Connect with Nature!
Song Sparrows are found throughout North America, but with up to 30 different subspecies, this bird may look different wherever you travel. Visitors from other parts of the country often confuse the local Song Sparrows with Fox Sparrows, but Fox Sparrows are larger. With a little practice, you will learn to recognize Song Sparrows by their distinctive, and beautiful, call note. Read more...
Want to attract hummingbirds? By all means, offer a nectar feeder. It's best, though, if there are blossoms in your yard that help draw hummers to your yard initially. Here's a helpful list of hummingbird-attracting plans that will do well in our climate .... Read more...
If your black oil sunflower seeds are vanishing at an alarming rate, and your feeders seem especially crowded and noisy, the “grocery beaks” may be paying you a visit! If you have the honor of hosting them this year, you're lucky -- our population of Evening Grosbeaks has declined 78% in the last 40 years. Read more...
Genece is the artist responsible for the great majority of pen and ink illustrations that you see on our website, in our newspaper advertisements, and in our "snail mail" newsletter. Her illustrations are not only great-looking and accurate, they're full of life and and fun! We highly recommend Genece for her artistry and professionalism! Read more...
We need all the pollinators we can get! Some people are surprised to discover bees taking up residence in a birdhouse. Since almost all species of bumble bees are in decline, you may want to consider the presence of Orange Rumped Bumble Bees a positive! Before you decide to reclaim that house for the birds, consider these important facts. Read more...
A sure sign of spring in the Willamette Valley is the arrival of the Grosbeaks. The new season brings us two species - the Black-headed Grosbeak arrives in May from its Mexican wintering grounds and the Evening Grosbeak invades our cities from southern Oregon and California. Despite differing habitat preferences, both species are possible in your backyard and are attracted to a feeder filled with Black Oil Sunflower seeds Read more...
While they all readily gobble up black oil sunflower seeds, the smaller finches also enjoy having their own feeder stocked with Nyjer seeds. Finches tend to be nomadic, so you may see many birds one week and few birds the next. Read more...
It's a dreary winter day, a few juncos hop around the millet tray while House Finches and chickadees work on the black oil sunflower feeder. Suddenly a flash of color zooms down to the suet feeder. What's that bird with the striking black and yellow face? Why, it's a Townsend's Warbler! Read more...
A visit from a Varied Thrush can brighten up a drab winter day. This striking bird may remind you of its cousin, the American Robin, only dressed in orange instead of red. Read more...
The mating display of the male Anna's Hummingbirds is dramatic and loud! During breeding season males climb into the air 100 feet or more and then plummet in a near-vertical dive, ending with an explosive chirp that sounds much like their vocalizations when perched, only much louder! Read more...
Q: It’s 6:00 in the morning, and a male Song Sparrow has perched on our bedroom window sill and is scratching around and peering in. Loudly he sings a melodious solo, and then flies forward and thumps against the window. Then he does it again, and again, and again! Finally he flies to a high branch in our backyard, and sings another solo! The window strikes must be harmless because he’s done it at least two weeks straight. Read more...
Trip is approximately 6 miles, around 15 minutes. (If you plan to meet us at the site instead of the shop, expect the carpooling group to arrive approximately 25 minutes after the meeting time listed on the calendar for carpoolers.) Read more...
Those aren’t locusts swarming your suet feeder – they’re Bushtits! Read more...
Many people believe that they should add red food coloring to the sugar-water preparation they make for hummingbird feeders, as an added enticement to hummingbirds. While it is true that hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, experts caution us that it may not be safe to add the dye, and it is definitely not necessary! Read more...
Once limited primarily to California, Anna's Hummingbirds have expanded their range in recent decades and can now be found in Portland year-round. Read more...
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