Black-headed Grosbeaks (BHGR) are not only beautiful, but they are fascinating birds. Like so many, they are unique in their lifestyle, how they use their habitats, and, of course, their baby development stages. The images above are of the same bird taken almost two weeks apart. The first image is of the baby upon intake, guessed to be about 10 days old and weighing 29 grams. The second picture is of the same bird, now a fledgling at 25 days old and weighing 47 grams. Neither are self-sufficient or able to feed on their own yet. The younger one can also not keep herself warm or cool (thermoregulate). One is a nestling, the other a fledgling. 

People often mistake nestlings for fledglings because the internet is full of incorrect information that says feathered baby birds are fledglings. Actually, there are three stages (or four for some species) of baby bird development: hatchling (naked or undeveloped feathers in shafts ('pins'), nestling (feathered with variations of pins remaining to no pins remaining, and fledgling (most birds are flighted at this stage, or they can flutter as they hide deeply in trees and shrubs).

The Black-headed Grosbeak does get out of the nest before they can fly. Cornell Birds of the World reports that they leave the nest as young as 12 days. However, those studies involve a lot of nest disturbance by the researchers - and we know that fiddling with, getting close to, or handling baby birds a few days before normal fledging results in babies jumping out of the nest too soon. In the case of this BHGR baby, her (or his) missing feathers around the face, tufts popping out on the head, no tail, and overall development indicate that this one jumped too soon. (Why we took the baby into care).

There are many reasons babies jump too soon. The primary reason is predation by any number of omnivorous or carnivorous birds and mammals. For BHGR, Scrub Jays and Steller's Jays are the primary predators. Predators can also include parasites, and nests can be overloaded with bot flies, mites, live, or even ants. Babies might also jump because of nest disturbance (as in researchers handling babies at 12 days old, someone getting close to a nest to photograph, or someone limbing trees and shrubs).

Another reason for babies to leave the nest too early is that not all babies may grow at the same rate. In some birds, the parents are not attentive to whether all babies are fed equally. This is true of the BHGR. So, in this species, runts are not uncommon.  Our baby indeed had signs of malnutrition (poor head feathering, for example). She's come a long way, though. She is now fully flighted but completely dependent on her mom for feeding. She is toying with foods, sticks, branches, and other things, but her bill is not hard enough to crack a seed, crush a bud, or dig into fruits. She will need to be able to do all of these things as that is the diet of the BHGR, along with insects. With grosbeaks, the bill takes much longer to harden than other songbird babies. Bills are made of both bone and keratin, and in grosbeaks and other birds with heavy bills who eat hard things, it takes time for the bill to develop. Adequate nutrition is paramount for that to happen, so malnourished birds are at a disadvantage. We can only guess what happened to this little one, but she is thriving since she has been in care and provided a nutrition-packed menu. ​

​Hummingbirds are increasingly choosing to overwinter in areas that get blizzards and deep cold.

Hummingbirds can suffer and die when deep cold, blizzards, and ice storms set in. Keeping them alive requires warm feeder solution and often another heat source.  

Hummingbirds in Trouble:

NEVER ignore a hummingbird that is clearly in trouble. A bird in trouble will be in a location that seems off, like tucked into a porch, hanging upside down, bill frozen to the feeder, dropping out of the air, falling into the snow, etc. They may also look bedraggled - birds in torpor are neither eating nor preening. 

Do not leave or ignore birds in trouble!!! Rescue is sometimes necessary. Text us for advice if you are not sure. Read on for how. 

Can Hummingbirds Survive Intense Weather?

Background facts: Anna's Hummingbirds are 4-4.5 grams. On a normal day, hummingbirds must feed every 10-15 minutes; they can starve in hours. They use a physical state called torpor to conserve energy. However, they do not eat or preen in this state. Deep torpor shuts down the metabolism, lowers the body temp significantly, and suspends breathing for periods (up to 5 minutes).

Birds that must go into torpor from lack of food, intense weather, or low body fat miss out on eating. This can turn into a deadly cycle in which the bird goes many hours without eating. They must eat everyday to avoid starvation. (Torpid birds are also at high risk for predation). 

Hummingbirds eat insects and nectar. Their nutrition comes from insects; sugar is pure energy to keep the bird able to forage for insects. Insects give them nutrition; sugar gives them energy. While they can survive on feeder solution alone for up to 10 days in typical temperatures, intense cold requires significantly more energy consumption. 

Finally, hummingbirds lack the amount of down that other birds have for insulation. Their fat also does not function as much as an insulating layer; fat is more of a gas-station, than a fat layer (like in mammals). This means that they have less ability to withstand super cold and super hot temperatures. (Thus why most migrate). Torpor also means they are not preening, which means the feathers' cleanliness and quality suffer. Poor feather condition results in less weatherproofing and ability to retain heat, leading to hypothermia. ​

The more a bird has to fly around, fighting for a chance at the feeder, the colder the solution, the less healthy the bird, the lower their fat stores, the worse the weather, the poorer their feather condition - the less likely they can survive. 

Hummingbirds are tough, but there is a physical limit to how much intense weather one can tolerate before succumbing to hypothermia and starvation.

Feeder Tips for Helping Hummingbirds

Feeders: Icy feeder solution lowers the internal body temperature (thus icy drinks on a hot day). Keep those feeders WARM! The solution and the area ideally. 

