will eat sunflower seed kernals and Nyjer. We have a finch blend with both sunflower seed kernals and nyjer if you prefer to offer both!

Water is so important this time of year. We have bird baths, fountains and heaters for your bird baths. Birds' feathers, if properly cleaned, will help keep the birds warm and enable them to survive the cold nights.

Remember to add suet to your birdfeeding stations. Birds need protein and fat (see article above).

THANK YOU ALL FOR FEEDING THE BIRDS AND HELPING THEM SURVIVE OUR COLD WINTER NIGHTS AND DAYS......

AND REMEMBER,

IT'S ALWAYS A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO FEED THE BIRDS!!

~BIRDIE

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FEBRUARY 2018

Happy Valentine's Day!
We have been enjoying an amazing winter with birds galore. Don't forget to stop by the shop tomorrow , Monday and Tuesday to get in on the last days of our ONCE A YEAR "every Bird Food is on sale" SALE!

 So many birds have been coming to Casita on the Green (my lil' home) this month. These are the birds at my feeders and birdbaths this morning:

Dark-Eyed Juncos, BlueJays, Cardinals, Orange-crowned Warbler,

Yellow-Rumped Warbler, White Wing Doves, Eurasian Collard Doves, Mourning Doves,

 Starlings, House Finches, American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

My Bluebirds (I have had seven Bluebirds eating my mealworms for the past 2 months) have been upset by the starlings. I have added a caged Bluebird feeder and that has helped give them their own feeding spot. I didn't see them this morning or yesterday morning, but I am hoping that they are still with me as I love these sweet birds. We have cages in the shop to help you with any troublesome birds you might have that are running off your favorites. I will keep you updated on my bluebirds next month! Here are some other nature happenings this month:

Great Backyard Bird Count, mid-month, www.birdsource.org/gbbc

• Project FeederWatch continues, www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw

• February is National Bird Feeding Month

• Look for early-returning Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the last week of February.

• Eastern Cottontail mating season.

• American Woodcocks are doing courtship flights.

• American Robin spring migration begins in late February.

• As days lengthen, Tufted Titmice and cardinals begin to sing.

• Sandhill Cranes can be seen migrating north in late February.

• Hibernating butterflies (Morning Cloak, Comma) emerge on warm days.

• Have houses ready for mature Purple Martins that will return by end of the month.

• Smith's Longspurs will be on their way back to the Arctic by the end of the month.

• Bluebird and other nest boxes need to be cleaned out this month.

Don't forget to stop by and get your Valentine a gift. A new feeder, a valentine wall hanging or flag- we will gift wrap it for you for free as always!

Enjoy this month and remember, It's always a beautiful day to feed the birds!

~Birdie

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MARCH 2018

March has almost blown away! I can't believe it is almost over. I hope you have had a wonderful month with your backyard filled with your favorite birds! This has been such a busy month for me that I haven't gotten to enjoy my backyard much, but these have been some of the birds I've had at my feeders: Cardinals, Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow Rumped Warblers, Juncos, Cowbirds, Starlings, Yellow Bellied Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, Mourning, White Winged & Asian collared Doves, Pine siskins and Mockingbirds (they love my bark butter).

The Ruby Throated Hummingbirds and the Black Chinned Hummingbirds have been spotted in our area at feeders, so get those feeders clean and out with some fresh nectar!  We have lots of fantastic FEEDERS here in the shop along with NECTAR, NECTAR DEFENDER (1 tbsp TO 32 oz of nectar allow you to leave your nectar out about 2 weeks without changing it......and no bacteria forms!), ANT MOATS AND ALL THINGS HUMMERS!

THURSDAY  APRIL 12
BIRDIE'S BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT
It's my birthday and I'm giving a special gift to the first 50 people (one per family please) who stop in to help us celebrate with cake & surprises!
GOLDFINCH UPDATE:                                                                                       

Have you noticed goldfinches seemed to have disappeared from your feeders? DON'T TAKE DOWN THOSE THISTLE/ NYJER FEEDERS, just yet! American Goldfinches typically leave feeders for about 4-6 weeks each spring. Their departure from feeders usually corresponds to the emergence of elm buds on Elm Trees. Whatever is in the elm buds is critical for changing from their winter plumage to their breeding plumage, a necessary change before they can begin their migration north. The energy requirements for plumage change & migration are too great for both to happen at the same time. Once the elm buds have grown into leaves and can no longer be eaten by goldfinches they will return to feeders for about 4 weeks, finally leaving on migration about Mother's Day. (Thanks David! I love our WBU DFW Metroplex think tank!!)

