Wood Thrush Shop Notes

Recent Feeder Activity

With the recent wintery weather a lot more birds have decided to visit feeding stations.  This week my feeders were frequented by over 50 Goldfinch at a time, a dozen or so Pine Siskin, over 20 Juncos (overwhelmingly males), and lots of White-throated sparrow. A few Red-winged Blackbirds appeared as did a few Grackles, birds I rarely see in my yard.

In weather like this I always anticipate something more unusual to appear, like Orange-crowned warbler, Ruby or Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Brown creeper to name a few, typically at the suet feeders.  One customer reported a lone Indigo Bunting which is very unusual to be seen in January. 

White-throated sparrow

Dark-eyed junco

American Goldfinch (Nonbreeding plumage)

And with the freezing rain being forecast, which will likely have already occurred by the time you read this, birds that don’t normally visit feeding stations may recognize the bird activity at feeders and come in for a look.  My birdbaths, which have de-icer units in them, were extremely busy during the frigid temps.  Birds, of course need water sources even when it’s below freezing and will bathe to keep feathers clean and at their best insulating quality for survival. 

Many of you are surprised to see multiple Bluebirds visiting feeding stations and water sources.  Bluebirds are, of course, here year round and will travel about in small flocks in search of food and water. 

Seed Stock is Low for this Saturday

Because our seed supplier is located in Des Moines, IA sometimes weather will hold up our seed shipments as is the case this week.  Freight is backed up all across the U.S.   You may want to call first before you visit The Wood Thrush Shop on Saturday and Monday as we are low, or out of some choices of seed.  We are very well stocked with suet and live mealworms.  We anticipate receiving our load of seed early next week as temps rise to the 40’s. 

Next Week…The Great Backyard Bird Count

Wood Thrush Notes.

Open House Specials

Come on out to Westgate Center tomorrow and do a little Christmas shopping. The small businesses of Westgate are having an open house with some deals and special offers, and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Clause at G&G Interiors starting at 12:30.

We are featuring deals on our favorite A-T-Z Bluebird box, Squirrel Buster Classic feeder, Bird’s Choice hummingbird feeders, and the always popular JJ Potts handcrafted ceramic mushrooms.

And speaking of deals and discounts, follow us on Facebook and Instagram for flash offers on select items, like Wind River wind chimes, birdbaths, and Heartwood birdhouses. These will be sales that only last a day or two so stay tuned.

Sparrows

Sparrows? Who cares!? All too often the average backyard birder dismisses sparrows as just some generic little uninteresting bird and doesn’t take the time to properly identify. This is likely a result of the much maligned House Sparrow that tends to be a major problem for Bluebirds in nesting season. Sparrows are, in fact, a very interesting family of birds, and here in TN you may, according to The Annotated Checklist of Birds of Tennessee, see up to 22 species of sparrows, 10 of which breed here. Many are considered rare, to uncommon, to seasonal, with a few as year round residents. This time of year we see Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Chipping and Vesper Sparrow, and Juncos are included in the family, too. I must admit my skills at identifying some of these birds require a tune-up. I often birdwatch at Gossett Tract in Cheatam Co. where the open field dense growth habitat is excellent for sparrows but makes for very challenging birding. They don’t stay in one place very long and will dive down into heavy cover in a flash. Pics of Chipping and Field sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow

At our feeders in the fall and winter months we see White-throated and White-crowned sparrows, and of course Juncos, with the Fox sparrow usually appearing only when snow falls. All three of these lovely little birds feed on the ground almost exclusively so don’t forget to train your eyes for ground movements. Look at these birds through binoculars and note the beautiful subtle markings. They often move about near feeders flipping leaves in search of bugs and seeds.

White-throated Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Wood Thrush Notes & Holiday Hours

Rufous Hummingbird at Shelby Bottoms

Store hours update. Happy New Year everyone! We will be open Saturday, Jan 1 from 10 a.m. until 5 pm.

Rufous Hummingbird Banded in Nashville

A Rufous Hummingbird was observed visiting a feeder at Shelby Bottoms Park this week. The bird was consistently visiting a feeder on the front porch of the visitor center. Cyndi Routledge of Southeaster Avian Research captured and banded the bird and determined it to be a hatching year male.

Remember, there is a chance you may see a wintering hummingbird by keeping a feeder out with fresh nectar. Western hummingbirds like Rufous, Anna’s, Calliope, and Black-chinned, have all been witnessed coming to feeders in the Nashville area during the winter months. Temperatures have been warm and it would not be difficult to keep up with a feeder. So, if you’re feeling lucky go ahead and put out a feeder today and let us know if you see a hummingbird.