1) Keeper sugar solution warm. A hummingbird that drinks ice-cold sugar water all day will need to use more energy to warm up. Use a 4:1 solution, not 3:1, which is dehydrating and challenging for the kidneys. Do not use hot water from the faucet due to bacteria; warm it on the stove. 

2) Use a home-made or commercial hummingbird feeder heater: a 25-watt bulb for 0-10 degrees; 15-watt for 10-20 degrees; 7.5-watt for 30 degrees. A 25-watt bulb will not keep the liquid warm all day at super cold temps. You will have to switch it out during the day, even with the heater. Holiday light bulbs can burn the birds if they sit on them and are too weak to keep solution thawed.

3) Consider putting up a heat lamp and a perch. Use high-quality bulbs, try to avoid the cheap, thin-glass red lamps. Heat emitters for reptiles are great (if white or black) as they do not have light, just heat. This means the birds sleep better. 

Hummingbird Heaters

4) What doesn't work: only switching feeders out - sugar water freezes again in a couple of hours; using hot water - again 0 degrees freezes even hot water; holiday lights, like those in picture below, barely do anything to keep a feeder warm. If placed as in picture above, the lights are not even toching the container. 

6) What does work: heat lamps (no cheapos, they shatter in deep cold; there are better versions) and feeder heaters are the best options. (0 temp = 25-watt bulb; 20 temp = 15; don't bother with 7.5 watt). Lots of other ideas can work, but check the solution temp throughout the day. (Go to a birding FB page and search 'hummingbird feeder heater').

7) Placing under the eaves and near the house will keep them warmer. A baffle or cover over the feeder is needed at least. 

8) Pet bandaging (Vet wrap) on perches helps retain heat for your hummingbird! 

Important! Do not use hot water from a hot water tank. They carry bacteria, and hummers can get bacterial infections in their tongues. So, only stove top or electric kettle warmed cold tap (or better, filtered no chlorine or soft water). ​

Evaluating Bird's Condition:

There is always a reason for a bird failing. Perhaps s/he simply went too many days in deep torpor without eating. Starvation is a huge risk. Hypothermia could result from the bird being unable to maintain heat because they used up all their fat stores or their feathering is poor condition. Birds with health conditions succumb quicker. Younger birds succumb quicker. 

Releasing a bird in poor condition will likely result in that bird not making it. Always take a bird to a rescue if there is any question about their condition. 

Emergency Hummingbird Intervention: 

Very First: collect the bird or if stuck to the feeder, just bring the whole thing in. 

DO NOT FEED OR WATER THE BIRD!!!
(You can drown them if they are unable to swallow)

SECURE BIRD AND WARM; CALL A RESCUE!

Stage one: Warmth is always FIRST! 

1) Put bird into small box or tupperware on soft, smooth fleece.

• Do not use towels with loopy threads. 
• Do not use cold fabrics (like cotton).
• A smooth fleece shirt or sweater works well. 
• Nothing their tiny toes can get caught in. 
• Let them warm up in a warm room (70 degrees or higher).
• Do not warm too quickly! That can kill a hypothermic bird. Warm slowly. 
• If stuck on the feeder, place the bird and feeder in a box big enough for both, place in a warm room. 
• Put box in a small room, like a bathroom. No kids, pets, or noise.
• Cover the boxe with a light colored sheet, you don't want to have bird flying around your home. 
• Notice any injuries (like was the bill stuck to the feeder?)

Stage 2: Feeding 

3) Place the bird in the small box, into a larger box.

• Put a feeder with warm solution into box
• Cover box with light-colored sheet / fabric 
• Light color because he needs to have light. 
• Tepid temp solution - not hot, not cold
• Put box on counter or chair in bathroom.
• Contact us for more specifics.

4) Release: 

• Take to rescue if the bird looks dirty, lethargic, not sitting up, injured. 
• Does the bird actively eat at the feeder, has he moved?
• Is he moving around? Or lying still?
• If he is actively buzzing around the box, release. 
• If the bird looks super healthy: clean feathers, no injuries): release
• Do not release at night. 
• Release during day - ensure feeders are warmed (see above).
• If anything seems off take to rescue. 

Stage 3: Call a songbird specialist rescue center.

• You may legally hold the bird temporarily until the bird can be transferred.
• We always recommend having a songbird specialist (if possible) evaluate the reasons why the bird was in this state.
• Checking the body condition of the bird is important, as a starving bird will soon perish if put back out in fridgid temps. Also, hummingbirds feet and bills can be injured.
• A few days with a rehabilitator can mean the bird survives the winter or not. 

Questions? Help? Injuries? Text us. 541-728-8208 ​

Your birds will flock to this easy DIY bird-safe recipe for wreaths, ornaments, or balls. The birds can land directly on these treats without getting any greasy fats on their feet or into their feathers. It is a super easy recipe and being made with gelatin, it is high in protein. 

This project is fun for kids and not very messy! Please do not use those dangerous home-made suet pine cones that allow birds to get fats all over their feet and into their feathers. Dirty, greasy feathers cannot keep a bird warm, and in winter that is deadly. 
​
Ingredients:

• 2 cups seed - sunflower without hulls (chips or whole), millet, thistle. 
• Diced dried fruit (no sugar) such as blueberries, cranberries, or cherries.
• 1 TBS gelatin - plain, no flavoring
• 2 TBS cold water 
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1/4" - 1/2" ribbon for hanging (no yarn, no thread)

For shapes use cookie cutters, the bottom of a Bundt pan, or just mold to the form you desire. 
 
