The Greenery Nursery & Garden Shop
Sep 06
I am excited to announce that I saw my first goldfinches this season, last week! This is pretty early for these little guys to have begun their migration down to the Central Valley, looks like fall is just about here. Yay! So now is the time to begin putting out your feeders for these birds, [...] [...more]
I am excited to announce that I saw my first goldfinches this season, last week! This is pretty early for these little guys to have begun their migration down to the Central Valley, looks like fall is just about here. Yay! So now is the time to begin putting out your feeders for these birds, if you took them down this spring.
Typically Goldfinches migrate to the Central Valley in the late fall and by January their plumage changes to the eye catching gold and black (the males anyway). Right now they are a dull olive green in color so you may not notice them. However, with time you can learn to recognize them by their habits and distinctive chirps. Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for American Goldfinch sounds click here.
To feed goldfinches you can use feeder socks or seed feeders. What you use is your preference. The feeder sock, filled with Nyjer seed, it very fun to watch because they hang on to the sock while they eat the seed they pull through the sock. They will hang upside down while they eat and knock each other off as they flock to the feeder. Using this type of feeder will prevent other birds from eating the seed since any other bird is too big and can’t hang on to the sock like Goldfinches can.
You can also use a special tube feeder for Nyjer seed that has small holes or slots for the tiny seed to come through. If you use a feeder with larger holes all the seed will spill out since it is smaller than a grain of rice. Using a tube feeder for finches can limit how many finches come since there are only so many ports at one feeder.
If you want to attract a broader range of finches you can use a Finch Mix instead of Nyjer seed. The Finch Mix will attract Goldfinches, House Finches, Purple Finches, Sparrows (on the ground) and more. The Finch mix can be used in tube or hopper style feeders.
So that’s my brief overview on Finches. I hope this answers any questions you may have. If not, feel free to leave any comments or questions.
Oh and don’t forget to put up your Finch Feeder! Happy Birding!
-Adria
Sep 06
Well at this point you have probably been feeding hummingbirds all season long. They seem the most prevalent during the summer when we have ample nectar producing flowers for them to feed on. However, hummingbirds can be here in the Central Valley all winter long. So as the summer fades and fall begins is colorful [...] [...more]
Well at this point you have probably been feeding hummingbirds all season long. They seem the most prevalent during the summer when we have ample nectar producing flowers for them to feed on. However, hummingbirds can be here in the Central Valley all winter long. So as the summer fades and fall begins is colorful glory keep your feeders up. For those hummers that will migrate out of our area, they are beginning to feed for fat reserves during their treacherous migration.
What if hummingbirds don’t seem to be feeding from your feeders anymore? Concerned about wasting nectar? With everyone having to watch every dollar you spend it is hard to replace nectar in feeders as often as needed. I am going to suggest a few tricks.
First, it is important to keep your hummingbird feeder(s) clean. Mold and fermenting nectar can cause hummingbirds to become sick. Typically hummers won’t feed from a feeder that is not clean. So make sure to refresh your nectar and clean the feeder every 3 to 5 days. During our heat spells (which we haven’t had much of this summer) you may need to do this every day or two. During the fall and winter you can go longer between cleanings but still wouldn’t recommend any longer than one week. You can clean feeders with hot water and a bottle brush, put them in the dishwasher (if they are dishwasher safe, of course) or clean and sterilize them with a 1 part bleach, 9 part water solution. Make sure to rinse the feeders thoroughly if you use soap or bleach and allow them to air dry before filling again.
So you are probably thinking, if I have to clean my feeder that often, what about all the wasted nectar that the hummers didn’t drink? I am wasting my money! You can not reuse the nectar, so the trick is not to completely fill the feeder. Put only as much as they typically drink between cleanings. You don’t have to have the nectar all the way to the top for it to work. The hummingbirds don’t have to see the nectar either, hence the success of the clear nectar. Hummingbird feeders are designed specifically to attract hummingbirds, so they will. Hummingbirds are also very curious by nature so they will try it, even if it is dry. This is why you see hummers feeding from flowers that are not tubular or the color they typically prefer. If they taste nectar they like, they will be back!
Hope this helps you feed your hummingbirds successfully. Feel free to leave any questions or comments!
-Adria
May 02
To those birders who faithfully, or maybe not so faithfully, put out and maintain birdfeeders: What is your biggest pest problem? Is it ants, undesired birds, squirrels or something else? Let me know! Also, please specify what type of feeder you are using (not necessarily brand, but style). I look forward to finding out and [...] [...more]
To those birders who faithfully, or maybe not so faithfully, put out and maintain birdfeeders: What is your biggest pest problem? Is it ants, undesired birds, squirrels or something else? Let me know! Also, please specify what type of feeder you are using (not necessarily brand, but style). I look forward to finding out and maybe even helping with your pest problem!
-Adria
Jan 12
For those who enjoy birding but don’t always get a chance to do it, I observed something the other day that may be consoling.
Since my pregnancy with twins began, I became increasingly unable to do things, even simple ones like refill my birdfeeder. I was also unable to do any fall cleanup in my yard [...] [...more]
For those who enjoy birding but don’t always get a chance to do it, I observed something the other day that may be consoling.
Since my pregnancy with twins began, I became increasingly unable to do things, even simple ones like refill my birdfeeder. I was also unable to do any fall cleanup in my yard but had already planted all my summer flowers and vegetables before I had to retreat to the house. Last week I was sitting in my dining room and happened to notice lots of sparrows hopping around in the weeds in my backyard. I sat there and watched them a minute and realized that they were enjoying the seeds from the weeds that I hadn’t pulled. Oh, that made me feel so much better knowing that my laziness resulted in some food for my feathered friends.
