MISCELLANEOUS FAQs

Dear BirdGal, What do I do if I find a baby bird in my yard? Rick
Dear Rick, If the baby is a nestling, make every attempt to put it back in the nest. Don't worry, your scent will not cause the parents to abandon the nest or the babies - that's an old wives' tale! If the baby is a fledgling, leave it alone. The parents are probably nearby watching their baby as it learns to fly. If, in either situation, you must take the baby in, place it in a shoe box lined with soft tissue paper and keep it warm. Do not try to feed it! Cincinnati area residents call Second Chance Wildlife (875-3433) for further instructions. Others, call your local State Wildlife officials for more information. BG

Dear BirdGal, I bought a new birdfeeder recently but the birds haven't gone near it. What's wrong? Alice
Dear Alice, You first must make sure the birds can see the new feeder as they fly through your yard. Birds do not have a highly developed sense of smell so they locate food by sight. After they have located the feeder and are actively using it, you can move it to an area better for your viewing and they will find it. It might help to sprinkle a little birdseed on top of, underneath and around your new feeder to help the birds locate it. If the new feeder is an addition to a well-established birdfeeding station, you may have to take the old feeder(s) down for a few days to "force" the birds to use the new one. Once they have accepted the new feeder you can put the others back in place. BG

BirdGal, Should I take down all my nesting boxes? P. from Terrace Park
Dear P., No! In the fall, after the nesting season is over, you should remove any old nests you find in your bird houses and sweep out the inside of the box. Then line the bottom of the box with 3-4 inches of dry grass. This will insulate the box for any birds that might use it for roosting on cold winter nights. BG

Dear BirdGal, Is it important to provide water for the birds in winter? Alice in Milford
Dear Alice, Yes, and you should purchase a heated birdbath or place a de-icer in your existing birdbath because unfrozen water can be hard for birds to find in winter. Birds need water to drink and to keep their feathers clean to provide insulation in cold weather. You may also notice that in the winter, your heated birdbath may attract unusual species – those that don’t usually visit your birdfeeding station! BG

BirdGal, Is there something special I can put out to attract insect eaters to my feeders in winter? Michelle
Dear Michelle, Sure, you can attract insect-eating birds like chickadees, nuthatches, titmice and woodpeckers to your feeding station with suet and/or peanuts, both good sources of protein. Suet is simply the fat removed from processed beef. Unrendered suet can be obtained from your butcher, but it must be handled properly or it can become rancid. Commercial suet cakes have been rendered and mixed with various seeds and require no special handling. Either type of suet can be offered in wire baskets or mesh bags. Peanuts or woodpecker nut-mixes can be added to your current birdfeeder or placed in a peanut feeder (wire mesh feeder). You can also try the following recipe to attract insect-loving birds! BG

PEANUT TREAT
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup shortening
1 cup flour
4 cups corn meal
Mix ingredients by hand until consistency of cookie dough. Add more corn meal if too sticky/soft. Add more peanut butter and/or shortening if too dry and crumbly. Stuff treat in suet logs or place in small containers (margarine tubs, tuna cans, etc.). Peanut treat can be made in large batches and frozen for use throughout the winter months.

Dear BirdGal, I saw the strangest new bird in my yard late this summer. It looked like a cardinal but it had a black head. What kind of bird was it? Perplexed
Dear Perplexed, I hear about bald cardinals (the head looks black because the skin shows) every year at this time. The head is the one area of the bird’s body it can not reach for preening and removal of parasites. Feathers destroyed by mites will fall out leaving the bird temporarily “bald”; the feathers will grow back during the birds normal molt (see molting article in this issue of BirdChat). BG

Hi BirdGal, I saw the oddest thing the other day in my backyard – I witnessed a female cardinal feeding a baby bird that definitely WAS NOT a cardinal. Wassup with that? Confused in Milford
Dear Confused, you saw exactly what you say you saw! My guess is that you observed a cardinal feeding a cowbird, convinced it was her baby. Cowbirds are parasitic brooders. Female cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of other species. When the baby cowbird hatches, the host parents raise it as if it were their own. I have witnessed this phenomenon many times in my own backyard. BG