Steps:

1. Mix the cold water and gelatin, stir, then wait one minute.
2. Stir in the boiling water until the gelatin dissolves.
3. Add the seed mix to the gelatin water and stir. Make sure all of the seed is coated.
4. Use a cookie cutter, a mold, the bottom of a Bundt pan, or form a shape. 
5. Do not spray with oil since this is an oil/fat-free recipe.
6. To form your own shape: use wax paper, plate, or a pastry mat. Shape to whatever joyous or ghoulish image you'd like. Or, press the seed into cookie cutters or the bottom of the Bundt pan till compact, then put in the refrigerator overnight.  
7. Create a hole for the ribbon by putting a chopstick or thick skewer into the seed. 

Hang:

• Warm to room temperature before trying to remove the seed shapes. 
• With a flat knife or cake server, gently work the seed cake off the plate or paper. Go slow so it does not crack. 
• If the underside is still wet, simply give it a couple of hours to dry. 

Note: you do not need to add corn syrup or flour, neither of which are good for our birds. 

​Making holiday crafts and decorations safe for our birds is pretty simple if we follow just a few general rules. 

• Keep birds clean by preventing fats from getting on their feet and feathers. 
• Keep them safe by avoiding putting out materials, like fake snow and spiderwebs, that can entangle them.
• Avoid poisons or toxins that can harm them if accidentally ingested.

Follow our page to learn more about birds, how to care for those who share your yard, and get great ideas like the one here. For the Birds!

As a devoted songbird rehabilitation specialist at Native Bird Care Avian Rescue, I am deeply troubled by the mass mortality event playing out in Chicago. On just one night hundreds of birds hit the McCormick Place Conference Center in Chicago this week. This distressing event has reverberated throughout the conservation community, underscoring the urgent need to confront the issue of bird collisions in North America.
 
With its expansive glass surfaces, prime location along Lake Michigan, and intense nighttime lighting, McCormick Place poses an extreme challenge for migratory birds. Chicago is considered the deadliest city for birds in North America. Thousands of birds will die in this mass death event.

Sadly, Chicago is not an isolated case; the trend of the glass-dominated urban landscape is rising in Central Oregon as well as towns and cities across the country.
 
Two overlapping natural events have contributed to this tragedy. A 'high-intensity bird migration' has substantially increased the number of birds passing through the area. These birds are encountering adverse weather conditions funneling them through the city, leaving them confronted with an urban landscape filled with glass walls instead of a natural environment.
 
The Peril of Glass
Glass buildings, like McCormick Place, may be architectural marvels, but they are perilous for birds. Bird collisions are a growing concern, with up to a billion birds succumbing to glass collisions each year in North America. Birds collide with glass due to the reflections they see; they see forest when it is a solid structure.
 
McCormick Place's glass façade with large windows that reflect the surrounding environment are an extreme example, but Central Oregon has many bird-collision prone buildings. Birds perceive window reflections as extensions of the landscape and attempt to fly through them, resulting in fatal collisions.
 
Many birds also migrate at night, and bright artificial lights can disorient them, confuse their magnetic compasses, and trap them in illuminated 'walls.' The September 11th Memorial in New York is an example of birds becoming trapped by light.
 
Window collisions lead to severe injuries and often death, making window collisions a significant global threat to bird populations.

A Great Blue Heron got a second chance last week. The release and his spectacular flight off was covered on KTVZ News, Bend, Oregon. 

Link to KTVZ spot on release & interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jlI0Wn0m3g

Great Blues are our largest heron in North America. They are primarily fish eaters, but will eat just about any animal they can get down their throats - this includes even some birds. In winter, when the lakes and rivers freeze over, they turn to mice and other small animals. You may find one hunting in an open field trying to fill his belly. Young ones, like this bird, can have a difficult time getting enough food when winter really sets in; they must learn to hunt well out of the water and catching mice is definitely a learned skill. 

This young, first-winter bird was found by a concerned person unable to fly well and huddled against a building. Our volunteer Bud went out and helped capture the bird, a delicate and challenging task given these birds can often still fly a bit. The fact that they have a 5-6 foot wingspan and weight so little means they are can fly until they are very near skin and bones. This results in them only being able to be captured when they are right at death's door, as this young one was. 

At half his normal weight (2.75 lbs vs 5.5), the initial days of his treatment and care were challenging. He was emaciated due to him starving for several weeks. As starvation sets in the body turns to its own muscle mass for nutrition. In addition, the organs and intestinal tract can atrophy. This makes getting their bodies going again and digesting and absorbing food a real challenge for us who care for them. It is a slow, delicate process. There is a certain and very specific process we must go through to get a starving bird able to fully eat again. If we fail to follow this process, for example just start giving the bird fish, we can kill them. Patience and knowledge about the birds and this particular form of care is critical. ​

​

Video of Great Blue eating: https://www.facebook.com/elise.wolf.3/videos/372579197960926

Eventually, Great Blue started seriously eating his fish, and leaving us lots of evidence of successful digestion (poops!) in his enclosure (a large 6'x6' padded pen with a large pan of water, which he waded and played with his fish in. LOL). Finally, he got moved out to a large aviary that was set up specifically for a heron, perching logs and large shallow pans of water for wading. ​

Great Blue Heron Factoids:

• Largest North American heron.
• Not a crane! A heron, there is a difference.
• Live near water - rivers, estuaries, lakes - with fish.
• Can eat surprisingly large fish, small animals, and even birds. 
• Nest in large colonies. 
• Eat mice and whatever small animal they can catch when rivers, lakes freeze. 
• Are stealth hunters - standing super still, slowly moving, waiting for prey.
• Use their middle toe with a special hook to groom. The feathers in the front ("plumes") flake into a downy powder by them using this toe, they then spread that amongst the feathers to clean them from fish oils and debris. 
• Stand 3.5-4' tall, weigh about 5 lbs, wingspan 4-5'.
• Males and females look alike; males larger, with larger bill.

