The Bald Eagle

Today (2-2-2002) is Eagle Days in Havana. Numerous eagles spend their winters right here in central Illinois. Many can be easily seen from Riverfront Park in Havana. If you’ve never seen a Bald Eagle in the wild, I encourage you to take a drive to Havana this morning.

On January 13, the Champaign County Audubon Society did its annual Eagle Count along the Illinois River from Havana to Beardstown.  They counted 206 Bald Eagles (95 adult, 111 immature) and one adult Golden Eagle.  The Golden Eagle was at Emiquon refuge across the river from Havana.  There were also lots of Bald Eagles at Lake Chautauqua, just north of Havana, where there were also thousands of Canada Geese, many Snow Geese, and 21 Swans.

My family has really enjoyed watching Bald Eagles this winter. I find this really awesome especially knowing that the eagles came very close to extinction. The story of the Bald Eagle comeback includes an important lesson for us all. 

The Bald Eagle was originally classified as endangered in 1967. Shortly after World War II, the use of chemicals such as DDT and other related compounds (including Chlordane) became widespread. These chemicals last a long time in our environment and started to accumulate in Bald Eagles due to their natural feeding habits. The DDT impaired the eagles’ eggs, resulting in thin eggshells and reproductive failures. Since that time, the US-EPA has banned such chemicals and conservation and breeding efforts have brought our national bird populations back.

I tell you this because I think it is a great story of how humans can fix a problem we created. Think of this story each time you use a pesticide. Pesticides are anything used to control a pest and include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc. Almost all of us use them. When you grab the ant killer under the kitchen sink, you are using a pesticide.

To assure you apply pesticides in a safe and effective way that will obtain the control you want and still protect your family and our environment, you simply need to read the label. Reading the label is extremely important and it is the law! Labels change frequently, so you need to reread them each time you use the product. Carefully follow all directions on that pesticide label.

Whether you use pesticides or not is a personal decision, but if you do use them with respect and READ THE LABEL!

Published in Canton Daily Ledger Column on 2-20-1999, 2-2-2002, 2-1-2003, 2-5-2005

Hummingbirds

Last Saturday’s (3-30-2002) Gardeners’ Big Day was a great success. The day included great speakers, vendors, lunch, and good conversation among participants. Although all speakers and topics were great, everyone was talking about the hummingbird presentation.

Lois White from Smithfield presented an informative and energetic presentation on attracting hummingbirds to your yard. Lois is a dynamic person with an obvious love of hummingbirds. On Lois’s biography she writes that she has a lifelong interest in these stunning tiny birds. She has had a miniature refuge in her yard for 15 years with up to 25 feeders. Lois has a great love, admiration, and respect for our world’s tiniest birds. Some birds nest in her yard and large numbers stop over a few days on their migration both spring and fall.

Lois provided many helpful hints on how to properly feed and care for hummingbirds. An important area of emphasis was proper feeder care. This is critical. If you want to feed hummingbirds, you must be committed. This includes daily commitment to the feeder’s care or else birds will leave or be killed.

Lois uses a homemade 1:4 mixture: 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water. Bring the water to a rolling boil, add sugar and stir with wooden spoon. Cool and serve. It can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Never use honey, sugar substitute, or premixes when making your nectar mix. Research says that honey will attract bees as well as a black fungus that will cause a fatal liver and tongue disease in hummingbirds. Also, the use of red food coloring in your solution is both unnecessary and unhealthy for the birds, especially when your feeder already has the appropriate red plastic blossom.

Hummingbird feeders require routine cleaning every 2 to 3 days, especially in warm weather. Check feeders daily to be sure there are no ants, mold, or off-odor solution present. Feeders made of plastic, glass, or ceramic should be washed with a vinegar solution. Use a bottlebrush to clean hardened debris on feeders, and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Lois attracts her hummingbirds mainly with feeders. You can also attract them with flowers. There is a long list of flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds. Some annuals that you might have success with include geraniums, verbena, dianthus, vinca, morning glories, salvia, and smaller-flowered petunias. They like red colors and fragrant blooms. However, popular flowers for hummingbirds in my yard are sage, fuschia, and impatiens.

