News
March 1, 2008
- Easy Milk Carton Bird Houses That Children Can Make
There are many projects that you can do with your kids and one of the most educational and easy ones to do is to make milk carton bird houses. This is a project for young children and one the whole family can get involved in. Deciding where and how you are going to hang your birdhouse can be as much for young children as making the bird house. You can be assured this is one family memory that will be recorded in your scrapbook.
Start With A Milk Carton
You begin your milk carton bird house project with an empty half gallon milk carton. Not the big round plastic cartons, but the soft square cartons. You must first open up the top of the carton and wash and rinse it thoroughly. When the carton is dry, then close and staple it shut. The next step in making a milk carton bird house is taking a roll of masking tape and tearing off one half inch strips to cover the entire carton.
Be sure and overlap the tape so that none of the carton shows. Take brown shoe polish and rub it all over the tape to make it look like brown bark. Let this dry thoroughly. Now it is time to decide what type of bird you want to live in your milk carton bird house. When you have made this decision, then look at a bird house specs page and determine how large a hole to cut and how far the hole should be from the floor. Make sure it is big enough for the bird to get inside. Now cut your entrance into your milk carton bird house. The next step to making your milk carton bird house is using a pencil to make several holes in the bottom of the carton so that the rain can drain out.
Also, you must make several holes in the top of the milk carton to let any condensation and heat escape. The final step in your milk carton bird house is to make a hole in the top of the bird house near the staples. Put a short piece of clothes hanger wire through the hole and make a loop. You are now ready for the final task in making your milk carton bird house, hanging it outside so the birds can enjoy it. This is a fun project for the adults, as well as the kids and a family project that will be passed down through generations.
February 27, 2008
- A Guide To Choosing Bird Watching Tour Operators
Not all bird watching tour operators run their tours in the same way. If you love birds and wildlife, and you have been considering taking one of the many trios that bird watching tour operators offer it is important to choose the tour that best fits your interests and needs. With careful planning and a little bit of research, you will know which of the bird watching tour operators to book a tour with.
Know Your Bird Watching Tour Operators
Before you even consider booking a trip with any bird watching tour operators, do a little research. Contact your local Better Business Bureau and make sure there are no open complaints about the bird watching tour operator you are considering booking with. Ask your other bird lovers if they have used the company and if so, what they enjoyed most about the trip.
When you call a company to book a bird watching trip or tour, make sure that the packages they offer fit your lifestyle, budget, and interests. Carefully consider how far you are able to hike on foot and ask the tour company how much walking is required in each tour. Find out how long the tour takes and how many breaks and rest stops are allowed. It is also a good idea to ask if things like binoculars and food are included in the price of the tour or if you need to supply your own. Don’t forget to ask what birds you can expect to see on each tour and take the time to find out if the birds that the tour promises to show you are indeed native to the area you are touring. It is also important to find out how many people will be in your tour group. If the group is too large, it can impede seeing birds and may make it hard to ask questions of your guide.
Many bird watching tour operators offer very diverse tour options. Some companies set up very rustic camping trips. If you like roughing it, this can be a lot of fun. However if your idea of roughing it is staying in a hotel that doesn’t have a sauna, ask your tour guide if they have a more pampering package. Some companies even provide tours in which you are driven to your bird watching location and treated to a gourmet lunch in a shaded grove.
With a little research, you can find a bird watching tour operator that can offer you a package that is perfect for you and your family. Just make sure to ask plenty of questions while booking your tour and you won’t meet with any odd surprises on your trip.
February 20, 2008
- Fans Club for Birds
Birds are such lovely creatures that people cannot help but enjoy watching them. This is the very reason for the establishment of various bird watcher clubs around the world. These clubs aim to bring together people from all nations to appreciate and learn more about birds.
Membership to most of these clubs is usually for free. By signing up with any of them, you get invitations to various activities that they organize each year. You also gain more access to researches and other information about birds.
One of these bird watcher clubs is called the New Haven Bird Club. Every year this club hosts an international birding event that is non-competitive. This event has recently been called the “Big Sit”; which observes a certain bird every year that is referred to as the “golden bird”. People from all parts of the world are invited to participate and it is for free.