Please be cautious when serving fats to birds. Fats and oils can ruin feathers' weatherproofing and insulating properties. 

Birds are marvels of nature, but even they can be misled into making poor feeding choices. In winter, birds need calorically dense foods to meet their metabolic needs. We can support some birds by offering safe fats, like suet and peanut butter, during hard spells. However, birds rely on their feathers for critical functions like insulation, waterproofing, and flight. 

But did you know that fats can pose a deadly risk to their survival? Here’s why understanding the impact of fats on birds’ feathers is essential, especially if you enjoy feeding backyard birds.

Why Fats Are Dangerous for Birds
Fats disrupt the delicate structure of a bird’s feathers, compromising their ability to insulate and repel water. This is similar to how oil spills devastate aquatic birds—we’ve all seen those heartbreaking images of birds coated in oil, struggling to stay warm and afloat. Even small amounts of fat can cause significant harm.

In winter, this loss of insulation can quickly lead to hypothermia, a life-threatening condition, and subsequent starvation. In summer, while hypothermia isn’t as immediate a concern, birds still rely on their feathers to maintain body temperature and protect against the elements. Healthy feathers are always a necessity.

How Birds Get Fat on Their Feathers
Birds can accidentally spread fats onto their feathers in several ways:

• Direct exposure: Landing on exposed fats, like suet balls, fat-covered pine cones, peanut butter-slathered trees, or feeders that allow the bird to get fat on their feet or directly onto feathers. 
• Preening and scratching: Fats can transfer from feet onto to birds' heads and bodies as they preen.
• Using their bills: Super soft fats left in or on the bill from feeding can spread to other feathers during preening.

The softer and greasier the fat, the more easily it spreads. Hard, dry, and crumbly fats are far less likely to stick to birds' feet and bills, making them a safer option for feeding. See discussion of safe fats below. 

The Deadly Consequences of Fat-Coated Feathers
Feathers act like a bird’s wetsuit, creating a protective barrier against cold air and water. They also retain warmth via air pockets held in by the birds' feathers (why birds fluff up on cold days). When fats or oils interfere with this barrier, the bird becomes vulnerable to the elements:

• Hypothermia: Even mild exposure to cold can be fatal if feathers lose their insulating properties and even a small amount of water or snow gets on the birds' skin. Water on the skin leaks warmth from the bird. 
• Starvation: Birds spend hours attempting to clean their feathers instead of foraging for food. Over time, they become too weak to survive.
• Stress and exhaustion: Larger birds may endure longer but eventually succumb to the compounded strain of shivering, preening, and insufficient nutrition.

Once fats compromise a bird’s feathers, the damage is irreversible without human intervention. Bird saliva and preening cannot remove oils. Soap is required, as it is when we get oils on our hands. Avian rehabilitators need specialized soaps and techniques to clean up greasy or oiled birds. 

How to Prevent Harm: Safe Suet Feeding Tips
Protecting birds starts with choosing the right suet and feeding practices:

• Use hard suet: Opt for dry and crumbly suet from the cow or pig loin area.
• Avoid soft, easily spread fats like vegetable, beef/pork fat, crisco
• Feed suet in a caged feeder: Prevent birds from landing directly on suet or any fat - reducing the risk of fats spreading. (Squirrel-proof feeders are best).
• Avoid exposed suet balls, wreaths, or cakes: These allow too much direct contact, increasing the likelihood of greasy feathers.
• Never use fat-slathered pine cones - anything that allows the bird to land on the fat. 
• Never put peanut butter or any fats directly on trees or their branches - this does not happen in nature, and birds do not understand the risks. 

Greasy birds are rarely found. Like many birds with injuries, they will hide somewhere out of sight as they attempt to correct the problem. Rescues get these birds only if they are found in a near-death condition. 

Feeder Tips

• Log feeders work if they have a perch - drill a hole and put in a chopstick or small dowel.
• Wreathes are easily made using gelatin rather than fats.
• Squirrel-proof feeders with a cage around the suet cake holder allow birds to feed with little risk of contamination.
• Keep suet feeders clean by frequently washing in hot water and soap. 
  
  

How & When to Feed

• Fall, winter, and spring are the main suet feeding times.
• Migrants might enjoy suet in September and October. 
• Never over 80 degrees.
• Do not place suet directly in the sun, unless it is below freezing. Then watch for melt, as even winter sun gets hot.
• Shaded areas are better than direct sun.
• All fat can go rancid. Toss the cakes after a week unless it is freezing. 
• Dispose of any fats in the garbage, do not leave fats out in the yard.
• If no one is eating it, reconsider your recipe.  