Thanks Lois for your great presentation. Hopefully those in attendance will not only attract hummingbirds to their yards, but also do it safely and properly.

Originally Published in Canton Daily Ledger on 3-30-2002

Birding Equipment…How to Use Binoculars

University of Illinois
Master Naturalist Training

We are enjoying watching the birds at our backyard feeders in the winter. They add action and color to an otherwise static winter scene. 

Bird watching is a popular hobby in America. According to a 2016 US Fish and Wildlife Service survey, more than 45 million people watch birds around their homes and away from home. If you aren’t already, you too can be a birder. All you need is the will and some basic equipment. 

Most people use binoculars to bird. The most common ones that I see are 7 x 35. The first number signifies magnification, and the second number gives the size of the lens in millimeters. A bigger ratio of magnification to lens size gives a sharper image. Therefore an 8 x 42 is sharper than an 8 x 32; however, the 8 x 42 is larger and bulkier to carry.

Regardless of the type of binoculars you have, you need to know how to use them. Binoculars need to be calibrated for each user, using the single adjustable eyepiece knob. Everyone’s eyes are different, so they must be calibrated for your eyes. Once you know your number, it will never change. For my binoculars, I use the 2+ setting, while my husband’s setting is different.

Adjust the binoculars to fit your eye width using the center hinge. If you wear glasses, roll the rubber edge down or twist each eyepiece all the way inward. Those without glasses need that extra space left alone. Finally, rotate the center wheel to focus both eyes on the subject in view.

If you are serious about birding, you might also consider getting a spotting scope. Spotting scopes work from a farther distance away and often require a tripod for stability. Scopes magnify a subject 20x to 80x, compared to the 7x or 8x on most binoculars.

Illinois Audubon outing with scopes

Birders typically carry a notebook to record their findings. Some also use their smartphone or tablet to play bird calls and look up identification characteristics.

One of my favorite birding websites is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at www.birds.cornell.edu. There you’ll find directions on calibrating your binoculars and downloadable birding checklists for your location. Start building your bird life list today.

Birding from the comfort of your home is a fun winter activity. In 2018 I produced a YouTube video on Bird Feed Types and Tips. I talk about how adding variety to your bird feeders attracts a wider variety of birds. Learn about types of seed and feeders that you can use in your yard.

Originally Published in Canton Daily Ledger on 2-2-2013 and 1-20-2018

Bird Reflection...Birds make me smile

Today I’ve been thinking a lot about birds.

I see them feeding outside my window. A downy woodpecker pecking on the suet cake, stopped and tilted its head my way – as if listening to me play my guitar. The pretty little finches make me smile to see their energy and free spirit. The male cardinals chase each other through the shrub border. A mockingbird bathes in our partially open garden pond. A pair of bluebirds stop for a drink on their way through. Chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice flit from feeder to pergola to shrub in their nervous way.

On a drive today we saw eagles, swans, and crows. Flocks of geese adorned the blue sky of puffy clouds. Eagles sat on Emiquon’s ice waiting for a meal. Swans ate corn left by a combine in the field. Crows jumped around along the roadside.

While drinking our morning coffee in the hot tub, I watched a blue jay fly from tree to tree. Its loud “caw” making it easy to find. Flickers hunkered down in the holes of dead pines in our woods. Woodpeckers bobbed up and down as they fly overhead.

Birds seem to be an important part of my life and home. My living room is decorated with birds of many types in figures and wall pictures. My last watercolor painting featured a cardinal on a limb.

My most recent project is to create a quilt for our bedroom that matches a beautiful hummingbird painting that we bought while vacationing in Ecuador. It features two blue hummingbirds on a nest set in a jungle tree. My new quilt is various shades of blues and white. I made two throw pillows to match, each with a bird silhouette formed of fabric squares. I'll post a picture of the final result on my RetroRhondaJ Facebook Page. 

In many ways, my outdoor gardens are created with birds in mind. Of course, we have bird feeding stations outside our living room and office windows, but there are also landscape plants and features that bring birds to our yard. My landscape provides food, shelter, water, and nesting sites for birds living her year-round and migrating through in spring and fall. Read my article on “Creating a Backyard Bird Habitat” to learn more.

