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BACKYARD SECRET – MOURING DOVE NESTS CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR IN GEORGIA

Sep9

      Remarkably mourning doves can be seen nesting throughout the entire year in Georgia. This is due to the fact that doves are known to nest up from five o six times a year; however, they normally nest only three times a year.

       Typically the mourning dove nesting season commences February 1 in South Georgia. In spite of this, the peak of nesting season takes place from May – July. 

TRAPPING ARMADILLOS

Sep7

     Since armadillos first arrived in the Peach State less than 50 years ago, these odd animals have become a nuisance in our yards.  While we are sleeping armadillos roam our backyards hunting their favorite foods that include a wide variety of insect larvae, adults such as termites, cockroaches, as well as scorpions, worms, frogs and the like. Homeowners would consider this their feeding activities commendable, except while foraging for food they uproot valuable vegetable and ornamental plants. As a result, these odd alien animals are reviled more often than not and leave folks searching for ways to eradicate them.

       Live-trapping these animals is an ideal way to control them, however, most folks that try this technique have poor results.  The reason for this most do not know how to go about it.  They buy a live trap, set it up and bait it with a variety of baits including bananas, rotten vegetables, fresh fruit name it.  If you find an armadillo in a baited trop, more than likely it accidentally walked into the trap.

In order to be successful, a live trap needs to be large enough to hold one of the creatures. This means it should be at least 12 inches tall and 10 inches wide.

       An excellent location to locate a trap (without any bait) is alongside your house. Once you have put it in place, erect a board or section of construction fencing at a 45⁰angle away from the mouth of the trap.  This works because the wall of your house and the board or fencing creates a large funnel.  If an armadillos wanders through the large funnel, it will eventually end up in the trap.  If armadillos are foraging away from your house, set a trap up in the area they are prone to feed and create the funnel using two boards or construction fencing.

       Now that that you know the secret of armadillo trapping, with patience and little luck you should eliminate the armadillo problem in your yard.

BACKYARD SECRET – FUELING RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION?

Sep3

       

During the past few weeks the hummingbirds that have been visiting our feeders seem are on a feeding frenzy. The reason for this is they are trying to store enough fuel (in the form of fat) to power their fall migration.

       Prior to migration, an adult female ruby-throated weighs roughly 1/10th of an ounce (3.5 grams).  These long-distance migrants will consume enough nectar and insects to increase their weight to 5.5 grams (0.194 ounces).  Each gram of this stored fat enables a hummingbird to migrate 300 miles.

THE TIMING OF THE FALL RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION

Aug30

       If you have been feeding hummingbirds, you have probably noticed that the number of rubythroats visiting your feeders has dropped significantly. This reason for this is rubythroats are heading south on their fall migration. Interestingly, the timing of their departure is dependent on their sex and age. Let’s take a quick look at the timing of the migration in Georgia.

       If you take a close look at the birds visiting your feeders, you will notice that currently few adult males are still using your feeders. The reason for this is adult males are the first to leave.  While some adult males will begin migration as early as July, most will leave in August.  The adult females are the next to leave they begin their southward trek in August.  The last to depart are the hummers that hatched this year. Most of these birds migrate in September.

BACKYARD SECRET – KILLDEER CAN FEED AT NIGHT

Aug26

       One evening this week my granddaughter called to ask me, Is it unusual see killdeer feeding in a brightly-lit parking lot at night?”  She posed the question because she and her friend spotted two killdeer feeding alongside puddles of water in a large well-lit parking lot.

       While killdeer do most of their feeding during the daylight hours, they do feed at night. Killdeer will hunt for food during the non-breeding season on moonlight nights.  In addition, they also forage for food at night in open areas such as parking lots and athletic fields that are bathed in bright artificial light.  It seems that the bright lights often attract a bounty of insects such as moths and beetles.

