Mother Nature's Bird Feeding Community

14/02/2025

Celebrating Love in February
By Myrna Pearman, Mother Nature’s Naturalist and Backyard Birding Expert

February on the west coast is often grey, chilly and wet. While the days are getting noticeably longer, many still remain in the clutches of winter’s rainy grip. For most folks, one bright spot in the month is Valentine’s Day. What better way to dispel gloom than with kisses, wine, chocolate and roses!
For most bird species, February is a shoulder month, with life being dominated by the daily grind of finding food, water and shelter. Their “love” hormones, which are regulated by the hours of daylight (called photoperiodism), haven’t been stimulated, so their instincts have not yet turned to the pursuits of establishing breeding territories and finding suitable mates.
Interestingly, there are a few bird species that eschew the normal pattern of spring-only breeding and instead nest during the late winter.
The most iconic of these winter-nesting species is the Canada Jay. Although Canada Jays—hopefully soon to be designated as Canada’s Official Bird— aren’t seen at lower elevations in the Vancouver area, they are commonly encountered at higher elevations across the province. Anyone who skis or hikes the backcountry will be familiar with these curious and tame birds, which are well known for fearlessly approaching humans looking for handouts. They also will come to feeding stations that offer peanut butter, suet, peanuts, cat kibble and meat scraps. Interestingly, they cache food year-round by covering stored morsels with a special saliva that they glue to flakes of bark, conifer needles or in tree forks.
Canada Jay pairs, which stay together for life, will often breed in February. They construct their very snug nests by making a base of spruce and tamarack twigs that are held together with insect cocoons. They then fill this base with finer twigs, bark strips and lichen and complete it by lining the cup with feathers and/or fur. This super-insulated nest will keep the eggs and nestlings warm, even during the coldest February storms.
Crossbills, both Red and White-winged, will also nest—usually with others of their own kind—during late winter.

13/02/2025

Help ensure the safety of our backyard bird!

12/02/2025

Join the excitement! Be a part of the 28th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

11/02/2025

Try this cinnamon hack to deter squirrels from your bird feeders.

Birds love bird feeders. Unfortunately, so do squirrels. However, if you've got a little cinnamon on hand, you could have yourself a squirrel repellent hack.

09/02/2025

Are birds doing the flyby when they see you bird feeder?

06/02/2025

Here are some tips on how to choose the best bird feeders for your backyard.

The last things you want when choosing a bird feeder are wasted money or anything that scares off your birds. ... Read more

04/02/2025

How bird feeders support birds during cold weather.

Do Birds Use Bird Feeders in Winter? As winter sets in and the landscape becomes blanketed in frost and snow, many bir

02/02/2025

Want to attract birds to your feeders? Choose Mother Nature's bird seed!

30/01/2025

How to tell the difference between a house finch and a house sparrow.

Discover the key features that set House Finches apart from House Sparrows. Learn how to identify males and females of both species with images.

28/01/2025

We still have people asking us where they can buy our bird seed.
Please check out our store locator to find a store near you!

Chin Ridge Seeds Bird and Small Pet Food is available throughout Canada.

28/01/2025

Project FeederWatch: Count Feeder Birds for Science!
By Myrna Pearman, Mother Nature’s Naturalist and Backyard Birding Expert
Project FeederWatch is a North American citizen science initiative that started at the Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario, in 1976, with the Ontario Bird Feeder Survey. In 1987, Cornell Lab of Ornithology expanded the program across the entire continent. Named Project FeederWatch, the program is now a joint venture between Cornell and Birds Canada and boasts over 20,000 participants who systematically survey about 100 species of winter feeder birds. This initiative has been a heartening example of both the popularity of bird feeding as well as how feeder watchers are contributing to science.
Project FeederWatch runs between November and April of each year and entails the counting of birds at feeders or in any other areas where birds are attracted to the provision of plantings or water. With a flexible schedule and the ease of online data entering, the project efficiently enables the public to make important contributions to the Project FeederWatch continent-wide data set.
While Project FeederWatch receives an annual donation by Wild Birds Unlimited, it is almost entirely supported by participants. Canadians can join the program by donating any amount to Birds Canada. In return, contributors receive tools to track and learn about local birds. They also receive an annual year-end summary. People from all skill levels—from families and school classes to expert birders—are invited to participate.
The scientists with Project FeederWatch analyze the massive amount of data submitted through the online portal to determine which bird species visit feeders and how many individuals of each species are seen. From these data, they can measure weekly as well as long-term changes in abundance of each species. The data reveals the timing and extent of winter irruptions, winter range contractions and expansions, the kinds of food and other factors that attract winter birds, and how diseases spread among feeder birds. Most importantly, the data can detect and evaluate long-term population trends.
The Project FeederWatch website is filled with interesting information about the identification and biology of winter birds, types of food to offer, feeder style analyses, and how to deal with challenges.
An annual summary of the top 25 feeder bird species is also provided. The 2023-2024 list for Saskatchewan is shown below. Not surprisingly, the Black-capped Chickadee topped the list as the most common feeder bird in the province while coming in at #25 was the Ruffed Grouse. Only 66 SK participants submitted data last year. Hopefully more bird lovers will become involved this year!
Project FeederWatch website: https://buff.ly/2sPJzf6
Birds Canada https://buff.ly/39O7AWl
1 Black-capped Chickadee
2 House Sparrow
3 Downy Woodpecker
4 Blue Jay
5 Dark-eyed Junco
6 Black-billed Magpie
7 Red-breasted Nuthatch
8 Hairy Woodpecker
9 White-breasted Nuthatch
10 Redpoll (Common)
11 House Finch
12 American Robin
13 Purple Finch
14 Pine Grosbeak
15 American Crow
16 Bohemian Waxwing
17 Evening Grosbeak
18 Common Raven
19 Boreal Chickadee
20 Northern Flicker
21 White-throated Sparrow
22 Common Raven
23 Gray Partridge
24 Pine Siskin
25 Ruffed Grouse

23/01/2025

Avoid Feeding Birds This Common Ingredient in Your Yard .

Winter is a time of scarce food and inclement weather, and it's understandable to want to help the birds in your yard. But never offer this common ingredient.

21/01/2025

Discover the Surprising Reason Your Bird Feeder Is Encouraging W**d Growth in Your Yard.

Discover the reason why your bird feeder may be contributing to w**d growth in your yard. Learn about the connection between birdseed and unwanted plants.

16/01/2025

A pair of migrating hawks in Edmonton are getting a new lease on life, thanks to a local animal rescue.

A pair of birds not often seen in Edmonton have been given a new lease on life, thanks to a local animal rescue.

14/01/2025

Ensure Success at Your Bird Feeders by Avoiding These Common Mistakes.

Mistakes to avoid if you want to create a feeding frenzy for your feathered friends.

09/01/2025

Winter Diet for Birds: What Do They Eat?

Everything to know about feeding birds in winter months, including if you need to change their food.

07/01/2025

How birds survive our Canadian winters.

Birds don't have heated housing like we do, but they have their own ways of surviving Canada's winters

02/01/2025

Snowy owls have returned to Alberta! Here's how to spot them.

Read the full story and comment on CochraneToday.ca