Choosing the Right Fats for Birds:
The type of fat you feed birds matters. Soft fats with low melt points, like vegetable oils and non-suet beef fat, can easily spread onto feathers. Hard fats, such as true suet and peanut butter, are safer and provide better nutrition. (Butchers' fats and tubbed fats can be mislabeled as "suet" when they are not). Rendering does not always result in a hard fat. 

What Is True Suet? 
True suet is the hard, crumbly fat around a cow's loins and kidneys. It:

• Has a high melt point (113°F or higher), resisting spread.
• Provides birds with concentrated energy and calories.
  
• Peanut butter is a good source of fat with a high melt point
  
• Peanut butter must be fed as described above as well. 
  
  

Not suet: Bacon grease, cooking drippings, vegetable oils, and other fats that require fillers like flour to hold shape.

Soft Fats Are Risky
​Soft fats (melt points as low as 75°F):

• Spread easily, harming feathers.
• Get soft or melt even in winter in direct sun. 
• Offer poor nutrition due to fillers (flour, corn).
• Force birds to eat more, work harder, and risk deficiencies.
  
  

Peanut Butter
Peanut butter (melt point 104°F) is a safer alternative. Look for PB with no added oils or sugars, and consider mixing it with suet for a "no-melt" option.

Test Your Suet Cake 

• Squishy? Toss it—too soft.
• Does the suet cake feel greasy? 
• Crumbly and dry? That’s true suet.
  
  

Avoid cheap, filler-heavy suet cakes that compromise bird safety and nutrition. Choose high-quality fats to support your feathered friends!
​
Simple Suet Recipe
Mix peanut butter (no sugar) and true suet one to one. Add quick oat or wheat flour if you want to, but not much. Add shelled seeds, nuts, and fruit. 

See Bird-Safe Wreaths for how to make fun bird-friendly crafts for kids and adults. 
​

Follow these handy tips for dealing with sick or dead birds at the feeder. 

Sick birds are still showing up at feeders all across the country. Mainly these are Pine Siskins ill with Salmonella, a bacterial infection. 

Salmonella can be passed to baby birds from their parents. The species most vulnerable are the smaller finches, like pine siskin and goldfinch, but red crossbills and other birds can also get this disease. 

Salmonella spread is stopped through disinfecting or removing feeders, and using feeders that are less likely to spread disease. Note that contamination happens as soon as a sick bird lands on a feeder.

Basics and Instructions for Cleaning, Feeder Suggestions:

*1) If you have a sick bird - remove the feeders for a week or two. Take found sick birds to a rescue. 

*2) If you have had sick birds, switch to feeders less likely to spread disease - mesh hanging types or hoppers with very narrow feeding trough. Remove feeders that allow a bird to poop into the food! Isolate species by feeding foods specific for the species, see below. 

*Continue feeding ONLY if you are able/willing to keep the feeders cleaned and disinfected, and able to do this frequently. Fecal matter and saliva are how this disease is spread. Salmonella survives freezing, and hot temps, and lasts a long time in the environment. Bleach is necessary (not vinegar!). Instructions below. 

*If you are seeing more than one or two sick birds, please change your feeders as they are likely spreading disease. See below. 

Please explore the instructions below. 

​Signs of Salmonella: Symptoms: Main sign is a bird sitting listless and not moving. Salmonella causes lesions and inflammation through the digestive track and esophagus.

It enters the bloodstream and then organs and brain. Once in the brain it causes mental issues, which is why sick birds act "tame" and they do not fly away. Birds ultimately die from either starvation, since salmonella lesions impair digestion, or organ failure. 

1. Sick birds act lethargic (tired)
2. Will sit a lot either at the feeder or on the ground.
3. They are often fluffed up. 
4. Will act tame or tolerant of your approach.
5. Eyes may be partially or fully closed, may have some redness.
6. May be drooling or have signs of vomit.
7. Might have head tucked under wing in broad daylight. 
8. Easily confused with a bird in shock from hitting a window.

What do we do if we find a sick or dead bird?

• Dead birds: use gloves to handle either sick or dead birds.
• Do not bury or leave dead birds out.
• Burying spreads the disease into the soil.
• Put dead birds into a plastic bag and dispose into trash.

Living, but sick birds:

• Take a hand towel and pick up the bird.
• You can also use a butterfly net.
• Use gloves or a towel.
• Place into a small box or paper bag, on paper towels.
• Never leave sick birds in your yard, they are suffering, and spreading the disease.
• Find a local songbird rehabilitator or call your local Fish and Wildlife agency. 

Can humans or pets get Salmonella? 
Yes, but it is not likely. The amounts in bird feces are tiny, and we are large. Cats that eat birds can and do get it. But if you have outside cats, you shouldn't be feeding birds. 

Chickens carry their own particular subspecies of Salmonella. It too can be spread to wild birds. In fact, agricultural animal waste is one source of Salmonella infection for wild birds, particularly those associated with those animals (starlings and house sparrows). 

Please use common sense when handling sick or dead birds, and when cleaning your feeders and baths. Gloves are mandatory.

If you would like citations for the research mentioned, email us at [email protected]

Well here we are moving into the colder, darker months after coming through such an intense year. We thought we'd share a few happy stories of some of our extraordinary patients that wound up needing help. 

It was the busiest year Native Bird Care has seen. My first baby songbird came in April 1st, two months earlier than any other season in my 11 years. By mid-May I was already ordering 35,000 insects a week; July is usually when our insect demand is that high. All those babies were for the most part singletons, individuals rather than full nests. In fact, I rarely get a full nest, it is mostly single babies who have wound up alone, injured, and needing help. So, like all baby seasons, I worked a 96 hour work week, it just started way early and did not stop for nearly 5 months. And this year, due to Covid, we could not have volunteers. 