This year I noticed a cardinal plucking the seeds of my lilac bush. Birds often eat crabapples, juniper berries, and other plant parts in our yard. Like humans, birds have favorite foods and those are the ones we try to feed them. Read my article on how to “Grow Your Own Bird Food” to learn the plants that common bird seed comes from.

I’ve had friends ask how we get so many birds in our yard. My friend who works for Illinois Audubon showed us tricks over the years. These include using good quality food and providing feeding stations for various types of birds. For example, some are ground feeders, while others prefer stationary platforms. Read my article on “Bird Feeding Basics” for more details.

Finally, as a retiree I spend hours (it seems) each day watching birds in our backyard or during our travels. A good pair of binoculars and a spotting scope help enhance the experience. Read my article on “BirdingEquipment…how to use binoculars” to be sure your equipment is setup for your best experience.

Wow, birds really bring me a lot of pleasure. I think I’ll get a cup of tea and go watch some more birds outside the windows. You can “watch” them with me in my RetroRhondaJ Facebook Page photo album of Backyard Birds.

Happy Birding!

Bird Feeding Basics

Originally published in Canton Daily Ledger Column on 12-4-04

Last weekend my husband Mark hung a new birdfeeder in the ash tree behind our house. I’m looking forward to the birds finding it. I have a great view of it from my kitchen window. We have another feeder at the front of the house that typically attracts many birds.

If you want to begin feeding birds, now is the best time to start your bird-feeding program according to Bob Frazee, University of Illinois Natural Resources Educator. Birds, small mammals, and other wildlife are actively seeking food sources to fatten up for migration or for winter temperatures if they are year-round residents. By having your feeders up early, there is a better opportunity for birds to find the feeder and become accustomed to using it before winter arrives in earnest.

Since enjoying birds is a major objective, you will want to locate the feeder where it can be conveniently viewed – and used. Due to differences in body size, feet and bills, birds not only prefer different seeds, but also different foraging areas. This does not mean that birds will never feed in a different area, but you will increase your chances by catering to their feeding preferences.

Birds such as juncos, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, and mourning doves prefer to forage on the ground for seeds. Frazee notes that you will often observe these birds hopping around the lower branches of shrubs and rustling through leaf litter in search of seeds and berries. A small brush pile, open lean-to or grassy patch provides cover for ground-feeding birds while they eat.

A covered tray feeder raised off the ground on a fence or pole is the most common feeder you see in people’s yards. Tray feeders will accommodate most of the ground feeders plus chickadees, nuthatches, and finches. While this type of feeder will attract the widest variety of birds, the seeds are not protected from the weather and can get wet and/or moldy. Frazee cautions that squirrels and large birds, such as grackles and blue jays may also invade a tray feeder.

Finches eating niger seed

Hanging feeders may include hopper, silo and tube feeders with perches. Hung from a branch, eaves, or a clothesline, these feeders sway freely in the wind, which doesn’t bother birds such as finches, chickadees, woodpeckers, and nuthatches. However, some birds, such as sparrows, get a little “sea-sick” and prefer more stability. Frazee encourages filling large hanging feeders with sunflower seeds to attract cardinals and blue jays. Small feeders should be geared more toward finches, chickadees, nuthatches and tufted titmice. Niger seed is very attractive to goldfinches and works well in small-hole tube feeders, which avoid waste.

Woodpeckers and nuthatches are primarily insect eaters. They prefer foods high in protein and fat such as suet and peanut butter that can be dispersed in clinging feeders. Made of hardware cloth, mesh bags, pinecones, coconuts or other “structures” lacking perches, clinging feeders are excellent for dispensing peanuts to smaller birds or suet to insect-eaters.

Lastly, just like persnickety kids, birds have different food preferences. Hands down, black-oil sunflower seeds are the most popular food among a large variety of birds. Juncos and sparrows go wild for white proso millet, goldfinches can’t resist niger seed, and chickadees and titmice will delightfully indulge themselves with peanuts. In a nutshell, Frazee concludes that the key to successfully attracting wildlife to your backyard is to add variety.

Original Source: Bob Frazee, Retired University of Illinois Extension Natural Resources Management Educator

Grow Your Own Birdseed

Originally published in Canton Ledger Column on 12-16-17

Feeding and watching birds has become one of America’s favorite pastimes. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, nearly half the households in the United States provide food for wild birds. In honor of my husband’s December birthday, I’m writing about the different plant-based ingredients in birdseed.

