Wild Birds Unlimited

✨The Evansville Wild Birds Unlimited will be celebrating 19 years of bringing people & nature together!✨

To say thank you for all of your support, we'll be having some special promotions starting this Friday, October 4th! DSC members will earn DOUBLE POINTS on all purchases in-store & online, meaning you can earn Bird Bucks TWICE as fast! For in-store visitors we'll have mystery scratch-off coupons and a FREE 2lb bag of no-mess blend! These offers will only be available October 4th-6th, so come see us this weekend and celebrate 19 amazing years! 🎉

It's that time of year when birds begin tucking away hundreds of seeds a day to stock up for winter. This behavior is called "caching" and many different bird species do it every fall. Chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, jays, red-bellied woodpeckers & red-headed woodpeckers are all well known for caching hundreds or even thousands of nuts and seeds to help get them through winter. You may see them repeatedly visit your feeders throughout the day, quickly dashing in and out to go hide their food.

Caching species have an incredible memory and are able to recall where they've hid their many little morsels of food. The most common places they'll store food is within tree bark or other tree crevices, under mulch & leaf litter, and also under roof shingles and house eaves. If seeds and nuts are left uneaten, they can germinate and become a new plant! Did you know that Blue Jays are responsible for the spread of oak trees because of forgotten acorn caches?

You can help birds build their winter food reserves by offering tree nuts, peanuts, sunflower seed and safflower seed. 🥜

Have your goldfinches been looking a little different lately?🤔

By now you should be noticing some gray patches on your goldfinches. Over the next couple of months you'll see them change from their signature bright yellow to a pale olive color. Their orange beaks will turn dark gray and males will lose their black caps.

American Goldfinches undergo a big wardrobe change twice a year: once in spring and once in fall. In spring, they undergo a partial molt into their vibrant yellow breeding plumage to attract females. (Females tend to always have a paler appearance, but there is still a visible difference between their breeding and non-breeding plumage.) In fall, goldfinches completely molt all their feathers and take on a duller appearance to provide better camouflage in winter.

While some goldfinch populations do migrate, ours stay here in their breeding territories. Their color shift often tricks people into thinking they've left, but not to worry, they're here to stay! Look for pale olive little birds with dark beaks and wing bars enjoying your fresh supply of nyjer and sunflower seeds.

📷David Sibley

Mark your calendars for these upcoming Evansville Audubon Society events! 🐦

On Saturday, September 28th & Saturday, October 5th they will be hosting a bird walk through Eagle Slough Natural Area, which is a hotspot for migrating birds! Some birds to look out for are warblers, vireo’s, shorebirds, waterfowl and other migrants.

On Saturday, October 12th you can be part of a special morning event with Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. They'll be holding a "Big Sit", where a group of people observe and record the number of species seen in a certain area. This will be held at the observation deck at Cane Ridge WMA from 6AM to 8:30AM. Expect to see different species of waterfowl, shorebirds & raptors!

The 2024-2025 Project FeederWatch season is just around the corner! Are you ready to enjoy birds all winter long?

Here’s how it works:

1. Register today and begin counting birds on November 1.

2. Pick a watch spot: it can be your yard, a nature centre, community park - You don’t even need a bird feeder!

3. Decide when you’ll count - you can count every week or once all winter, for as much or as little time as you like.

4. Submit your bird counts on the FeederWatch app or website.

Help advance bird conservation by counting them! Register today at www.feederwatch.org or comment FEEDER and we’ll send you the link!

Project FeederWatch is delivered by Birds Canada and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, made possible with generous support from Wild Birds Unlimited.

begins TOMORROW, Sept 23-29, 2024. Join FLAP Canada, bird conservation groups and members of the public around the world to rescue and document birds that have collided with buildings in your community, while working to make the built environment safer for birds. To learn more, visit globalbirdrescue.org. 🐦🌎

Happy First Day of Autumn! 🍂 It's the perfect time to prepare our yards for migrating birds. During this time, consider offering foods that are high in fats and proteins, and create leaf piles that provide additional food and shelter.