Well, a few days later I heard the goldfinches in my backyard. Knowing I didn’t have anything out there for them I watched them to see where they were and what they were doing. Well, much to my surprise, they were flitting around in my neglected herb bed eating the seeds from my dead and overgrown basil! Ah, another triumph in the name of laziness!! It was interesting that the finches wanted nothing to do with the weed seeds and the sparrows wanted nothing to do with the basil seeds. Hmmm, the wonder of nature. This week the sparrows are still working on the weed seeds and I have seen the finches come in a few times but they are never both there at the same time.
I wanted to share this with you so hopefully for those who were too busy this winter or were unable, like me, to conciously feed the birds take solace in knowing that neglect isn’t always a bad thing! I definitely will remember this next fall when my twin girls keep me so busy that I bet I won’t be able to do any fall clean up again!
-Adria
Sep 11
I am excited to introduce the Creating Your Bird & Butterfly Habitat Seminar. It will be on September 19th, 2009 at 10 a.m. We are going to discuss landscaping your yard in order to attract and host a range of wildlife including Birds and Butterflies.
After the seminar I will post a review of the seminar [...] [...more]
I am excited to introduce the Creating Your Bird & Butterfly Habitat Seminar. It will be on September 19th, 2009 at 10 a.m. We are going to discuss landscaping your yard in order to attract and host a range of wildlife including Birds and Butterflies.
After the seminar I will post a review of the seminar along with pictures and any informational handouts. Hope you can make it!
The seminar went very well. We discussed landscaping with layers to create a natural habitat in your yard. For recommended plants see handout below.
It was a perfect day for our class.
All the attendees were very interested. Thank you everybody!
It was a pleasure to present this seminar with Jesse.
The handout was my bird-butterfly-plant-cheatsheet.
Thanks again to all the participants, and to Jesse for assisting me, I had a great time!
-Adria
May 12
I am excited to share with my fellow wild bird lovers a few new links from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology!
All About Birds website is great for every aspect of birding. It is useful for the new birder as well as the experienced.
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Also new from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a series of web [...] [...more]
I am excited to share with my fellow wild bird lovers a few new links from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology!
All About Birds website is great for every aspect of birding. It is useful for the new birder as well as the experienced.
“>
Also new from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a series of web videos for birders. Check them out by clicking below.
“>
Hope these great new links spark your birding interest!
-Adria
Mar 11
To all those who attended the Bird and Butterfly Seminar, thank you. I enjoyed sharing my passion of attracting wildlife into our own yards. For those who were not able to attend, here are some highlights:
Why attract Birds and Butterflies into our yards? Well, birds eat insects and seeds (think of all the weeds that [...] [...more]
To all those who attended the Bird and Butterfly Seminar, thank you. I enjoyed sharing my passion of attracting wildlife into our own yards. For those who were not able to attend, here are some highlights:
Why attract Birds and Butterflies into our yards? Well, birds eat insects and seeds (think of all the weeds that would grow if they didn’t eat the seeds?) Also, hummingbirds and butterflies pollinate our fruits, flowers and vegetables.
Important point: Since wildlife feeds out of our yards we have to consider what kind of pesticides we are spraying. If we spray general insecticides regularly we will kill the insects that the birds are trying to eat. Also we may be killing the caterpillars that will develop into butterflies! Just some food for thought.
Start with the basics: Food, Water and Shelter.
Food: Wild Bird Seed, Nectar producing flowers and Nectar feeders.
Water: Birdbaths and puddles
Shelter: Varying heights of shrubbery (think of a forest and the different canopy layers).
I have a favorites list of plants I recommend for attracting birds and butterflies available at the nursery or click here Adria’s Bird & Butterfly Plant List
My favorite re sources: National Audubon Society www.audubon.org, Cornell Lab of Ornithology www.birds.cornell.edu,The Butterfly Site www.the butterflysite.com and Monarch Watch www.monarchwatch.org.
For questions or comments feel free to call or come by the nursery. Or you may comment to this post. I would like to hear from you! What is your favorite bird to attract? What is your favorite bird that you cannot attract?
Here are some pictures of our seminar this
There were great questions from the attendees.
spring!
I think everybody learned something that day.
Our first seminar attendees were very interested.
Our first seminar was on a cool March morning behind the rose garden.
Dec 10
One of the highlights I look forward to every winter is the arrival of the Goldfinches. Watching these colorful little birds’ antics as they swoop in and out of the feeder and knock eachother out of the way is quite entertaining. Inviting these colorful birds into my yard is a wonderful way to enjoy the [...] [...more]
One of the highlights I look forward to every winter is the arrival of the Goldfinches. Watching these colorful little birds’ antics as they swoop in and out of the feeder and knock eachother out of the way is quite entertaining. Inviting these colorful birds into my yard is a wonderful way to enjoy the wildlife and introduce birds to my son.
I would like to stress the importance of bird feeding, especially in the winter. Winter for birds is very difficult since their main food source of berries, nuts, seeds and insects is usually depleted by now. In the Central Valley, inviting wild birds into your yard is as easy as merely putting up a birdfeeder. To attract Goldfinches, all you need to do is to put up Nyjer (thistle) seed in a thistle sock. These lively little birds hang on the sock and pull the small seed through the sock.
If you are trying to attract a certain type of bird, it is important to put out the proper feeder and food. Merely putting out common wild bird seed may draw some birds that are considered a nuisance. For help in selecting a feeder and food, you may come into the nursery and my staff can help you, or feel free to comment with any questions or thoughts you may have.
One more last thought. The National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up. For more information see http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/. You can also participate in Project Feeder Watch http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/. I would also like to hear from you what birds you enjoy in your backyard. Please click on comment and let me know!
Adria
