Bald Eagle Returned to the Wild

After some careful nursing at the Virginia Wildlife Foundation a one year old Bald eagle was returned to the wild. In early December it was brought to the center after eating food contaminated with pesticides. Food is scarce in the winter and it is thought that the Bald Eagle was hungry enough to eat something that he would not normally be eating.

At the center his system was flushed out to remove the food and he was given fluids and antibiotics. The eagle was treated for two weeks at a cost of $3000 but this could have been avoided by people The Bald Eagle is no longer on the endangered species list but according to Ann Shirley of Norfolk Eagle Support Team International “People may assume that they are safe now and that there is no need to be concerned about the eagles, but the truth of the matter is we need to keep our focus on them.” She went on to say that people need to be careful about the pesticides and other chemicals as they can harm, not only birds, but other wildlife too and are the Bald Eagles greatest threat.

The Bald Eagle was fully recovered when he was released and now has every chance of surviving.

Image by dobak

Treat the Birds with Your Recycled Christmas Tree

Articles from Best Garden Bird Feeders

Ideas for your Christmas tree now that Christmas is gone!

• Put the tree in its stand out on the patio, deck or porch and decorate with treats for the wild birds. You could hang suet cakes, pieces of fruit or a bird feeder filled with nuts. At this time of year there is often a shortage of food for the wild birds so they will greatly benefit from the treats.





• If you have a wild part of your garden lay the tree (after removing all the decorations of course!) on the ground. Small animals will use it as cover in the harsh weather or as a shelter from predators.
• Make compost from the tree. Shred it completely then add it to the compost pile. Pine trees may change the pH of the compost to be more acidic so it will be particularly helpful if you have soil that is a little high in pH.
• Make a mulch of the tree. A mulch is different from a compost which is encouraged to break down in the compost bin by the addition of water and regularly turned. Chop up the tree and keep in a container to use as a mulch on the garden.
• You could also chop of some of the branches and add to flower arrangements.

Image by t0msk

Seeds Suitable for your Garden Birdfeeder

Articles from Best Garden Bird Feeders

Different birds are attracted to different types of food and you can attract the type of bird you would like in your garden by putting out suitable food. For seed eating birds there are a variety of seeds that you can buy. Below is a selection of some different types of seeds and the birds that will be attracted to them.

Birds will toss out seeds that they don’t like so to minimise waste place different seeds in separate garden bird feeders.

Striped and Black Oil Sunflower Seed – cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, crossbills, evening grosbeaks, goldfinches, purple finches, mourning doves, white crowned sparrows, siskins, titmice.

Hulled Sunflower Seed – jays, goldfinches, cardinals, evening grosbeaks, nuthatches, red-bellied woodpeckers, chickadees,pine grosbeaks, grackle and titmice.

White Proso Millet – doves, quail, towhees, sparrows,red-winged blackbirds and cowbirds.

Cracked Corn – quail, pheasants, crows, jays, doves, towhees and juncos. Cracked corn rots easily as it takes up water so replace often.

Nyger or thistle seeds – goldfinch. Use in a speciality bird feeder.

Seed Mixtures – Various. A good mix containing black oil sunflower, millet and cracked corn will attract a wide variety of birds.

Oats, milo,wheat – Try to avoid seed mixers that contain these ingredients as few birds will eat them. They are often put into inexpensive mixes as fillers.

Storage

Always store seed mixtures in metal canisters to prevent then getting damp and forming molds. Keep in a cool dry place.

Image by stevevoght