Midweek Product Profile: Songbird Essentials Feeder Brushes

As we progress into late fall and begin to see rainy days with greater frequency, feeders can quickly become funky. Fortunately, we have what you need to get your feeder good and clean again!

What we most commonly recommend for deep cleaning feeders is Dawn and warm soapy water. As long as you rinse everything well, it is completely safe for the birds and very effective at breaking through the grime. Our favorite tool for cleaning feeders is the Songbird Essentials Best Long Brush. Measuring in at 24 inches in length, this brush is the perfect tool for almost all tube feeders that we have in stock. Its flexible but strong nylon bristles are enough to tackle most any mess, especially with the aid of a little soap and hot water.

$12

Songbird Essentials Best Long Brush

If you don’t need a brush quite that large, we also have the Songbird Essentials Best Hummer Brush in stock. Don’t let the name fool you though; this 8.5 inch brush is great for a wide variety of applications from bird feeders to bird baths.

$11

Songbird Essentials Best Hummer Brush

Once you’ve got your feeder looking clean again, it’s important to make sure it is thoroughly dry throughout before you put seed into it. Putting seed into a wet feeder can lead to the potential for mold, and then you will be right back where you started. While repetition is great for learning to take apart and put feeders back together quickly, we can agree that there are more fun ways to spend your afternoon, so that is why it is important to make sure all parts are good and dry before getting your feeder reassembled and full of seed.

A final note… If you are struggling with getting your feeder put back together, or, have the dreaded left over pieces, we are more than happy to help walk you through the reassembly of your feeder. For you Squirrel Buster owners out there, Brome Bird Care (the company that makes Squirrel Buster) has a series of videos on Youtube detailing how to disassemble and reassemble your feeder.





Bird Bio: Brown Creeper and Other Observations

Erva Twist-On Pole Arms

As we progress through fall and activity at feeders continues to increase, you may find yourself in the position of wanting to break that old feeder out of storage, or maybe even buy something new, although you don’t want to invest in a new pole just for one feeder. Fortunately, we have a cost effective solution already in stock! Enter the twist on pole arms from Erva. These simple and effective additions to your bird feeding station come in five sizes, with the largest being able to hold up to 10 pounds and accommodate weight activated squirrel proof feeders, such as a Squirrel Buster. Regardless of your type of pole, be it shepherds hook, square pole with removable top, or modular one inch pole system, we have a twist on arm that will work for you! Prices range from $8 to $19.

Bird Bio: Brown Creeper

Have you ever heard of a bird called the Brown Creeper? If not, one could easily be forgiven if you have never seen (or heard of) these tiny, unassuming songbirds, but you are missing out on a fascinating bird! One of our favorite winter residents, these miniscule members of the Treecreeper family (the only member of this family found in North America) usually begin to be spotted in the area in September or October and hang around until spring migration. In size, they are slightly smaller than a White-breasted Nuthatch, but larger than a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Their streaked brown upper coloration provides excellent camouflage against both natural predators and backyard birders alike. Look for these birds spiraling their way up along the trunks of mature trees. An interesting characteristic of the Brown Creepers is that they will never climb down a tree, the way a nuthatch will. Rather, they will fly down, often back to the base of the tree to begin their upward spiral in search of food again. According the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, during the course of the day the Creeper will burn 4-10 calories. This means that by consuming one spider, these efficient birds will gain enough food energy for a vertical climb of 200 feet.

Brown Creeper

Bluebirds Flocking Together

It is that time of year again! With breeding season long gone, Eastern Bluebirds become far more tolerant of each other and can be observed flocking together throughout the winter months. We have already received several reports of this behavior from customers, as well as in our own yards. It is not uncommon to see groups of three or more together at birdbaths on frosty mornings during the late fall and winter months. This week by one of my boxes, I observed three males sitting on the limbs of a nearby bush together. This is another reason we often tell folks that it is never truly too soon to put up a bluebird box!

In addition, we are still observing at our homes and hearing reports from customers of bluebirds exploring bluebird boxes. In cold winter weather, small flocks of bluebirds will pack into houses together, using their body heat to keep each other alive on frigid nights.

Bluebirds Investigating a Nest Box

An abundance of Cedar Waxwings

This morning getting into my car, I heard the unmistakable high pitched whistle that signals the presence of Cedar Waxwings. A cursory glance around the trees soon revealed their location: A large hackberry. Any tree or bush that produces berries is a great place to look. Privet, Hackberry, and Honeysuckle are all excellent places to spot waxwings throughout the fall and winter months. Once you learn to identify their call, you will likely be surprised at just how common these beautiful birds are.

MatMates Sale and the Arrival of Mr. Bird Seed Houses

For those of you who may not have been aware, to celebrate the restocking of our seasonal MatMates, all floor mats will be 20% off through Saturday, November 9th! These aren’t the only products that we are excited to have back in stock though, as this week our decorative seed bird houses finally arrived!

Recent Observations and Notes

Despite October traditionally being the slowest month of the year at bird feeders, there’s been a surprising amount of activity in the backyard and at feeders! Here are a few notes and observations from our week.

Abundance of Red-headed Woodpeckers:

We have now received several reports from both customers and local birding circles of an abundance of Red-headed Woodpeckers (not to be confused with Red-bellied wood peckers) this year, and in places where sightings were previously uncommon. Radnor Lake, for example, has become a hotspot of activity for them with 15 Red-headed Woodpeckers being sited and reported on TN-Bird.

