For the Birds
Author's posts
Feb 24 2024
Birds that Nest in Holes in Walls in the UK
If you have noticed a bird repeatedly disappearing into a small hole in your brickwork, under the eaves, behind a fascia board, or beneath roof tiles, there may be a nest hidden inside the building. Several British birds naturally seek enclosed cavities for nesting, and houses can provide excellent substitutes for holes in trees or …
Feb 24 2024
Bird Intrusion: Understanding How Birds Can Get in Your Walls
Hearing chirping, scratching, or fluttering behind a wall can leave you wondering how a bird could possibly have gotten there. After all, your walls may look completely sealed from inside the house. The explanation is usually much simpler than it seems. Birds generally enter wall cavities through small openings on the exterior of a building, …
Feb 24 2024
The Unexpected Intruder: Effective Solutions for Managing Birds in Walls
Hearing scratching, chirping, or fluttering inside a wall can be alarming. You may not be able to see the animal, and the sound may seem to move from one part of the house to another. In many cases, the unexpected intruder is a bird that has discovered an exterior opening leading to a protected wall, …
Jan 30 2024
Feathers in the Forest: Unique Birds in Yosemite National Park & Where to Find Them
Granite cliffs and thundering waterfalls may dominate the postcards, but Yosemite National Park is just as remarkable for what moves through its forests, meadows, rivers, and mountain skies. Yosemite supports an extraordinary variety of birdlife because the park climbs from relatively low-elevation foothills to alpine country above 13,000 feet. Along the way, oak woodland gives …
Jan 28 2024
Birds of Hawaii: Native Species, Endemic Birds & Where to See Them
Hawaiʻi is one of the most extraordinary places in the world for birds. Isolated in the central Pacific Ocean for millions of years, the Hawaiian Islands became a natural laboratory of evolution, where birds arriving from distant lands gradually developed into species found nowhere else on Earth. Brilliant red honeycreepers move through flowering ʻōhiʻa forests. …
Jan 27 2024
Red-breasted Nuthatch: Identification, Habitat, Diet, Nesting & Behavior
Small, energetic, and remarkably acrobatic, the Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is one of the most entertaining birds to watch in North America’s conifer forests. It races along tree trunks, creeps headfirst down branches, wedges seeds into bark, and announces its presence with a nasal call that can sound like a tiny toy horn. Despite its …
Jan 27 2024
Downy Woodpecker
The Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) may be small, but it is one of the most recognizable and approachable woodpeckers in North America. This energetic black-and-white bird is a familiar visitor to forests, parks, suburban neighborhoods, and backyard bird feeders, where its compact size allows it to forage in places that larger woodpeckers simply cannot reach. …
Jan 27 2024
American Goldfinch: Identification, Habitat, Diet, Nesting & More
Few backyard birds announce summer quite as brightly as the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis). A breeding male in full plumage seems almost impossibly yellow, with a brilliant lemon-colored body set against jet-black wings and a black forehead. Females are more subdued, but they share the species’ graceful shape, active feeding style, and distinctive bouncing flight. …
Jan 27 2024
How Do Birds Survive Winter? How Birds Stay Warm & Find Food
Winter can transform a familiar landscape almost overnight. Insects disappear from view, ponds freeze, berries become scarce, and snow covers many of the seeds birds depend on for food. At the same time, freezing temperatures force birds to burn additional energy simply to stay alive. Yet chickadees continue darting through snow-covered branches. Woodpeckers cling to …
Jan 27 2024
Blue-and-yellow Macaw: Identification, Habitat, Diet, Behavior & Conservation
With brilliant blue wings, a golden-yellow chest, an enormous black bill, and a tail nearly as impressive as its wingspan, the Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) is one of the most recognizable parrots in the world. Also called the Blue-and-gold Macaw, this large tropical parrot is native primarily to South America, where it inhabits forests, palm …