Featured Bird: Blue Jay
WBU Food: Peanut, in the Shell

🍂 Fall migration is underway and billions of birds are migrating through North America, mostly under the cover of darkness. 🌙✨ Unfortunately, they face an increasing threat: unnatural, man-made light that attracts, disorients, and makes birds vulnerable to collisions with buildings. 🏙️💡

The solution is as simple as flipping the switch. 🔄 Turning off lights dramatically reduces hazards and allows birds to safely proceed with their migratory journeys. For more tips, visit: https://www.wbu.com/lights-out/

✔️ Do your part to help

We are still in peak Fall migration with millions of birds passing through each night on their way south. Birds can become attracted to lit areas and wind up colliding with buildings or other infrastructure. If you haven't been already, please turn off all non-essential lights at night to help prevent disorientation.

We know this isn't possible for everyone (especially those in rental buildings), and large cities are obviously the biggest culprit of light pollution, but you can still share this information with your communities. If we continue to speak out and advocate for wildlife, we can make a difference!

Many plants produce fruits and seeds that birds use for food, but did you know that ✨native plants✨ also attract and feed lots of native insects?

Fewer native plants means fewer insects, which truly means fewer birds. So perhaps consider planting some natives in your yard to help grow our bird populations and .

Featured Plants: Cardinal Flowers

Many plants produce fruits and seeds that birds use for food, but did you know that ✨native plants✨ also attract and feed lots of native insects? 🦋

Fewer native plants means fewer insects, which truly means fewer birds. So perhaps consider planting some natives in your yard to help grow our bird populations and . 🌿

Featured Plants: Cardinal Flowers

John & Brian discuss why insects are important for the birds and how to cultivate more insects in your yard. They also explain the connection between insects and the 7 Simple Actions to help Save the Song Birds. 🐝 🐞 🦋 🐛 🕸️

🎧 Tune in here: https://www.wbu.com/podcast/episode-88-where-are-the-birds/

🐦+ 🌳=❤️ The birds and the trees...it's a perfect match! Trees are vital to birds and are an important part of a healthy eco-system. They provide shelter and a place for birds to raise families, as well as multiple food sources like nuts, seeds and fruit. Trees also play host to a number of native insects, especially caterpillars, that many birds feed to their nestlings or use for fuel during migration.

As part of our initiative to https://www.wbu.com/save-the-song-birds, we have partnered with Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees across North America. Join us in our mission; plant a native tree in your yard. After all, more trees mean more birds!

🌳 Click here to shop for a variety of bird-friendly trees. https://shop.arborday.org/wbu

Another episode of the Podcast dropped yesterday! Check out episode #89: "Why We Love Insects" today: evansville.wbu.com/nature-centered-onewbu

Featured Bird: Black-capped Chickadee
WBU Food: Jim's Birdacious® Bark Butter®

The birds and the trees...it's a perfect match! Trees are vital to birds and are an important part of a healthy eco-system. They provide shelter and a place for birds to raise families, as well as multiple food sources like nuts, seeds and fruit. Trees also play host to a number of native insects, especially caterpillars, that many birds feed to their nestlings or use for fuel during migration.

As part of our initiative to (https://www.wbu.com/save-the-song-birds), we have partnered with Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees across North America. Join us in our mission; plant a native tree in your yard. After all, more trees mean more birds!

Featured Bird: Black-capped Chickadee
WBU Food: Jim's Birdacious® Bark Butter®

It's National Peanut Day! 🥜 To celebrate, let's fill up our peanut feeders for our friends that love peanuts like Jays, Nuthatches, Titmice, Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and...love them or hate them...squirrels!