Birds Caching Seed

Much of the activity at my feeders is birds making frequent repeated trips. They aren’t eating that much or that quickly, but taking seed and peanuts for the purpose of caching, or storing for the winter months ahead. This has been one of the busiest Octobers for caching I’ve ever seen. Chickadees, Tufted titmice, and Nuthatches have been known to store hundreds, maybe even thousands, of seeds behind bark or in small crevices and cavities of trees, and remember the locations. I recently found a stash of shelled peanuts on the framework of my garden shed door. I paid attention to a Tufted titmouse that flew in that direction and sure enough watched it deposit the peanut and come back to the feeder. So, is this extra storing going on because birds are sensing a “tough” winter coming, or is it because the very dry summer we had stifled seed production and they are aware of the lack of food that will be available?

Winter Plumage Goldfinch:

After nearly a month without any Goldfinch’s at my feeders a few appeared wearing their winter plumage. Goldfinches, of course, lose their bright yellow breeding plumage and become quite drab in appearance. Goldfinches are here year-round but move away from birdfeeders for a while in the fall as they gravitate to the natural food sources in field and meadow. We often see more Goldfinches in winter because birds that spent the summer north of us will move here for the milder climate. Usually by mid-March we will see Goldfinches begin to show signs of more yellow again. Give your finch feeder a tune-up and make sure recent rain hasn’t ruined the seed.

Winter/Nonbreeding Plumage American Goldfinch

Bluebirds Eating Suet:

In addition to numerous reports of bluebirds exploring nest boxes, we have begun to experience another fall/winter bluebird phenomenon: Bluebirds eating suet. It seems more of us see Bluebirds eating suet with every year that passes. It used to be a rarity but has become quite common. We typically expect to see this later in winter when natural food supplies, like berries, are running low and it is still too cold for insect activity. Suet is such a great offering because it tends to appeal to many birds considered the traditionally non-seed eating species, like Bluebirds, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Orange-crowned and Pine warbler to name a few. Two of us here at TWTS have had Western Tanagers visit our suet feeders during winter months.

Log Suet Feeder

Do you want to feed suet, but don’t like the look of traditional suet cages? We’ve got you covered! I recently dug my old Log Jammer feeders out of storage and have begun using them to great effect, drawing Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatch, Downey Woodpeckers, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Some of our customers have made their own log suet feeders by drilling holes in a section of branch that has fallen and inserting a screw-eye for a hanger. It’s simple and very effective.

Mr. Bird is Back!

Mr. Bird is Back!

As many of you may have noticed, traditionally we have been in no rush to remind ourselves or our customers of the looming approach of the Christmas season. However this year, with other vendors in the neighborhood offering similar items, and with the memory of supply shortages still burned in our minds, we made a few emails and got our entire line of Mr. Bird’s Christmas products in early!

For those of you that like to do your shopping ahead of time, our hats are off to you! Everything from the Gourmet Wreaths, Ollie Owls, Little Stars, and the Christmas Shapes are here for you to stock up on at your convenience, well over a month before Christmas! This means you could have all your Wood Thrush Shop related Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving, and we applaud your preparation.

And for those of you who, like us, are tired of having Christmas forced upon us before the sweat of summer has had a chance to dry… Come on in and stock up anyways! Buy a bird seed Christmas tree, and watch with delight as your birds, squirrels, chipmunks and the rest of the backyard gang devour any trace of Christmas right before your eyes. Take it from us, this moral victory over modern retail will feel great, and your birds and critters will thank you!



New Products!

As many of you have noticed, we have been working on sprucing up the store as we inch closer to the holiday season. This means plenty of tidying, building new and rearranging existing displays, and last but certainly not least, bringing in new product. Today we would like to take a moment to talk about several of our newest additions that we are excited to share with you!

 Plant for a Change

Here at the shop, we are all passionate about pollinators and incorporating native plants into landscaping. Fortunately, we found another Nashville based company that shares our enthusiasm! Founded in 2020, Plant for a Change is a local business started in 2020 that focuses on region specific seed packets for native pollinators. Our current inventory includes Wrinkle-Leaf Goldenrod, Butterfly Milkweed, Black-eyed Susan, Wild Bergamot, Smooth Blue Aster, and a variety pack including all of the above. Each packet contains enough seeds for a 15 square foot space, and retails for $6. The variety pack retails for $29.

Window Gems

Another line of products we have recently brought into the shop are Window Gems. These static cling decals adhere to the outside of the window and work to prevent bird strikes by refracting light into a rainbow of changing colors, thus breaking up the reflection on the glass. Whereas Window Alert decals are recommended to be changed every 4 months, Window Gems last indefinitely. Arguably a more attractive option than the Window Alert decals, Window Gems are available in the following patterns: Dragonflies, Forest Creatures, Saw-whet Owl, Birds, Hummingbirds, Mixed Leaves, Dots and Circles. Dots and circles are $9 for a 15 pack and 10 pack, respectively, and all others are $18.

 Studio M is Back!

We were surprised and disappointed earlier in the year when we went to order new seasonal mats and mailbox covers, only to discover that Studio M, the company that produces these, had gone out of business. Without finding any suitable replacements, it seemed like we might have to go without these products for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, that proved not to be the case when Studio M was acquired by Demdaco, and we are happy to report that we are now fully stocked on mailbox covers, decorative mats, and mat holders!

Cobaine Ornaments

Everybody’s favorite enamel bird ornaments are back in stock! We have over twenty different bird and critter ornaments currently in stock, with more on the way as we approach Christmas.

Coming Soon: Mr. Bird!

We are excited to announce that we are just days away from having all of our winter/Christmas Mr. Bird products in stock! Our order has been shipped and is on its way up from Texas and should be in, unpacked, and displayed by middle of next week. Our supplies will be limited, so don’t wait!






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