The event is very simple. You just have to look for a nice spot for birdwatching – like one with a great view of the various habitats and dwelling places of birds. Then, together with the other participants, you make a huge circle – whether real or imaginary – and sit within it for 24 hours. You have to count all the birds species that you heard or saw within that 24 hour time period.
Such a simple concept encourages many to participate. It does not take much effort and, in fact, most who have tried participating before find it very relaxing. It is a nice break from busy day-to-day living.
Although the activity is non-competitive, participants have the opportunity to win something. The circle with the highest count wins the Big Sit “Braggin’” rights. What is most targeted though is the prize for the circle that first finds the “golden bird” of the year.
These types of fun activities are very common for bird watcher clubs. There are also fund raising campaigns from time to time which are necessary to sustain their causes. The Big Sit activity, for one, is considered by other clubs as a great opportunity to raise funds and promote their activities.
Around the world, you will not have a hard time finding a bird watcher club to join as there are indeed many of them. The New Haven Bird Club is just one among the many. What is important is that when you do join one, you believe in their cause and are willing to do everything to care for the birds.
February 17, 2008
- Tips On How To Hang A Bird House
Having a bird house in your garden is probably one of the best ways in which you can give a little flare and added beauty to it and it is also one of the greatest gestures that you could show to your feathered friends that you appreciate them. But sometimes, as much as we want to have a bird house especially if we are clueless as to how to hang a bird house that would guarantee that they will not be pestered by squirrels or other creatures or to make sure that they will not be easily destructed.
Here are some tips that you could learn as to how to hang a bird house effectively to your own garden to make your feathered friends feel safer and secure. It is for sure that when you have implemented these helpful tips on how to hang a bird house, not only you get to have a decorative ornament in your garden that would last a lifetime, but also help you save money so you do not have to replace them.
Helpful Tips
One of the best tips that you must remember when learning how to hang a bird house is to spot a tree which you think is sturdy and strong enough to have branches that could hold the weight of your bird house even under the worse weather conditions. Once you have located and have decided which tree in your yard where you will put your bird house, then think of the best branch where you could hang them.
When looking for the branch where you would place your bird house, consider the height of it because it is one of the most important things to remember when learning how to hang a bird house effectively that other outside factors could not easily disturb. Think of some branch and its height that is less accessible to the pesky squirrels and other climbing or walking animals that may seem to play around your garden, and that is where you could hang your bird house.
Also, before hanging your bird house on to the tree that you have chosen, it is important for you to check if the thread or the loop of your bird house is stable and durable. When you notice that your bird house thread is not that strong, what you can do is replace it immediately with something that is stronger like nylon to make it more stable when you mount them.
February 13, 2008
- Bird Watching For Elderly People Keeps Them Young
Bird watching has many enthusiastic people involved in a hobby to view many gorgeous birds. This hobby is usually just an enjoyable activity rather than a scientific pursuit so bird watching for elderly people is very popular. This is an activity that does not require traipsing through exotic locales to view different types of birds so bird watching for elderly people is something that is not necessarily strenuous. Bird watching for elderly people can be done in the comfort on one’s backyard. Bird watching for elderly people is an activity that could take place in the backyards of several in a group.
Bird watching for elderly people is a hobby that could provide some wonderful social activities for people. There are many people in any community who are interested in bird watching. Bird watching for elderly people is a great way to meet some of the other people of similar age in the community. The people in one of these groups can plan activities according to the wishes and abilities of the people in the group. Those who want to stay close to home will be able to watch some birds very close to their own facilities although if members of the group want to do some traveling, this will be possible as well.
Bird Watching For Elderly People Brings Cheerful Company
Bird watching is a great activity for elderly people because beautiful birds provide great visual and audio company. The birds look beautiful and their sounds are most pleasant. Elderly people who want a pleasant activity without leaving home might consider planning a garden that will attract birds to them. Certain fixtures in a garden can attract more birds to a specific area. Birds are out looking for food, and they will go to places that have some great things to eat. Bushes, trees and shrubs that have berries or other edible pieces will bring birds into a garden.