Featured Bird: Downy Woodpecker
Feeder and WBU Food: EcoClean Peanut Feeder with Peanuts, Out of the Shell

It's National Peanut Day! 🥜

To celebrate, let's fill up our peanut feeders for our friends that love peanuts like Jays, Nuthatches, Titmice, Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and (love them or hate them)... squirrels!

Featured Bird: Downy Woodpecker
Feeder and WBU Food: EcoClean Peanut Feeder with Peanuts, Out of the Shell

The newest episode of the Podcast is now available! This week, John & Brian discuss why insects are important for the birds and how to cultivate more insects in your yard. They also explain the connection between insects and the 7 Simple Actions to help Save the Song Birds. Listen here: https://www.wbu.com/episode-89-why-we-love-insects/

You can help save the world's birds during from Sept 23-29, 2024. Join FLAP Canada, bird conservation groups and members of the public around the world to rescue and document birds that have collided with buildings in your community, while working to make the built environment safer for birds. To learn more, visit globalbirdrescue.org. 🐦🌎

✨Fun Facts About Blue Jays!✨

- Just like bluebirds, Blue Jays have no blue pigments in their feathers. Instead, each feather barb has a thin layer of cells that absorb all wavelengths of color except blue. Only the blue wavelength is reflected and scattered, resulting in their blue appearance to our eyes.
- Blue Jays are often chastised for their known practice of eating eggs and nestlings of other birds. But extensive research has proven this to be a very rare occurrence, with only 1% of the study population showing any evidence of this behavior.
- Blue Jays are known to migrate, but the phenomenon is not well understood by scientists. Research has shown that some individuals will migrate south during some years and choose to stay in the north during others. Why they do this is still one of nature’s mysteries.
- Peanuts in the shell are a favorite among Blue Jays. Watch your feeder to see if you can observe them shaking peanuts to tell if the shell is full or empty.
- Blue Jays eating acorns alone quickly start to lose body mass, unless those nuts are full of protein-rich weevils or supplemented with other sources of insect protein.
- Blue Jays mainly select undamaged nuts to bury; research has shown that only 10% of the acorns they cache are not viable seeds.
The rapid northward dispersal of oaks after the ice age may have resulted from the northern transport of acorns by Jays.
- Due to Jay’s habit of burying acorns over a wide area, 11 species of oak trees have become dependent on Jays for the dispersal of their acorns.
- Research studies have recorded Blue Jays making over 1,000 trips per day when hiding food.
- In one research study, 50 Blue Jays were observed selecting and caching 150,000 acorns over a period of 28 days. Each bird cached a total of 3,000 acorns by selecting and hiding an average of 107 acorns per day.
- A Blue Jay was observed packing over 100 sunflower seeds into it’s gullet during just one visit to a feeder.
- The Blue Jay is a talented mimic; its version of a Red-shoulder hawk’s call can fool even the most experienced birder!

❗️Today is the LAST DAY of our Super Sale!❗️

EVERYTHING is on sale, including your favorite bird food, feeders, garden items, hardware + more! Stop by today to take advantage of these great deals before they're gone!

It's National Hummingbird Day! Did you know that hummingbirds can drink up to twice their body weight in nectar every day?! To celebrate, let's clean those hummingbird feeders and fill them back up with fresh nectar!

Featured Bird: Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Not only is it National Hummingbird Day, but it's also International Vulture Awareness Day!

Did you know that vultures play a vital role in our ecosystem? By consuming carcasses they help prevent the spread of diseases that could devastate wildlife, livestock, and even people. They are nature's janitorial staff, but they often get a bad reputation because of their association with death. 16 of the 26 species of vultures worldwide are facing the threat of extinction due to secondhand poisoning, human infrastructure (namely powerlines), and loss of habitat.

Vulture Awareness Day serves to educate people about the importance of vultures and to destigmatize them, as well as promote their conservation. These are incredible birds that deserve our respect and protection! To learn more about how you can help protect vultures, visit https://vultureday.org/take-action/.

