Celebrate JB’s 10th Birthday
during the month of July!
Enjoy cake and surprises with
JB on Sat. July 23.
Dear Friends,
With the heat and humidity of
Michigan’s summers starting to
appear in July, many people refer
to the period as “the dog days of
summer”. But do you know why
they are called this? Named in
early times by observers in
countries
bordering
the
Mediterranean, this sultry period
was the 20 days before and the
20 days after the conjunction of
Sirius (the dog star) and the sun
or from about July 3 to Aug. 11.
This period is also the time
when Goldfinches start to pair
off and begin their first nest. I
talked a little about Goldfinches
in last month’s newsletter. This
month they are our “Bird of the
Month”. And so we are calling
July, the “Goldfinch Days of
Summer”. Come talk to us and
see how you can attract these
beautiful birds to your yard.
July isn’t just for Goldfinches.
JB, one of our greeter cats, will
be celebrating his 10th Birthday.
We hope everyone will visit and
wish him a…
Happy Birthday
celebrate with us and share some
cake and surprises. JB and all of
us at WBU hope to see you
soon.
Daniel Zarka, and staff
Wild Birds Unlimited
1739 W. Grand River Ave.
Okemos, MI 48864
Ph. (517) 349-6417
Web: www.wbu.com/okemos
Birds of Summer:
Eastern Meadowlarks
In his honor, and to encourage
everyone to stop by for a visit,
we will have all feeder + pole
combinations priced 10% off
through the entire month of July.
Then, on Saturday, July 23 we
invite
everyone
back
to
The Meadowlark in Michigan is
a summer bird. In states south
of us this bird is a year-round
resident.
This makes them
special visitors that we should
take the time to appreciate.
These birds are not typical
suburban feeder birds so if you
want to see them you may have
to take a short drive in the
country. In the spring and early
summer, the male will flaunt his
colors and sing from the top of a
fence post to let others know it
is his territory and warn other
Fun Facts:
- Hummingbirds weigh just
under an ounce; about the
weight of a penny.
- Hummingbirds can fly up to
60 miles per hour and
regularly fly 30-45 mph.
- Their wings beat 20-80
times per second.
- They sleep in trees and go
into a kind of trance called
torpor each night to slow down
their metabolism. Their heart
rate goes from 1200 beats per
minute to 50 beats per minute.
1739 W. Grand River Ave. Okemos
ph. (517) 349-6417 web: www.wbu.com/okemos
males to stay away from the
females in the area. (See photo
at the top of the page.) Their
territorial size ranges from 3-15
acres.
This bird's diet consists of
about 70-75% insects such as
grasshoppers, crickets, beetles,
ants, spiders, and wasps. They
walk around on the ground in
grassy, weedy areas and
roadsides looking for insects.
They will eat seeds on occasion.
The Eastern Meadowlark has
a bright yellow breast adorned
with a distinct broad black
necklace (in the shape of a V),
short tails and short rounded
wings, white outer tail feathers,
long starling-like bill, and brownstreaked back. The female
resembles the male, but is
smaller. This bird is anywhere
from 8 1/2-11" in length with a
wingspread of 13 1/2-17".
These birds are grounddwelling birds and can be found
in grasslands, pastures and
prairies, but the population has
been reduced due to expansion
of urban areas.
The female meadowlarks
construct
nests
in
small
depressions scratched out by
the bird or sometimes in hoof
prints made by cattle or horses.
The nests have a domed roof of
grasses woven into neighboring
plants and a large side
entrance. During the summer,
the female may nest more than
once.
Eastern Meadowlarks are not
really larks, as their name
implies. They are part of the
group known as the "Blackbirds"
which include the cowbirds,
grackles, Red-winged Blackbird
and others such as the orioles
which are also non-black
blackbirds.
BirdTracks Online!
Our email newsletter, like the
printed newsletter, focuses on the
birds and nature. We often feature
trivia that may help you win on
Jeopardy. For example, did you
know that the Indigo Bunting uses
the stars to navigate when it
migrates? Or that Blue-Jays love to
eat peanuts in the shell?
Sometimes they will pick up a
peanut and shake it to see if the
shell is full or empty before they
crack it open. Sign up for our enewsletter and learn all sorts of
interesting facts.
Bird Poop Challenge
My wife and I were walking
in my neighborhood and I saw
a bird in a tree up ahead. I
said to my wife “I’ll bet that
bird tries to poop on us when
we walk under it.”
Sure
enough, as we neared, the bird
pooped but missed because I
was watching and was able to
step out of the way in time. A
discussion
arose
though
whether that bird knew we
were walking underneath and
whether we were targeted.
Since this has happened to
me many times before, and I
have been hit before, I believe
the bird knows what it is
doing, or at the very least,
that it is not just a random
chance that I happened to be
in the wrong place at the right
time. I have no proof of this
and I have searched several
resources for that proof.
The Bird Poop Challenge is to
find me the proof. I will give a
free 20# bag of your choice of
seed to the first person that
can show me a legitimate
research article that proves
that the bird was actually
targeting or that it was just a
statistical happenstance. It is
an odd challenge but I’ve run
out of resources and thought
that I would avail myself of the
vast knowledge and loyalty of
my mailing list because I just
have to know.
The $2 coupon on the reverse is our way of thanking you for
thinking of us for all of your birdfeeding needs. Use it to take $2
off of any 20 pound seed purchase or for any total purchase of $10
or more.
Goldfinch Fun Facts
† Goldfinches molt twice a year,
once in the spring and again in the fall
after nesting season.
† In courtship, the male usually
performs a fluttering flight display while
singing.
† Goldfinches are late nesters,
nesting in June through Sept.
† Goldfinches usually nest in
deciduous shrubs or trees less than 30
feet above the ground. Their nests are
made of plant down (especially thistle
down), spider webs and plant fibers.
† Both parents feed the young. The
young leave the nest 11-17 days after
hatching.
† Goldfinches move a lot, and
sometimes you can see 25 to 100
different goldfinches at your feeder in
one day.
Bird Feeder Cleaning
Our feeder cleaning service is
still running strong. You can leave
your feeder with us at any time and
for just $5, we will professionally
clean and sanitize your feeder.
BirdWatcher’s Digest recommends
cleaning your feeder at least once
every month or two to reduce the
spread of avian diseases. Our
cleaning service helps reduce the
spread of disease but there are
things you can do at home as well.
Let us help keep your birds healthy.
NATURE DISCOVERY
PROGRAMS
Interested in learning about wildlife
in your backyard? Check out our instore Nature Discovery Programs!
Visit the store for details and
times for scheduled events.
If you have an organization or
garden club in the mid-Michigan
area and you are looking for a
speaker to talk about birds, birdfeeding or backyard nature, call
Daniel at (517) 349-6417.
Final thought…
If you haven’t visited WaBU
Gallery yet, now is the time.
Fantastic Art at great prices.
Just for Kids!
Restrictions: Coupon has no cash value even though it may look like a real two
dollar bill. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other WBU offer, coupon,
or promotion, nor can it be used on sale items.
Good only at
Wild Birds Unlimited
1739 W. Grand River Ave.
ph. (517) 349-6417 web: www.wbu.com/okemos
Info about our WaBU artist is on the web: www.wbu.com/okemos. Look on
page two of our website for our featured artist.
Bring in a picture
you’ve drawn of your
favorite bird and
receive a free clicker
bug or hopper frog
toy.