Wood Thrush Notes: Nesting Flycatchers, an Update on Campania, a Word on Mealworms

Nesting Flycatchers

Aside from our usual suspects of Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Tree Swallows, and House Sparrows, did you know that we have another spring and summer resident here in Tennessee that can be attracted with a nesting box? More frequently heard than seen, the Great-crested Flycatcher is a large and raucous member of the Flycatcher family. Typically hunting insects and calling from hidden branches high in the tops of trees, learn to identify them by their loud “reap!” call which I will link to here. Great-crested Flycatchers are a cavity nesting species, meaning that in nature they will seek out natural cavities in trees or disused woodpecker nests. John had a pair nesting in his backyard this spring in an Eastern Screech Owl/Kestrel box. They are infrequent users of nesting boxes put out for Eastern Bluebirds.

Great-crested Flycatcher on Screech Owl Box

Photo by Eli Haislip

An update on campania

If you’ve been thinking that your yard could use a new birdbath, statue, or fountain, your timing could not be better! This past week, our spring shipment of Campania arrived… All 4,000 pounds of it! Many of you took advantage of our preorder sale, and while typing this we are in the process of contacting everybody.. For those of you who didn’t, don’t worry! We are now filled to capacity with new fountains, bird baths, and cute statues just in time for hot summer temperatures. Do you need a small statue of a box turtle? We’ve got that. How about a chipmunk that WON’T eat your seed or tunnel in your yard? We’ve got that too. Need a fountain that looks like a tree stump? We’ve got you covered. Come visit us this Saturday and see our new expanded inventory of all things cast stone!

A Word on Mealworms

As we progress into hotter summer temperatures, if you are in need of live mealworms it might be worth calling ahead to check availability before you venture out. When temperatures are above 90 degrees in Ohio, where our worms ship from, the company will not send them out. They have no way to keep them cool, and in an unairconditioned trailer, the majority of the shipment would perish. We assure you, there are few smells in a birding store that are worse than dead mealworms, and we don’t want you to have to experience this! We have been out of worms all week, but our rep reached out to inform us that our shipment should go out early next week. Even so, if you need live mealworms early next week, we would recommend calling us before you make the trip!

Male Eastern Bluebird Eating Live Mealworms

Photo by Eli Haislip





Wood Thrush Notes: Where Are My Hummingbirds?

Wood Thrush Notes: Where Are My Hummingbirds?

Are you seeing a good number of hummingbirds? Or perhaps you are seeing fewer hummers than you think you should? Believe it or not, both of these are normal and quite common for this time of year. Around the shop, we’ve been hearing a mix of both from folks and we’d like to take a few moments to talk about it!

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Photo by Eli Haislip

If you so happen to fall into the camp of people that are seeing fewer hummingbirds, there are a several possible reasons why. First and foremost, feeder activity has yet to reach its peak. This will occur in late July, August, and September when all hummingbirds have concluded nesting and have turned their attention to fattening up for their long migration south.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Photo by Eli Haislip

Another possible reason why you might not be seeing hummingbirds is due to spoiled nectar. As we get into late spring and summer, this is one of the leading causes of a lack of activity at feeders. In hot weather, hummingbird nectar needs to be changed every 2-3 days to prevent it from going bad. Too often, we have folks tell us in October that they never saw a single bird. When asked how often they changed the nectar, all too frequently we will hear that after putting up their feeder in April, they never changed the nectar. Spoiled nectar is one of the easiest ways to ensure you don’t get hummingbirds visiting your feeder.

Perhaps you fall into the group of people that are already seeing hummingbirds, but you want to see more. Aside from adding another feeder, there is more you can do! Want to know a low maintenance hummingbird feeder that doesn’t require cleaning or filling? Flowers! Flowers are a natural and easy way to entice hummingbirds, and they are more attractive than any hummingbird feeder. In our experience, any tubular shaped flower with a bright color will work well. My personal favorite is Blue Salvia, with its beautiful deep blue flowers that bloom through the summer till the first hard frost; although Columbine, Trumpet Vine, Butterfly Bush, Cardinal Flower, and Phlox are also beautiful and effective options.

Blue Salvia

Photo by Eli Haislip



Wood Thrush Notes: Bird Bio: Indigo Bunting

Bird Bio: Indigo Bunting

The Indigo Bunting is one of the few species that can make our beloved Eastern Bluebird appear dull. Male Indigo Buntings fill our meadows and forest edges with their bright, almost cheerful song from April into early summer. Once you learn to identify their song, you’ll be shocked at just how common and wide-spread these stunning members of the Bunting family can be. Click here for a listen.

Male Indigo Bunting

Photo by Eli Haislip

Typically arriving in early to mid April, these neotropical migrants waste no time with males beginning to sing to establish their territories. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, young male Indigo Buntings will learn their songs from neighboring males. Indigo Buntings in different areas will have slight variations in song, while males that are in the same area, or “song neighborhood,” will have a nearly identical call.