✨It's National Hummingbird Day!✨

Did you know that hummingbirds can drink up to twice their body weight in nectar every day?! To celebrate, let's clean those hummingbird feeders and fill them back up with fresh nectar. They'll all be on their way south soon, so let's enjoy them while we can! ❤️

BIG NEWS: Our Super Sale begins TOMORROW! 🎉

For 3 days only, EVERYTHING will be on sale! Stock up on all your favorite bird food and check out our great deals on feeders, houses, birdbaths, garden items, gifts, & more! Check out the guide below for a breakdown of sale percentages. ALSO, DSC members will receive an additional 5% off on bird food 😉 Stop by early for the best selections, the sale runs Friday through Sunday!

What to expect this month in nature!

- First day of Fall is September 22nd
- Very large flocks of thousands of birds, made up of many different species, can be heard flying overhead on quiet nights.
- Migration month! More birds in the area now than any other month.
- Asters and Goldenrod are in bloom.
- Juvenile American Goldfinches can be seen and heard harassing adults for food at feeders.
- Bats are busy feeding, building fat for hibernation and migration.
- Blackbird (grackles, cowbirds and redwings) flocks can number in the thousands.
- Fall migration peaks for warblers and others.
- Peak Blue-winged Teal migration.
- Robins are in large flocks, feeding on crab apples.
- First juncos and White-throated Sparrows can appear by the end of this month.

Happy Labor Day! Take some time today to get out and enjoy nature. Whether you're listening to the birds in your yard or you go on a walk through your local park, we hope you take a well deserved break from all your hard work!

Featured Bird: Pygmy Nuthatch
WBU Food: Peanut, in the Shell

Hello everyone!
We'll be open 10AM-4PM in observance of Labor Day.

Have a great holiday, everyone! Stop by and see us if you can 😁

Check out the bird migration forecast for the next 3 days! 👇

329 MILLION birds are predicted to be traveling across the states tonight. The migration intensity will be higher in our area tomorrow night and Monday night as you can see by the shift of yellow and orange.

Here are a few ways you can help migrating birds:
- turn off all unnecessary lights at night to prevent disorientation
- make windows bird-friendly by using decals, grids, or screens
- provide fresh food and water
- keep feeders and baths clean
- keep your cats indoors

Shell or no shell, birds love peanuts! Loaded with protein and energy, peanuts are especially helpful as birds prepare for migration and the upcoming winter. It's fun to watch for birds like jays, nuthatches and chickadees visiting feeders to sn**ch peanuts to cache, or hide, for future use.

Featured Bird: Blue Jay
Food: Peanuts, In Shell
Feeder: Peanut Hut Feeder

Wondering how often to clean your bird feeders? We suggest giving them a good clean every few weeks, or more frequently if required. Not sure if you're doing it just right? Gain peace of mind by watching this helpful video tutorial: https://www.wbu.com/bird-feeder-care-cleaning/ ✨

Water is the best way to attract the greatest variety of birds to your backyard. In some cases, birds are more attracted to a water source than food, because it gives them a place to drink and clean their feathers. You can help your birds by adding a reliable source of water, such as a bird bath, a small pool or a shallow dish.

Featured Bird: American Robin
Bath: Metal Bird Bath Dish

We love our kitties 🐱 and we love our birds 🐦; We cherish the joy that both bring into our lives. 💕 However, we also recognize the importance of ensuring the safety and well-being of all creatures. That's why we advocate for keeping our beloved cats indoors. By doing so, we not only protect our pets from potential dangers but also safeguard the delicate balance of our ecosystems and the lives of our cherished bird species. To learn more about how to , visit https://www.wbu.com/save-the-song-birds/.

🐝🍯 We're buzzing with excitement because today is National Honey Bee Day! 🎉 Let's celebrate the sweetest pollinators around! 🌼🍯 Spread some honey love today and bee-kind to our little friends who work tirelessly to keep our world abuzz with life!

Featured Bee: Honey Bee
Featured Flower: Purple Coneflower