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The spring season brings new life to your yard!Whether new to bird feeding or well versed, we offer a few tips and ideas to help get you

recharged and ready to fill your feeders this spring,and fill your backyard with song and color.

SPRING 2020WELCOME TO NEW BEGINNINGS!

Greet nature and the beauty spring brings by stepping out your door.LOOK UP this season. Turn your attention skyward, notice and enjoy your surroundings, breathe in the warmer air and listen for the chorus of spring sounds. Each spring, the colors, sounds and activity of birds add joy to outdoor pursuits and can enliven your indoor entertainment as well when you view a bird happily visiting a feeder outside your window. Studies have shown that spending even just a few minutes outdoors benefits everyone by lowering blood pressure, relieving stress and soothing mental health in general.

LOOK OUT as nature springs back to life after a quiet winter. Welcome mi-grating birds and those who have been in your yard all year with feeders filled with fresh, quality seed, suet and nuts; cozy houses for baby birds; and, a source of fresh water with a bird bath. Let these gifts of nature re-fresh your yard and your spirits!

LOOK AROUND as your newly revived spaces become a lively, nat ural play-ground. Watch the interplay of birds, wildlife and nature, and marvel how one connects to the next, building a habitat of natural order that will reward you with the sights and sounds of feeding, nesting, mating and singing

feathered friends! Feeding birds is one of the most affordable and impactful things you

can do to support nature and and your own well-being by create health and happiness in your backyard.

Look Up, Look Out, Look Around!

Hello, Spring!

“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty, if only we have eyes to see them.” – John Ruskin

Spring is around the corner,what a great time to head outdoors and discover

all that nature has to offer!

Spring Fling!

Bird houses: from practical to beautiful!Offer nesting material and bird houses to

encourage a variety of feathered familes to move in.

Welcome spring and enjoy the renewal of natural life that emerges all season longLook up • Look out • Look around your own backyard!

Franchise opportunities availableFor information, contact: (877) 945-3247

e-mail: franchising@wildbird.com

Imagine bringing your backyard to work!The freedom of flight. The beauty of nature. The sweet sounds of songbirds. Every day.

Take that feeling with you on the path to owning your own Wild Bird Center.Explore the opportunity to wake up every day, and look forward to going to work.

Wild Bird News® ISSN pending is a publication of the Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc. 7370 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD 20812 (301) 229-9585 www.wildbird.com ©2020 All rights reserved.

Setting up a bird house or two can provide es-sential nesting space. While many birds hide their nest in natural foliage, others require cavities for nesting. Bird houses also provide shelter andcan help replace nesting space lost to urban sprawl.PLACEMENT is important in determining which bird will set up shop:• Place the bird house in a location where target birds are likely to reside• Research species habitat, nest height (recommended: 5 - 6’ off the ground) and direction preferences.• Most birds prefer the nest box hole to face away from prevailing winds.• Mount birds houses on a tree or pole (add a baffle underneath to pro-tect nesting birds)Bird houses can remain in the yard throughout the season, and will be used by birds for roosting during the colder days by offering a safe and warm place to take shelter.

OFFER THEM A NEW HOME!Spring is nesting season, and your feathered neighbors will be looking for a new home to raise their young. Bird houses (also called nest boxes) provide a home for emerging bird families, while also offering the joy of nature to you and your family.Our bird houses are sturdily constructed, able to withstand sea-sonal wear-and-tear and designed to insulate for colder times while also well-ventilated for warmer temps. Slanted roofs and drainage holes ensure birds stay dry. We offer a variety of styles suited to those bird species that require cavities for nesting. Look for bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, wrens, house finches, purple martins and downy, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers.

find a baby bird? WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A BABY BIRD OUT OF ITS NEST

WILD BIRD NEWS® SPRING 2020 WWW.WILDBIRD.COM PAGE 3

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SETTING IT UP

NESTING MATERIALNesting material will help cushion the nest and provide warmth andcomfort to baby birds. Try stuffing it inside a suet cage feeder, then enjoy watching the parent birds as they swoop in, grab a beakful and fly off to line their nests.Stop in to check out our easy-to-use nesting materialsmade from all natural materials. We offer nesting material for hummers, too!Adding a bird house will help make your backyard a place of enjoyment for family, friends and your birds - Ask us what will work best in your yard!

Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation or care centerYES

NO

What does it look like? Eyes not open Eyes open;Few feathers

Feathered; awkwardly hops or flutters; Short tail & wingsIt’s a hatchling,

and very young It’s a nestling It’s a fledgling

YES NO

If possible, return to its nest.The parents won’t ‘smell’ you on the baby

Make a nest from a basket & dried grassWire it firmly to a tree

YES NO

DO NOT INTERVENEGive it privacy. The parents are still feeding it

Move carefully to nearby safer spot

CAN YOU SEE THE NEST? IS IT IN IMMEDIATE DANGER?

Is it injured?

DID YOU KNOW . . .• Generally, females build the nest and the male helps, or does nothing. With some species, the male builds the foundation, the female does the rest.• Black Capped Chickadees like a few wood-chips lining the bottom of the bird house.• Birds ‘glue’ their nests with materials like spider webs, mud and their saliva, then line them with softer findings, such as our nesting material. Some use herbs and spices that scientists think help ward off bacteria.• Red-bellied Woodpeckers and House Wrens start several nests, then let the female choose her preference.• Tufted Titmice often use animal hair to line their nests.• The skill used to build a nest is instinctive, although some studies show that young birds do improve with practice. Some birds raised in captivity can build nests typical of their spe-cies without ever having seen one.

WHO’S LIVING IN YOUR YARD?

Spring is a time of awakening, and birds that have wintered with you, as well as new arrivals, will make your yard their home.Offer a few necessities: feeders filled with seed, bird baths brimming with sparkling water, and bird houses ready for new tenants.

Many of our bird houses have viewing panels that make it easy and fun forthe whole family to watch as eggs turn to hatchlings, nestlings and finally, fledglings.

PAGE 2 WWW.WILDBIRD.COM WILD BIRD NEWS® SPRING 2020

Hello Spring!

Provide Nest Boxes for: Nesting Period No. of EggsNo. of Broods

Days toIncubate Days to Fledge

Black Capped Chickadee April to July 1 to 13 1 2 to 13 12 to 16

Carolina Chickadee April to July 5 to 8 1 11 to 13 13 to 17

Carolina Wren April to June 3 to 6 3 12 to 16 12 to 14

Downy Woodpecker April to July 3 to 8 1 12 18 to 21

Bluebird, Eastern March to July 2 to 7 1 to 3 11 to 19 17 to 21

Bluebird, Mountain March to May 4 to 8 1 to 2 13 to 15 17 to 22

Bluebird, Western March to August 2 to 8 1 to 3 12 to 17 18 to 25

Hairy Woodpecker February to April 3 to 6 1 14 28 to 30

House Finch February to August 2 to 6 1 to 6 13 to 14 12 to 19

House Wren March to July 3 to 10 1 to 4 10 to 14 10 to 14

Flicker March to July 5 to 8 1 12 to 16 28

Red Breasted Nuthatch April to August 2 to 8 1 12 to 13 18 to 21

White Breasted Nuthatch March to July 5 to 9 1 12 to 14 14 to 26

Red Bellied Woodpecker May to July 4 to 5 1 to 2 12 to 14 22 to 27

Red-Headed Woodpecker May to June 3 to 10 2 to 3 12 to 14 22 to 27

Tufted Titmouse March to July 3 to 9 1 12 to 14 15 to 16