Birds are also looking for water. Elderly people who would like to attract the birds should try to have some water holes for the birds in the area. A waterfall, a pond or a birdbath will bring the birds into a yard. These features are also very esthetically pleasing so they serve a dual purpose. Elderly people with a garden that is attractive to birds will have a great show without leaving their lounge chairs. They can get out the binoculars, notebooks and beverages and watch the birds come into their yard. Once other bird watchers find out where all the birds are going, there might be plenty of other bird watchers showing up for the best show in town.
February 9, 2008
- Handfeeding: How To Do It Best
Birds are such delicate animals that they must be handled carefully. Handfeeding is usually one of the best ways to interact with them. However, just the same, it should be done with care and there are some things that must be remembered and followed.
Birds, especially pet birds, have somehow learned that people are their greatest benefactors. Although they have the capacity to live on their own under nature’s nurture, years of interaction with human beings have taught them to accept people as good friends. Thus, it is normal that they, at some point, rely on people for food.
Handfeeding, however, cannot be done as if you really are providing care for a bird. Your very first consideration must be the frequency of feeding and the volume of food that you provide. This should be the case especially for baby birds which grow rapidly and have certain nutritional needs.
As a bird matures, his food capacity increases as well. You should regularly take note of the development of the bird to be able to identify properly what type of food and how much of it is most suitable. Handfeeding must be a product of both observation and personal judgment.
You must also take note of the unique features of a bird’s digestive system. The esophagus widens as well as the lower part of the neck. Such widening is referred to as crop and serves as food compartment.
If you are trying to handfeed a baby bird, you can easily see and evaluate its crop since the feathers are not yet thick. However, if your pet bird is quite mature, the best way to evaluate is to feel the crop’s contents by pressing it with your thumb and index finger. You should do this prior to feeding so that you know how much to foor to provide.
Baby birds should never be left with a totally empty crop. Normal emptying time is 4 hours. If you notice that 4 hours have passed and the crop still has contents, there might be some problem with the bird’s health.
Not only should you be concerned about the volume and frequency of feeding, you should also make sure that your hand is positioned properly. Wild birds are generally easier to feed because they reach for the food dropper without much encouragement. You can often feed them without holding them; but the case is not the same for other types where you have to use a towel to handle them carefully and position for feeding.
In general, handfeeding birds is really not a straight forward task. You have to take note of many factors that will benefit the animal.
January 27, 2008
- Learn How To Create Your Own Pop Bottle Bird House
They say that bird watching is one of the most fulfilling and relaxing hobby that you could literally enjoy almost anywhere, even in your own home. That is why there are now more and more stores which are selling bird houses, not just to be a decorative display for your outdoors or garden, it is also a great way which you could protect your feathered friends from the cruelty of the outside world.
On the other hand, there is also a great way in which you could provide shelter and protection to the birds but at the same time, help save the world by recycling some materials and that is through creating pop bottle bird house. Here are the instructions that you would need to create a one of a kind pop bottle bird house that would not only attract your feathered friends into your yard, but also help save the world through recycling.
What You Will Need
One of the main materials that you need in creating a pop bottle bird house is of course, a pop bottle. It would be very effective if the soda bottle that you would choose to use is a two liter bottle and it would greatly help and neater if you would remove all the labels and clean the bottle before you plan on using them. Do not forget that when making a pop bottle bird house, it is also important that you would let them be dry and free from dirt.
The next thing that you could do is to drill two small holes at the bottom of the bottle and remember that the bottom of it will be the top of the feeder of your pop bottle bird house. After you have drilled the two small holes, what you could do next is to thread through one hole into another and twist the ends of the wire to make a loop for hanging your feeder. When sealing the holes, you could use some duct tape or caulk so that rain and other outside elements could not get into your pop bottle bird house.
After which, what you could do next is to drill a 5/16” holes on the opposite sides of the bottle where you could insert an eight or nine inch by 5/16” dowels into the pairs of holes where birds could rest. Repeat this instructions until you get to create a series of perches. To make your pop bottle bird house more colorful and exciting, you could paint and draw on all the materials first before you do all the instructions in constructing your bird house.