This fall, it has slowed quite a bit but I still have a steady stream of patients needing care. I hate to play favorites since frankly every one of these birds is an amazing, brilliant gem. I love every one of them, even the most irascible, stressy grouch. In fact, it is pure maternal instinct that powers my ability to get up at 6 am every morning to start putting food into mouths and cleaning up poopy enclosures. The bright spot in avian rescue is the babies, little souls with a desperate eagerness to be a graceful, elegant star, traversing the air or cruising the earth.

Here are a few of the stars we had this last year. Enjoy them, fawn over their beauty, relish them as if they are the last one of their species. As we lose bird populations, it is so important to value and cherish every single one of them. 

Few birds can match the mesmerizing calls of the Hermit Thrush. The sound from this small 25 gram bird erupts as ethereal waves, flowing from the forest edges. Is that one? Two? The call has a ventriloquist aspect, confusing the human listener, making us wander hopelessly in search of the source of that siren song. To no avail. 

We've had several Hermits this fall, two were simply too weak to fly, another hit a window, which is quite odd as these are migrants that do not seek bird feeders. Starvation is a real issue birds must face, particularly in this day and age. Finding insects is tough work, requiring a never ending hunt for food most of the day. In care here, we get them past the critical care stage that results from emaciation and then load them up on as many insects as they can gobble down. All our Hermit Thrushes were able to be released amazingly, even the window harmed one. 

Cedar Waxwings are one of my favorite babies to raise. This one dropped out of a tree onto someone's patio. We tried for 3 days to find the parents and the nest with no luck. I concluded that this one was a runt, and just was not able to hang on in the nest. She had mites as well and was skinny. 

She ate like a champ though, enjoying fresh berries and insects. Waxwings, like most baby songbirds, are fed small larvae, caterpillars, and other insects. Mainly soft-bodied bugs that are easy to digest. In care, we avoid mealworms with waxwings and feed mainly crickets and some waxworms. These birds grow up to eat berries however, so we dutifully chop of fresh blue and blackberries, and other fruits. 
She joined a small flock of other Cedar Waxwings in Camp Polk Meadow. 

In July, we had the rare opportunity to help a baby Pied Billed Grebe. All grebe species are 100% waterbirds, meaning that they live full time on the water - eating, swimming, sleeping, and nesting in reeds at lake edges. 

Sadly, people can easily disturb families like this when they paddle into the vegetated areas at the edges of lakes and rivers. And that's what happened to this little one. Luckily the person found the soaked baby and got her to us for warming, drying, and some food. Over the next week we searched the lake, found a parent, and were able to reunite the one. Her sibling sadly died from the ordeal of being in the water too long. Baby down is not waterproof for long, which is why you see them crawl up on their parents' backs and snuggle in for a ride. Lesson: don't paddle into reeds and marsh.

As happens every year, some crew of Northern Flicker babies find themselves homeless as people remove trees, or exclude them from hole in a house. We renest a lot of these guys over the summer, providing flicker boxes to home owners and moving the babes to the box and out of the home. 

This works incredibly well, and provides a long-term solution for the home owner looking for a way to keep them outside, not in. Get the ant-eating benefit the Flicker provides, while preventing damage. 
Win-win! Flickers are a blast to raise. Don't get me wrong, they are a ton of work, but these babies are just so full of attitude and personality. Their tongues and foraging techniques are so very neat. If you go to the videos on the Native Bird Care of Sisters Facebook page, you will see one of our young birds from last year show off her phenomenal tongue eating worms in a tree.

We had so many species this year - our fun and common Robins and Goldfinches, Townsend Solitaires, Red Breasted Sapsucker, Black Headed and Evening Grosbeak, House Finches, Red Crossbill, Common Poorwill and Nighthawks, Ash Throated Flycatcher, Hairy Woodpecker, Hummingbirds, Quail, Chickadees, Pine Siskin, Spotted Towhee, and then Spotted Sandpiper, Great Blue Heron, and waterbirds like Lesser Scaup and Canada Geese. And that is not all, here are a few more. I could chat about all of them all day. 

I hope you have enjoyed this look at our birds. Please make a donation this holiday season. Without public support we simply could not keep doing what we do to save birds. Our food bill alone is $5000 a year. Medications, medical treatment and supplies, everything that goes into enclosures and housing, utility bills, and so much more costs a lot. We have no paid staff, so 100% of your money goes directly to the birds that make their way here. 

​Please donate! 

Oregon is experiencing the most tragic and severe wildfire event ever recorded in this state. There is significant suffering going on - human, wildlife, and plants. We wish everyone safety and well-being. If you can donate to those organizations that are helping people and domestic pets, and also wildlife, please do. There will be a lot of homeless people and pets at the end of this. We will also have devastating losses of wildlife and their habitats. Yes, it will recover. It may take a long time though for  some species to regain numbers. These fires are not friendly cleaners, they are too intense for that. 

I've been asked how birds handle fire. I am no expert, but here's what I do know. Generally some birds will fly away, escaping the coming inferno. In massive fires like this one, some may not make wise choices in the directions they choose and suffer. Some may not realize the epic nature of the fires coming and choose to hunker down, staying in place to ride it out (like some people try to do). As birds move around they are often forced into new habitats where food resources may not be ideal or they are unfamiliar with. Fires may encourage migration as well for those species heading south. 