BACKYARD SECRET – BUTTERFLIES HAVE AN ODD WAY OF TASTING THEIR FOOD

Aug23

          We taste food by placing it in our mouths; such is not the case with butterflies. Unbelievably, butterflies taste food with their feet. It seems that when a butterfly lands on a flower, before it unrolls its straw-like proboscis and begins dining on the flower’s nectar, they taste the potential source of food through their feet.  They are able to accomplish this amazing fete because their feet are cloaked with cells (chemoreceptors) that let a butterfly know whether the flower contains sugary nectar.

     

BACKYARD SECRET – HOW MUCH NECTAR DOES AN ADULT E. TIGER SWALLOW EAT IN A DAY?

Aug19

         The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is one of the largest butterflies commonly seen in Georgia yards.  In spite of its relatively large size (wingspan -3.5 – 5.5 inches), this colorful butterfly consumes only 0.0014 – 0.0105 ounces of nectar daily.  To put this in perspective, a standard-sized paperclip weighs only 0.04 ounces.

THE BEST HUMMINGBIRD FOOD

Aug9

 

    During July and August Georgians typically feed more ruby-throated hummingbirds than at any other time of the year.  I know that is the case at my home.  For weeks, the demand of sugar water has been so great my wife has been making 20 cups of nectar every other day to keep up with the hummingbirds’ demand for the sugary treat. 

       Whenever you are feeding hummingbirds, you want to be sure that you are feeding them the right food.  With that in mind, here is the recipe for the best hummingbird food.  Boil a mixture containing 4 parts water and 1-part white table sugar for minutes.  Allow the nectar to cool and store in your refrigerator.

       During the extremely hot weather that has been roasting Georgia for weeks, it is best to replace the nectar in your feeders every 3 days or so.

FEEDING BIRDS SEEDS DURING THE SUMMER CAN BE CHALLENGING

Aug5

       Feeding seeds to birds during the summer can be more challenging than during the winter months.  One of the main reasons for this is in the summer the high humidity and heat encourages mold and bacteria to contaminate seeds. As a result, birds that dine on contaminated food are more likely to become infected by a number of diseases. Here are a few tips that will help you prevent this from happening. 

       During the summer, you often have to clean feeders every 3-5 days in order to discourage a buildup of dangerous bacteria and mold.  Clean feeders with soap and water. Follow this up by disinfecting them with a solution of nine parts water and one part bleach.  Dry the feeders before refilling them with seeds.

       Some seeds are safer to use in summer.  One of these is black oil sunflower seed.  These seeds can be fed shelled and unshelled.

       White millet also can resist mold and bacteria however, if you scatter it on the ground, the millet seeds will spoil quicker than they will if fed in feeders.

       Avoid feeding mixed seed during the summer. The reason for this is it contains ingredients that quickly become contaminated (e.g. cracked corn and milo). Peanuts also spoil quickly in humid, hot weather.

 

SHOULD I USE A LAZER WHILE BIRDING?

Aug2

       When you are trying to tell people where a bird is perched high in a tall tree, we all have use terms such as it is at 10 0’clock or is feeding near the third limb from the top of the tree.  While these directions sometimes help another birder find the bird through their binoculars, often the bird vanishes before they locate it.  With that in mind, some birding trip guides and everyday birders are using laser pointers to point out the exact locations of hard to see birds.  While these devices can indeed be helpful, should lasers be used for this purpose?

      The American Birding Association (ABA) states that these instruments should be used with caution.  Since lasers can be stressful to the birds and potentially harmful to birds and humans alike under no circumstances should lasers be aimed directly into the eyes of a bird or human. Instead, point the beam  at an object near the bird.

       If you choose to use a laser, use either a red or green low-power laser pointer rated in the -5mW range.  Using such a device lessens the chance of eye damage.

       In addition, refrain from using the device around birds that are nesting or easily agitated.

       It is also important to remember that under no circumstances should a laser pointer be aimed aircraft, or vehicles,

       Many birders feel the use of laser devices is unethical. As such, each of us has to decide if this potentially valuable bird tool is something they want to use.