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APRIL/MAY 2018

I am writing this as I am sitting on my porch feeling a cool breeze (possibly the last cool breeze) and watching the day begin!  April and May have been amazing months for me as I have had such a variety of birds at my feeders. Indigo, Lazuli and Painted Buntings have been seen at feeders all around the McKinney area. They love millet, sunflower kernals and nyger. Orioles have been coming to some of our backyards and some of you have shown me photos of Baltimore and Orchard Orioles at your feeders!  Seasonally Savy birders are adding oriole and hummingbird feeders to their yards!  The Joy of Birdfeeding Book by Jim Carpenter has some great ideas about becoming seasonally savy to attract more birds to your feeders as the seasons change.

These are the birds I’ve had at my feeders in April and May:

Goldfinch (I still have one this morning, but they are leaving us during the next couple of weeks to visit our neighbors to the north), Pinesiskins, Cardinals, Bluejays, Yellowbellied Woodpeckers, Doves (white winged, mourning and Eurasian Collard) Bluebirds, House Finches, Rosebreasted grosbeak, 1 black chinned hummingbird, Starlings, Grackles, Chickadees and Mockingbirds.

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JUNE/JULY 2018

   It’s Hot!  The birds would love some nice cool water.  It is a great time to add a birdbath or fountain to your backyard sanctuary.  We have plenty of styles in the shop-in all price ranges. Treat yourself and your birds to the pleasures of a water feature today!  If you already have a bird bath, come on in to add a water wiggler to keep the water moving so …….no mosquito eggs!  Also, the movement will attract the birds!  Win-Win!

     I have been enjoying the mornings with my birds.  It’s cool and we have had nice breezes this last week.  Here are the birds I’ve been seeing in my backyard:

Cardinals, White-winged, Eurasian Collared and Mourning Doves, Robins (at my birdbath), Bluejays, Grackles, House Sparrows, House Finches, Purple Finches, Carolina Wrens (at my mealworms) Mockingbirds, (at my bark butter), Red-bellied Woodpeckers, brown thrashers (eating from the ground), and I have seen one hummingbird. I am still keeping my feeders clean and full expecting more hummers to come in mid-July.  

     If you can, add some nectar plants to attract Bees, Butterflies and Hummers to your backyard.  This month’s program “Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees” will be a great help to attract more to our feeders.  It will be on July 21, Saturday, at 9am.  See shop website or in shop for details.  We will have coffee, donuts, door prizes and coupons too!  It will be cool in the shop at 9am, so come spend a morning with us! 

It’s always a beautiful day to feed the birds!!

~Birdie

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AUGUST 2018

What crazy weather we have had already this August! Rain and 85 degrees days are so unusual for this time of year. The birds are still loving my feeders and birdbaths/fountains.Please see the information on MOLTING included in this email. The birds look quite sad this time of year with all their feathers gone, and some even might have complete bald spots, showing their little bodies underneath. This is normal, even though sometimes I get calls about "sick" birds at the feeders. These birds are not sick, they just don't have their best "look" going on with the molting season upon us! Come in and see us for bird baths/fountains and the best bird food in the country!! (just ask your birds)

This is what I am seeing at my feeders and bird baths/fountains this month: White Wing Dove, Mourning Doves, Eurasian Collard Doves, Hummingbirds (ruby-throated and black-chinned), House Finch, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Chickadees, Brown Thrasher, Blue Jays and Robins.

Check out the events and come see us in the shop soon!

~BIRDIE

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SEPTEMBER 2018

It has been a raining start to our September, but we will take all the rain we can get since we are still in drought conditions.  The birds don't mind the rain, lots of water to drink!!

These are the birds I am seeing in my yard: Blue jays, Cardinals, House Sparrows, Brown Thrasher, White-winged Dove, Eurasian Collard Dove, Mourning Dove, House Finches, Black-throated Hummingbirds, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Mississippi Kites Flying everywhere, Downy Woodpecker, Red bellied Woodpecker, and Chickadees.

You might be seeing some unusual birds at your feeders as Fall migration has started. We had a poor migrating Mourning Warbler outside the Hallmark Shop today. It had hit the window and didn't make it. This is one of the unusual migrating birds we get this time of the year. You're the best customers/friends ever for sending me photos of Baltimore Orioles, Prothonotary Warblers, Yellow Warblers and other fun migratory birds.  Keep your binoculars (hopefully Zeiss or Vortex from our shop) near your bird watching area so that you can find the unusual birds passing through this fall!! Send me photos too!