Birds traveling through in migration will hopefully simply fly on past, however, with much of the Cascades on fire, we can only hope they have the reserves and physical capacity to keep going. They will face more challenges as they hit the fires raging throughout California. I look forward to seeing some research on the movement patterns of birds experiencing fire. 

I do know that a lot of animals are dying right now. That is a given. I am not getting many as most birds will perish without anyone seeing them, as we are all stuck in our homes. I hope that anyone who finds a suffering bird will text us and give the bird a chance. We do not have the fire staff on these mega infernos for anyone to rescue animals while out on the front-lines. I am sure they wish they could.

How Does Smoke Affect Birds?
Birds lungs are incredibly complex and extraordinary. In fact, the incredible physical accomplishments of birds - flight, long distance trips, and endurance - are in large part due birds' breathing anatomy.

​Birds do not have just two lungs like us mere land-walkers. They have up to 9 "air sacs" - balloon-like structures that allow lightness and enormous breathing capacity. Each breath of a bird passes through all of these sacs and the lungs before being exhaled. 

The entrance to birds' airways is located at the bottom of the mouth, not the back of the throat like mammals. It is called the "glottis." This odd location allows more efficient and immediate air intake, which aids in the aerial feats birds engage in. (The location of the glottis and the risk of aspiration is a main reason feeding baby birds is actually a developed skill. It's super easy to get food or water into their airways, and birds cannot cough to force anything out because of how distributed the air becomes once in the body. In some birds, like the Common Poorwill, the glottis is darn near the front of the mouth, with the tongue very tiny and seemingly vestigial.  

This anatomy translates into a rather complex breathing operation. Note in the picture below, the air comes into the body, passes through the trachea, goes into the posterior air sacs and the lungs. The air in the posterior air sacs goes on into the lungs and back out. The air that goes into the lungs passes through the anterior air sacs before exiting the body. 

What this anatomy results in for birds' airways is that what goes in, stays in. So the micro to larger particulates of smoke, wind up going into birds' air sacs and lungs and not leaving. Just like us, these particulates can cause inflammation and impair intake of oxygen. The health effects of smoke are the same as for humans, except they are magnified by the fact that birds are more efficient breathers and retain more particulates. 

In sum, smoke inhalation can and does kill birds. It impairs their ability to breathe and that impairs their ability to forage and sustain themselves. Birds will often sit is stasis. They may go to the ground as the air can be clearer there. Birds will often head into the canopy where they are a bit protected from larger particles and predators. 

Smoke also dirties birds' feathering, which can lead to birds ingesting this pollution as they preen. Keeping clean is imperative for birds ability to stay weatherproof, so they will try to seek out water. The chemicals and pollutants in the smoke is not good for them, so the cleaner they can stay by bathing, the better. 

So what can we do to help? 
Keeping clean, fed, and having access to water is critical for all the birds suffering right now. So, if you want to help your yard birds, please consider turning on sprinklers for an hour or so a day. Please wear a mask as you go outside to protect your lungs. Keep all feeders full, and clean the water baths and features as much as possible. You can also add additional trays of water, placed around the yard. 

Most birds we will not be able to help as they are simply not yard birds. However, if we are backed to open space or forests, we can help these birds by aiming sprinklers out where a few might get some benefit. Migrants who are desperate for food or water can benefit too from us putting water out.

Putting food on the ground like millet will help the ground feeders and those that will eat millet like the finches. Keeping feeders full is important. And keeping bird baths clean! With so many birds taking baths and with the particle buildup, we want to keep the baths clean. 

Why do some act like nothing is happening? Still going about their day. Well they simply have no choice. Little birds in particular must eat much of the day, every day just to survive. As smoke impacts them, they can succumb from lack of oxygen and lack of food if they cannot eat. Birds waiting it out may go without food, leading to starvation. We can do almost nothing for the birds that do not come to the feeder. 

Note, putting water pans out helps other animals too, if you happen to be able to put out large pans for the deer and others, I advocate that. Smoke dehydrates everyone...no you should not feed the deer, their food is still there. But adding more water to your landscape cannot hurt. Yes, we are in a drought and water conservation is important. So please, do always conserve water as a general rule. 

If you see distressed birds hunkering down, rescue them. Put them in a box and text us. Please keep kitties inside right now, for their health and for the birds that are coming to the ground where the air is cleanest.

For yourselves, tape shut any vents, hang blankets over doors, avoid going in and out, get an air cleaner going, and try to close up leaks.
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We wish everyone the best...please pray or say blessings for rain....

​People often ask us for advice on what to do about Northern Flickers. Birds' relationships with us and our homes result from their attempt to navigate a human-altered environment they have no control over. Solutions should be sought with a compassionate and friendly attitude.
 
The Northern Flicker is a critically essential habitat species. They are one of our largest woodpecker species and can deliver hard and deep enough blows to create a cavity in nearly any tree. These colorful, energetic habitat creators provide needed cavities for many other tree-nesting species -  owls, kestrels, ducks, small mammals, and songbirds, including chickadees, nuthatches, and swallows. They are a 'keystone' species, meaning other species who would otherwise be unable to create their own cavities rely on them. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says, "The loss or diminution of the Northern Flicker would likely have a large impact on most woodland ecosystems in North America."

