State of the Birds

Here is a link to a video and the full report of the state of the birds. Birds are an important part of our environment. The bad news is that we have many species in trouble.

The good news is that we have the ability to reverse many of the ill effects such as habitat loss. Read the report to learn more about what you can do to help.

Will Thistle Seed Grow Thistle's In My Yard?

Niger or Nijer is

- The yellow flowering crop of "Guizotia abyssinica"

- A feed favored by finches for its size and high oil content

- An oilseed crop that is cultivated in Ethiopia, India, Myanmar and Nepal.

- The average plant height is four feet but can be up to seven feet.

- It is traditionally harvested while the buds are still yellow, then stacked to dry.

- The seeds, loosely held in the flower head, are black, club-shaped and narrowly long.

- It is the only major wild bird feed ingredient imported from overseas as we here in the US don't have the climate to grow it.

- In 1985, the US Department of Agriculture ruled heat treatment as a "condition of entry."

- In 1997, treatment temperature was set at 250 deg. for 15 minutes to devitalize all weed seeds that may be present.

- It has been marketed as bird seed for about 40 years.

Guizotia abyssinica is an erect, stout, branched annual herb, grown for its edible oil and seed.

Its cultivation originated in the Ethiopian highlands, and has spread to other parts of Ethiopia.

Common names include niger and nyjer.

The seed is sold as bird seed as it is a favorite of finches, especially goldfinches.


Nyjer® is NOT:

- A pink to purple flowering plant of the thistle species

- A perennial or biennial noxious weed

- An aggressive, opportunistic thistle strain from Europe, Africa or Asia

It is not Thistle

Watch For This Bird!!

This bird is a Tufted Titmouse and it is a much sought after bird. We do have them in Marathon County but sightings are far and few between. There has been a report of one in the Schofield flowage area of Wausau. That's east of Grand Ave. but
north of the small flowage dam. If you are lucky enough to see this bird, please let me know ASAP and if you can, get a snapshot!!

What's That Bird At My Feeder?

I've been getting at least one phone call each day asking what kind of bird this is. I personally have at least 10 that I know of visiting my feeders and making quite a rukous.

This is an adolescent Rose-breasted Grosbeak!! These are beautiful birds that are full of character.

Here are some fun facts about these birds:
- The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak shares incubation duties with the female and is known to even sing while sitting on the nest.
- The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is beneficial to farmers, consuming many potato beetles and weed seeds.
- The Rose-breasted Grosbeak will breed with the Black-headed Grosbeak in areas where their ranges overlap.
- Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are known for singing on moonlit nights, sometimes all night, but never very loudly.
- The nests of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are commonly parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird, possibly due to the singing done by both the male and female as they construct the nest.
- Rose-breasted Grosbeaks’ preferred feeder items are sunflower, safflower and peanuts.
- The nests of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak are so thinly constructed that eggs often can be seen through the nest from below.
- The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak shares equally in incubating eggs and feeding young, despite having a much showier plumage than their respective females.
- The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have unusual diets for birds with such a big seed-eating beak. Throughout most of the year, over half of their diet is made up of insects. Their huge beaks allows them to eat large grasshoppers, crickets and other insects that have tough exoskeletons.

You can offer Rose-breasted Grosbeaks suet, millet sprays, black oil sunflower seed, sunflower chips and fruit. I hope you enjoy them!

Help!! There's a Hawk In My Yard!!

I was watching the birds last night when WHAM!, a mourning dove bounces off the window. After I make sure the dove has flown away, I look up and see a beautiful Cooper's Hawk sitting on top of my fly-through feeder. He was a little perturbed that the Mourning Dove escaped him but not too worried. There is a lot of wildlife to choose from in our yard. I watched him straighten his feathers, look around, (silence in the yard), and then fly off. I'm sure it had nothing to do with me smashed against the window yelling, "LOOK, LOOK, LOOK!"

Native American folklore says: "If a hawk appears to you, then right now a clue about the magic of life is being presented. This magic can imbue you with the power to overcome a currently stressful or difficult situation."


I like that thought. If you feed birds long enough, a Hawk will likely show up sooner or later. Sometimes the hawk perches for a while. It is on those occasions that the phone at Wild Birds Unlimited starts ringing: "How can I get rid of this thing? It's killing my birds!" Of course that is what certain kinds of hawks do.