Females alone construct the nests, building them low to the ground in dense vegetation. Nests consist of a woven cup of grasses, held together with spider silk with softer natural materials lining the interior of the cup. Eggs are white and plain, with some occasional brown spots. Incubation takes 11-14 days, while the nestling phase lasts as little as 8-14 days before the young fledge.

Indigo Buntings are neotropical migrants, meaning they will spend the winter in Central and South America, as far south as Colombia. A particularly interesting fact about Indigo Buntings is that they, like many other migratory birds, migrate at night. Research conducted during the 1960s using captive birds in planetariums showed that the birds are able to use the stars, in conjunction with their internal clocks, to aid in staying on course while migrating at night. (Yet another example of the term “bird brain” being laughably inaccurate, but I digress.) For those of you wanting to learn more about this in more scholarly terms than I am capable of, click here for an excellent article from Smithsonian covering Emlen’s study in thorough detail.

If all this has you wanting to see one of these dazzling birds, I have a few places I can recommend. Gossett Tract, the Harpeth River Greenway behind Ensworth, Bell’s Bend, and Hidden Lake State Park are some of the best places to spot them. Look for them perching on open tree limbs at the edge of fields and meadows, singing merrily.

We recommend having binoculars with you, as aside from the Eastern Bluebird, another blue bird shares this same habitat with the Buntings that from a distance looks similar. Blue Grosbeaks can be mistaken for Indigo Buntings, although a quick look through binoculars and the differences become obvious. Blue Grosbeaks are larger, with a chunkier bill, and brown on the wings. (An aside, take $25 off Nikon Monarch M5s and M7s for Father’s Day!) Let us know at the shop if you succeed in finding either of these blue beauties on your next hike, and happy birding!




Midweek Spotlight: Father's Day Specials

Father’s Day Specials

With Father’s Day this Sunday, we will be running several specials through Saturday, June 14th that we are excited to share with you!

Our popular outdoor solar towers will be 30% off while supplies last. Available in 24” and 36” sizes, these solar powered LEDs will illuminate automatically at dusk, and will stay illuminated upwards of 8 hours on a full charge. The patterns that are carved into the metal tower will cast the light onto the ground, making these an excellent piece of décor for stone, brick, or concrete patios, as well as wooden decks!

Normally $120 and $152; Now $84 and $107

What better to go with your nice new outdoor solar light than a waterfall with included illumination? Our Alpine Waterfall Fountains are now 30% off as well! These will add a nice ambiance to any outdoor setting. Don’t let the large box fool you, these are actually our lightest fountains, despite their size!

Normally $500; Now $350

A good pair of binoculars can make the difference between “that’s probably a bird” and seeing that ultra rare county first species. For Father’s Day, our Monarch M5 and M7 binoculars are $25 off! These are the nicest binoculars that we stock, and they rarely are on sale so don’t miss out!





Wood Thrush Notes: Ashland City Birding, Father's Day Gift Ideas

Morning Birding in Ashland City

This morning, while doing a little pre-work birdwatching at Ashland City’s Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail, my ears were assaulted by a harsh and raucous shrieking call that I have not heard for some time. Scanning the swampy area to my left that separates the greenway trail from the Cumberland River, I quickly spotted the culprit clinging high in the top of a dead tree… A Red-headed Woodpecker!

Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail

Photo by Eli Haislip

Not to be confused with the more common, feeder frequenting Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpeckers are arguably the most striking of the six woodpecker species we see in Tennessee. Stark black and white wings, with a white tail and breast, and a red head and neck are the giveaways for this beautiful bird. Last fall, we discussed these birds and how they have been turning up in new places, specifically Radnor Lake. While I have seen them before, this is my first sighting in Cheatham County. Seeing them here makes sense, though. The swampy marsh contains numerous dead trees, which provides them with ample nesting opportunities.

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Not sure what to get for Dad? We’ve got you covered! While we have a broad assortment of different possible gifts, today, let’s just focus on a couple options… Gifting the father in your life the gift of being squirrel-proof!

While we currently have over a dozen squirrel-proof feeders, today let’s talk about a couple of our favorite models: The Brome SquirrelBuster Classic and SquirrelBuster Plus. These two feeders have consistently been the most popular of our squirrel proof feeders. The main difference between the two is the capacity. The Classic holds 2.4 pounds, whereas the Plus holds 5.2. This is convenient, especially in winter when the weather outside is unpleasant but the birds are still draining your feeders! Both feeders are also covered by Brome’s lifetime warranty. This means that if it gets broken or damaged by squirrels, we can repair it at no cost to you! Another benefit of these feeders is they actually work best when hanging from an eve or tree limb, so if he is new to bird feeding, you don’t also buy a pole as well!

What if Dad already has feeders and poles? Depending on the yard, a baffle can be an excellent solution to squirrel troubles. A baffle does require a few things to work effectively, first and foremost, 8-10 feet of separation of things a squirrel can jump from. It also must be mounted between 4-5 feet up on the pole, that way the squirrel cannot simply jump from the ground to above the baffle.

Not sure if you have the right setup for a baffle? Send us a picture of your current feeder placement and yard, and we will help you out! Also, as we tell folks almost daily, we make house calls. We WANT you to be squirrel-proof if that is what you desire!