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April 2000 Webnotes
Watch For: Stokes Birds At Home TV Series
Our new 13-part Public TV birding series, Stokes Birds at Home, is now playing all over the country. Check our Show Times listings for the times and dates for Stokes Birds At Home.
Sign up for our free Email Newsletter and we will tell you when new stations decide to air Stokes Birds At Home. To learn more about birds, check out the Birding section of this website.
Bird Gardening: Hummingbird Flowers
 | Ruby-throated
Hummingbird |
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Hummingbirds are migrating during April. The best way to entice them to stay is with hummingbird flowers. Hummingbirds like tubular flowers, preferably red. Hanging baskets of Fuschias and Impatiens and early blooming Coral-Bells, Salvias, and Columbines will catch the attention of hummers. For more on hummingbird flowers click here.
Bird Feeding: Clean Up Those Seeds!
 | | Cardinal |
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As the snow starts to recede from under your feeders, you may notice large piles of what looks like seeds. A closer look reveals, however, that these are the shells from sunflower and other seeds. As birds sit on feeder perches and munch away, the hulls that they so delicately unwrap with their bills simply fall to the ground. The problem with this is that not only do they create unsightly mounds, but they will prohibit the growth of any vegetation at that spot. So grab a trowel or shovel and container and spend five minutes scooping them up. Throw them out in the trash. Fresh bark mulch can be spread in the area.
Birding Tip: Robins and Thrushes
 | | Robins |
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That's right, it's springtime and Robins are everywhere. These well-known and widely distributed thrushes are a common sight throughout North America, as they return to breeding grounds from wintering areas. Robins are the largest of our thrushes. In addition to Robins, look in woodlands and thickets for other migrating thrushes such as Wood, Hermit, and Swainson's Thrushes, and Veerys. Read your field guide ahead of time so you will know their ID clues and sometimes subtle differences.
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