January 23, 2008
- Off to See the Birds
Going on a birdwatching holiday? You are not alone. Bird enthusiasts number more than 50 million in America alone and a huge percentage of this crowd actively seek out birds in their territories to go on birdwatching trips.
There are hundreds of companies offering birdwatching holidays, some even go on over 25 birding tours per year. International birdwatching tour companies even take bird lovers to Mexico and Alaska and as far away as India, Africa, Brazil and Peru.
So what happens on birdwatching holidays? People pay good money to go on birding trips.
Choosing a birdwatching holiday. There are birdwatching companies who offer nothing else other than birding and there are also organizations that run tours that include lectures, such as those at universities, clubs and museums. Whichever you choose will depend on what type of holiday you prefer.
Ask a friend or family who has been to a birdwatching tour. If there is no one else, pick a known company to tour with. If you’re a newbie, it’s best to stick with a tried and tested group. Call them up or look up their sites on the internet to check their services.
Tour price. Depending on the location, tour prices can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars; and the same length and location can be offered at a lower price by another company. Some things that affect tour prices are group size and services.
Some of the best group tours are those with small sized groups because they are easier to organize, more quiet and they can interact more with the leader. They are also way more expensive so companies compromise with 6-10 or 8 – 16 participants. The larger group normally has two leaders.
Services can include airfares, transfers, food and lodging. The price will depend on what is included in the tour.
Location Make sure that you are well informed of the physical demands of the tours because some of them may be strenuous. Your outfit should conform to the demands of the surrounding, especially in summer, when the heat is intense. Bring hats, proper clothing, sunscreen and insect repellants.
Bring your tools. No birdwatching holiday is complete without binoculars or a telescope. Bring one with the proper magnification to let you enjoy the sights. Bring a camera, notebook and pen and maybe even a field guide to help you identify the birds. Other than these, bring your sense of wonder and enjoy the sights.
January 16, 2008
- The Bird Watcher’s Kit
Bird watching is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States and Europe. People who indulge in birdwatching cover a wide spectrum; ranging from the casual park goers who feed pigeons, to environmentalists who view, photograph, and catalog various avian species.
If you’re serious about bird watching, and are taking it up as a fulltime hobby, there are a few things you’ll need to take with you on your trips. Depending on your personal tastes and your reasons for taking up bird watching, you may not neccesarily need all of the equipment presented here; however, it never hurts to be prepared.
Binoculars – any good set of binoculars will do for birdwatching, though if you’re planning to view nocturnal birds, make sure that the set you get also includes night vision capability. Since you’ll be outdoors for the most part, get a rugged set that can withstand most terrain and weather conditions.
Bird Guide – if you’re packing a palmtop, download a bird guide, or buy a small pocket guide at a bookstore. With a good guide, you’ll be able to identify the breed of bird you’re watching, as well as obtaining useful information like its feeding habits and behavior patterns. The best guides also have tips on popular parks and preserves you can visit.
Digital Camera – digital cameras are silent as opposed to classic shutter-types, which make them useful for birdwatching. Birds are extremely sensitive to noise, especially in the wilderness, so a digital camera won’t spook them. Be sure to choose a camera that has high resolution and a high frame capture rate, in case you get a shot of a bird on the wing. Also, get a digital camera with good zoom range, since you’ll most likely be viewing birds from a good distance away.
Note Pad and Pen – keeping a journal allows you to keep track of what kinds of birds you’ve spotted, when, where, and under what conditions. Besides being a diary of sorts, this can actually be especially handy if you come across a rare species of bird, or even one that is on an endangered species list so that you can report its presence and location to your local wildlife preserve.
General Outdoor Gear – this isn’t for the casual birdwatcher. For those who plan to actually take trips out into the wilderness however, pack a tent, sleeping bag, rations of food and water, and other camping essentials. Include safety and survivial gear like first aid kits and emergency flares.
November 16, 2007
- Bird Databases Galore
Many people have learned to love birds. If you are one of them or simply want to further understand these wonderful creatures, you may look into several bird databases available online.