Remember that in the Fall, your feeder activity might slow down. (Lots of food out in nature) This is normal and you should take this time in September and October to clean your feeders, add a birdbath or two and get some binoculars and books to enhance your bird feeding experience when the birds come back in flocks!!

 ~Birdie

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OCTOBER 2018

What a crazy month we have had with all the rain! This is our slowest month of the year for bird activity and having the multiple days of rain really added to the dreary feel, no birds and no sun. These are some of the birds I have seen at my feeder this month: Cardinals, Bluejays, Bluebirds, House Finches, White-winged, Mourning and Eurasian Collard Doves, RedBellied Wookpeckers, Downy Woodpecker, Chickadees, Ruby-Throated hummingbirds and a Cooper’s Hawk came and visited my yard numerous times this month.

Migration brought a number of fun birds to our feeders and thank you all for sending in your photos.

The bats are coming this Saturday and keep an eye out for our November and December event calendars. It is shaping up to be a rocking Christmas Season at the Bird Shop!!

Come see me and tell me all about your October Birds Soon! And bring the sunshine if you can please.

~Birdie

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

IT'S CHRISTMAS SEASON AND THE BIRDS ARE SHOWING UP AS NOT TO DISAPPOINT! THE PHOTO OF THE BIRD'S CHRISTMAS TREE IS FROM JENNY C. AND HER FAMILY. SHE DECORATED TO PLEASE THE BIRDS AND WE LOVE IT!  YOU CAN GET THE CUTE GINGERBREAD MEN YOU SEE ON HER TREE HERE IN THE SHOP UNTIL THEY RUN OUT! 

THE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH ARE MAKING US SMILE AS THEY COME TO OUR FEEDERS IN FLOCKS. THE PINESISKINS ARE HAVING ANOTHER IRRUPTION YEAR HERE IN OUR AREA SO THEY ARE DAZZLING OUR FEEDERS TOO. HAVING A FINCH FEEDER WITH THE BIRDS EATING UPSIDE DOWN, SIDEWAYS, ALL OVER THE FEEDER IS SUCH A WONDERFUL SIGHT. COME IN AND PICK UP A FINCH FEEDER AND SOME FINCH FOOD TO ENJOY THESE WINTER GUEST.

JUNCOS!  NEED I SAY MORE? THESE SWEET GROUND FEEDERS LOVE MILLET. I HAD 50 OF THESE SWEET BIRDS THIS WEEK EATING OFF THE GROUND, LOVING THE MILLET. I ADD A GROUND FEEDER IN THE WINTER SPECIFICALLY FOR THESE BIRDS, BUT YOU CAN FEED THEM ON THE GROUND IF YOU WOULD LIKE. I ENJOY THE GROUND FEEDER, SO THAT I CAN PULL OUT THE INSERTS AND PUT THEM IN MY SECURE TRASH CAN AT NIGHT, THEN PUT THEM BACK IN THE GROUND FEEDER IN THE MORNING. EITHER WAY YOU FEED THEM, THE JUNCOS WILL LOVE IT!  I'VE EVEN ATTRACTED CHIPPING SPARROWS AND WHITE THROATED SPARROWS WITH MILLET.

THESE ARE THE BIRDS I'VE BEEN SEEING AT MY FEEDER THIS MONTH:\

CARDINALS, CHICKADEES, BLUEBIRDS, BLUEJAYS, MOCKINGBIRDS (BARK BUTTER AND MEALWORMS), ORANGE CROWNED WARBLER (LOVES THE BARK BUTTER), JUNCOS, WHITE THROATED SPARROWS, CHIPPING SPARROWS, HOUSE SPARROWS, RED BELLIED WOODPECKER, HOUSE FINCH, GOLDFINCH, PINE SISKINS, 1 PURPLE FINCH, MOURNING DOVES, WHITE WINGED DOVES, EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES.\

WE HAVE SO MUCH FUN GOING ON IN THE SHOP THIS MONTH, TRY TO STOP BY AND SEE ALL THE GREAT GIFTS WE HAVE AND TO JOIN IN ON THE FUN!!!\

HOPE TO SEE YA' SOON AT THE BIRD SHOP!

~BIRDIE