Sunflower Harvest in  2013

The most commonly used birdseed are sunflower seeds, with black-oil sunflower seeds being the most popular. It’s small size and thin shell make it easier for small birds to eat. Striped sunflower seeds are larger with thicker shells. Sunflower (Helianthus sp.) are easy plants to grow and come in various colors and heights.

All sunflower shells contain allelopathic toxins that prevent other seeds from germinating. This is partly why the ground beneath a feeder is often bare when feeding sunflower seeds. If this is a problem, consider feeding sunflower hearts instead. The hearts are expensive but contain no shell. 

Safflower seeds look similar to sunflower seeds but have a very tough shell that only larger birds can crack. They are the seeds of the annual safflower plant (Carthamus tinctorius). This herbaceous, thistle-like plant is also grown commercially to produce vegetable oil.

To attract finches, use a tube hanging feeder filled with black nyjer seed. Although sometimes also called thistle or niger, the nyjer seed sold today is not a thistle at all. Rather, it is a daisy-like plant, known as Guizotia abyssinica. Nyjer is an annual flower with bright, yellow-orange flower heads that turn into seed pods. You can grow your own by starting the seed indoors or planting seed directly in the ground after all danger of frost is gone. Similar to sunflowers, you can harvest the seed or leave the plants for birds to feed on all winter.

Cereal grains are used alone or as filler in birdseed mixes. They include dried whole kernel corn, cracked corn, millet, and milo. Millet or milo are the little round seeds often found in mixes. Millet comes from a Pennisetum plant, while milo is a type of grain sorghum. Both are available as ornamental plants with attractive colored leaves and seeds. Purple Majesty (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’) is a cultivar of pearl millet with dark purple foliage and stems, and stunning purple-brown seeds that are a favorite of many birds. Ornamental sorghums are available in earth-tone colored seed heads and grow seven to twelve feet tall.

Like picky kids, birds have different food preferences. Hands down, black-oil sunflower seeds are the most popular food among a large variety of birds. Cardinals love safflower. Juncos and sparrows go wild for white proso millet; goldfinches can’t resist nyjer seed, and chickadees and titmice will delightfully indulge themselves with peanuts. In a nutshell, the key to successfully attracting birds to your backyard is to add variety.

Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat

Originally published in Canton Daily Ledger Column on March 13, 2004

Indigo bunting and Cedar Waxwings

This week I witnessed an amazing sight. Our garden pond had 12 waxwings, 3 robins, and a mockingbird all drinking from it at the same time. We located the garden pond so that it is easily was viewed from the window above the kitchen sink and it is always giving us surprises. Since this is one of the only water sources in the area, it is frequented by a large variety of birds. My husband even saw Scarlet Tanagers last summer, which rarely make an appearance.

Did you know that birding is one of the most popular pastimes for Americans? Birding can be simple or elaborate. Most people simply watch birds in their own yard, while others plan whole vacations around a good birding location. To attract birds to your yard, follow these tips provided by Robert Frazee, Educator in Natural Resource Management in the East Peoria Extension Center.

Wildlife needs food, water, cover and space. Every wildlife species has its own preferences and requirements for each of these elements. You might not be able to provide everything on your property, but the neighborhood might.

Consider plant components for your yard. Evergreens provide shelter from the weather and predators. Spruce, cedar, pine and other conifers also provide excellent nesting cover and are important in the winter to provide privacy all year.

Grasses and legumes also provide cover, food and habitat for ground-nesting birds. Ornamental grasses, native wildflowers, clovers or unmown areas of your yard will serve well.

Woody plants that provide cover and food for birds include American cranberry viburnum, elderberry, hawthorns, crabapples, dogwood and mountain ash.

In addition to plants, consider non-living components, which can be as important as plants in providing good habitat for wildlife. In some instances, they are very easy to incorporate into your landscape. Examples include nest boxes, dead or fallen trees, brush or rock piles, dust or grit, salt, water and finally feeders.

Originally adapted from article by Bob Frazee, University of Illinois Extension Retired Natural Resources Management Educator