KPTV-12’s Garden Time Features Backyard Bird Shop on Spring Bird Care,  April 11, 2009 on Saturday, April 11, 2009

Garden Time's Judy Alleruzzo visited our Beaverton shop to interview Scott Lukens for their April 11, 2009 program. Below are links to the interview, and a summary of what was said.

Shown are Judy Alleruzzo and William McClenathan, hosts of “Garden Time,” a Saturday morning gardening program which airs on KPTV-12.

To see Scott’s interview, and review the other topics from the April 11th garden Time program, click here.    Or, to view only the segment on Spring Bird Care, go to the You Tube version here.

Remember to keep feeding your birds:
• Fresh seed is very important—it’s the first thing that birds are looking for!  Sunflower seed is “king”, whether you put it out in the shell or without.
• Judy likes sunflower chips, which are black oil sunflower seed with the shells removed.  Since 30% of seed is shell, chips can be a good way to reduce mess and fill feeders less often.
• Backyard Bird Shop works with farmers that grow just for us.  Our shops typically get seed deliveries multiple times a week to ensure that we always have fresh seed for our customers.

Bird Houses:
• About a fourth of Portland area backyard birds will utilize a bird house.  The others build their own nests. 
• Important bird house features include:  (a) an easy way to clear an old nest away after nesting season;  (b)  no perch, and (c) appropriate hole size.  The hole size on a birdhouse can help to discourage non-native birds from nesting there, if the hole size is small enough.

Consider Offering Nesting Material:
•  Pygora fleece nesting material is a by-product of a local goat farmer.  It’s Scott’s favorite, and very well received by his backyard birds.
•  Hummingbirds line the center of their nests with the softest material they can find, so fleece, dog hairm, or some of our other nesting material options will be attractive to them.

Remember Our Two Species of Hummingbirds:
•  Our year-round resident Anna’s Hummingbirds are joined for the summer by Rufous Hummingbirds.  They migrate all the way from Baja California and south, traveling as far north as Alaska.  Both species of hummingbirds will be quite interested in your hummingbird feeder!
• The Hummzinger Mini is a favorite hummingbird feeder of Scott’s.  It’s made in U.S., has a lifetime warranty, it really easy to clean and fill, and the birds like it. 
• The recipe for making your own nectar solution is fairly simple:  boil a cup of water, add 1/4 cup of white table sugar, stir well, and cool.  Don’t use honey or any other type of sweetener—just plain table sugar!