The most common neighborhood hawks in the northwoods are the Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks. They are usually woodland hunters, and with their habitat shrinking more sitings have been reported at well-stocked feeding stations. Hawks have to eat too, and whether they are hunting around your feeder or off in the woods, they are going to catch about the same amount of prey each day. Consider yourself lucky that you have a front row seat to one of nature's more dramatic dances.

However, most people do not put up feeders with the intention of attracting hawks. They want Cardinals and Chickadees and Goldfinches. Having a hawk blast through, scattering the birds and perhaps carting one off, is not the experience most bird watchers want.

Some steps to take if you have hawks in your yard:

First and foremost, federal and state laws prohibit the capture, killing, or possession of hawks and owls. Raptors at bird feeding stations are a problem only when they perch nearby all day. The birds return as soon as the Hawk flys away. So rather than get upset, enjoy a close-up look at these magnificent birds while they are in your yard.
Place your feeders where there is ample natural protection. Evergreen shrubs and trees can provide an easy escape for the birds. If there is none available, consider planting a few varieties.
Lastly, acknowledge that a few birds and squirrels will be caught by Hawks at your feeders. This is part of the cycle. Raptors play an important role in controlling the populations. Also keep in mind; songbirds are difficult for hawks to catch. Few are caught by birds of prey.
Ultimately, the only thing you can do when a hawk comes to dinner is wait it out. Most hawks that settle in at feeders do so for two or three weeks and then they are off again to different territory. The presence of hawks at your feeders should in no way cause you to discontinue feeding birds. Just take a few simple steps to protect them and enjoy a season of bird feeding.

What's Your Favorite Bird??

I am often asked what my favorite bird is. My favorite bird is the one I'm looking at, photographing, talking about or learning about at any given moment. Every species has unique behaviors and qualities that I appreciate (yes even the pesky starlings and House Sparrows).

Today my favorite bird is the Cedar Waxwing. I've been waiting for them to visit my yard for years. I see them around the store daily now but no luck at home until........ last night!!

Birders tend to develop heightened senses of sight and sound. Any small movement or bird-like sound catches our attention. I took a walk past our pond last night and heard the familiar soft high-pitched, hissy whistle of waxwings. There they were perched in a willow bush only six feet away from me.

They are beautiful and voracious eaters of berries. Often where you see one waxwing, you can be sure there are more nearby. They LOVE pool parties so make sure you have at least one nice big birdbath with a dripper/mister.

To learn more about the Cedar Waxwing, click here.

Hard to believe that it's mid-August already. Where did the summer go? Now's the time to wacth those hummingbird feeders a little closer. You never know who may show up.

Illinois documented their first Green Violet-ear Hummingbird on Monday (in St. Clair Co., southeast of St. Louis.)




A Rufous Hummingbird has been sighted in Bayfield County in northern Wisconsin...




Two years ago, a Green-breasted Mango hummingbird was visiting a hummingbird feeder in Beloit Wisconsin.



It pays to watch those feeders!! If you see a species other than the Ruby-throated, please let us know ASAP and be sure to get pictures!

How did the Northern Cardinal get its name?

That’s an interesting story…

In 1758 the Cardinal was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature, in the genus Loxia cardinalis. Loxia is derived the Greek loxos which means crosswise. Based on appearance, Linnaeus thought the Cardinal was related to the Red Crossbill.

However taxonomists found the two species were not closely related. Subsequently in 1838, it was changed to the genus Cardinalis and given the scientific name Cardinalis virginianus, which means "Virginia Cardinal" because there were a lot of Cardinals in Virginia. Then in 1918, the scientific name was changed to Richmondena cardinalis to honor Charles Wallace Richmond, an American ornithologist. But in 1983 that was changed again, to Cardinalis cardinalis and the common name was also changed to "Northern Cardinal.”


There are actually several bird species in the world with the name Cardinal. The term "Northern" in the common name refers to its range, as it is the only cardinal found in the Northern Hemisphere.
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And the “Cardinal” name was derived from the vivid red plumage of the male, which resembles the robes of the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.



Whatever the name, Cardinals are beautiful birds that are a favorite to watch at mid-Wisconsin feeders.