Wood Thrush Notes

Tree Swallows and Bluebirds

Over the past ten years more and more people are reporting Tree Swallows using a nest box intended for Bluebirds. Tree Swallows are considered “competition” for the Bluebirds but typically that would be because there is only one box available. Such is the case when only one box present. In mid-TN there may be as many as 7 different songbirds interested in a Bluebird box; Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina, and House Wren, Prothonotary Warbler, and the Tree Swallow. This is why we recommend offering a number of nest-box choices. To not only alleviate competition, but to give several species of birds an opportunity that these days are getting harder to come by because of loss, or disruption, to habitat.

The Tree Swallow is smaller than a Bluebird measuring about 5-6 inches in length. Male and female are a steely blue-green to nearly black above and pure white below. Females tend to be a little duller in color overall. In the sunlight the blue-green plumage is very perceptible. Their forked tail is not as pronounced as a Barn Swallow’s.

Male Tree Swallow

Female Tree Swallow

Like other swallows they are expert flyers acrobatically catching insects on the wing. They appear to enjoy flying.

Their habitat preferences are pretty diverse ranging from wetlands and marshy areas to meadows and woodlands near water. This bird is only here between late February and approximately mid-March as it migrates back to its winter grounds in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

I recall reading accounts of Tree Swallows and Bluebirds using nest-boxes placed back to back on the same pole. I’ve never had a chance to test this but recently heard from a naturalist friend of mine experiencing this very thing. So, these two species are compatible enough to tolerate nesting in close proximity. If you have experienced Tree Swallows seemingly taking over one of your Bluebird boxes perhaps this is a chance for you to test this theory.

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Saturday Seed Availability Update

It’s been another trying week coordinating deliveries through freight. As a result of some errors we are out of stock of all sizes of Woodland Blend and Premium Blend until Monday the 28th. We are sorry for the inconvenience and are continually trying to keep your preferred products arriving in a timely way. Thanks for your business and your patience.

Hummingbirds, Box Turtles, and Hiring

As anticipated there has been a noticeable increase in hummingbird activity reported from quite a few customers this past week. Mid-June and mid-July are notable times when many hummingbirds will come off the nest which would translate to more hummingbirds being seen at feeders and around the yard visiting flowers. Lots of rainfall is contributing to wonderful results in our gardens producing an abundance of flowers. Often times these natural nectar sources are more attractive and more important than the sugar water in our feeders. We often tell people who are disappointed about not seeing hummers at their feeders that hummingbirds do not travel all the way from Central America for sugar water. They have all they need naturally and will come to the feeders with intensity when nesting concludes. Be patient. August and September are always the best hummer feeding months.

Most of us bird lovers appreciate many of the other creatures we encounter in our yards seasonally, from year to year. Most springs I encounter Box turtles methodically working their way through a flower bed, or some difficult terrain with obstacles. I wonder how they get anywhere as difficult as it seems for them to move. Many times I’ve discovered a female attempting to dig a hole with its hind legs with the intention of laying eggs. I’ve never encountered a baby Box turtle so it must be extremely rare to witness the emergence of the babies from the earth. Two days ago I encountered a beautifully marked female attempting to dig a nest hole with not much success before she moved along to a better spot. I rewarded her efforts with a couple of juicy earthworms. Enjoy the video. Females will lay between 3 and 8 eggs up to three times per year. This next bit of information is very interesting. Female Box turtles can store sperm from a single mating for up to 4 years and can produce a fertile clutch of eggs in each of those years without further mating.

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The Wood Thrush Shop is Hiring for 1 Part-time Position

Requirements:

Lifting heavy items is a must. Moving multiple bags of birdseed from 20 to 50 lbs. occurs with frequency on a daily basis. Once or twice a week large loads of seed are delivered and must be unloaded by hand.

Good people skills. You will communicate with people a lot to help them make choices to improve their backyard birding experience. Being able to listen and ask the right questions to better understand the customer’s backyard birding needs is critical.

We are looking for someone with enthusiasm and energy, manners, patience, and a sense of humor.

One will need to develop an ability to understand all of the bird feeding products and how they are best used.

We want someone to have a good working knowledge of common backyard birds, their habits, and behaviors.

Duties:

Registering sales

Unpacking, pricing, and displaying product

Sales floor and stockroom general maintenance: floor cleaning, vacuuming, and dusting.

Sales and customer service.

Hours per week and starting pay:

We need approximately, 25 hrs. per week, minimum two Saturdays per month.

Starting pay $12 per hour

Please email John at woodthrushshopth@bellsouth.net for inquiries and/or to set up an appointment to meet and fill out an application.