For the home-owner, a positive attribute of the flicker is that they are predominately ant eaters - often consuming entire breeding colonies of carpenter ants. They are mainly ground-foraging birds but will also eat insects found on or inside trees, like wood-boring beetles. If you have insects on your home, like from old siding or old stain/paint, these birds will help clean up the house. So, keeping the siding in good shape is important.

In Central Oregon, these stout birds love the Juniper because this sought-after habitat tree will remain standing though its insides have begun to rot.. Many cavity-nesting species - many of whom we see at our feeders - use Juniper for its incredible ability to have multiple cavities throughout the tree.  So, if you like flickers, keep your Juniper and snags. 

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Tip #1: Let them drum! 
One of the easiest solutions is to ignore them. If they are drumming on metal, like on gutters, it will likely not cause damage. At Native Bird Care, we have successfully 'trained' our flicker male to drum on the back gutters by ignoring and allowing that while shooing him off other parts of the house. If you relinquish the gutter, then they may leave other areas of the house alone. Flickers stop drumming once they have successfully established their territory, which does not take long (about two weeks at our center). They are only territorial regarding their nest sites, not food - so this is a short-lived period. 

Tip #2: Stop feeding suet and hulled sunflower seeds.
When we invite wildlife to our yards by feeding them, we also invite all of their other natural behaviors. Chasing them off our homes while continuing to feed them pushes them into neighbors' yards and onto others' homes. There is simply not enough natural habitat in the urban landscape for their nesting. Keeping dead or dying trees (snags) and Juniper in our yards provides homes for these birds. However, we should all think more about the 'carrying capacity' of our yards and local area landscapes, which is how much food (insects) and territory there actually is for all the nesting species we may be inviting with boxes and bird feeders. 

Tip #3: Dull the sound and prevent access. 
There are two solutions for eliminating or reducing the sometimes mind-numbing drumming. A) Deaden the sound using products. If the drumming site is metal, duct tape or rubberized coatings work well. Do NOT use sticky tapes or other harmful solutions; these are illegal and cause unnecessary suffering for the bird by coating their feathers and harming their weatherproofing.  C) You can also put up cardboard or wrap cloth around the gutter. You will need to treat all areas of the home that are most sought-after - they will be at or near the top of the house, usually metal. B) You can also enclose the area, say a chimney, with chicken wire or box it in to discourage drumming.

c) Hang netting, sheets, or sheers off the eaves or entirely down one side of a house using cup hooks or out away from the house using plant hangers. Netting works best if it is hung taut; otherwise, it can become a risk to the bird. Tarp, canvas, or netting can be used up in the eaves and installed at an angle to prevent nesting holes. Netting is an affordable and easy solution for this purpose and for keeping birds from striking windows. 

d) Be sure to block any eave holes (BEFORE nesting season). Wood or sheet metal can cover holes and prevent further damage. 

Caution! Please never use these exclusion ideas AFTER the birds have already created a nest hole. Exclusion materials can cause the birds to abandon their nests and eggs or babies, which is illegal due to the harm they cause to the birds. ​

Tip #5: Flicker boxes. 
Boxes are increasingly suggested as a near-total solution to flicker issues. However, bird boxes should only be put up when the situation is right for the birds. See below. 
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Simple Rules to Follow:
a) Flicker boxes should be no less than 23" tall and 18" from entrance hole to floor. The floor should be no less than 6" x 7". When purchasing or making a flicker box, look carefully at the dimensions! There are a lot of poorly designed nest boxes on the market. And, because a box was handmade, it does not mean it is a good box. This rule also applies to box plans (the NestWatch plans have a floor that is too small for Flickers). Flicker babies are large; too small of a floor space cram them together and can lead to undeveloped, starving babies and poor feathering. 

b) Always put grooves up all four sides of the inside box walls. Flicker babies start to perch vertically on the cavity walls at about two weeks. There will not be enough room on the floor for the babies, even with a 6x7" floor. Being gregarious, flicker babies need space, so make sure they have use of the entire inside of the box. If you make the box, this is easy, use a small saw to make 1/4" depth grooves about 1/2" apart horizontally up the walls, going all the way across. On the front, ensure the grooves go all the way across so babies can push each other aside to get to the hole for food. Vertically perching babies will be more equally fed and have far better plumage. A tail in good condition is paramount for woodpeckers. 

c) Pack wood shavings (pet bedding) into the box enough to make it firm. Aspen bark is best as it is not dusty (bad for bird lungs), has fewer splinters, and lacks the sap other tree species have, which can get on baby skin and growing feathers. Flickers need to excavate to become physically able to produce young. They will not use empty boxes, and packing the box full excludes starlings. 

d) Location: Proper siting and location is paramount. Base site decision on the home's himan activity in June and July - not April. Place ideally in a southeast corner for morning sun.Flickers will tolerate activity and humans untill nestling stage (this is true of most our of urban nesting birds). However, once the nestlings are able to flap a bit, they can easily get spooked from their nests/cavities and leave too early (which leads to death by predation or exposure).

Flickers are far more likely to use a box on the house; they look for the lagest 'tree' and that is your house. Chose the most private, least stressful place - not above a door, or social gathering areas. Younger birds may not have the experience to know they are making a housing faux pau until it’s too late (one way I get baby birds). Placing the box on the house also works best if you have a small yard and the house is the best 'tree.' If you want to exclude a current flicker’s hole-building project on your own house, try putting up a box over that hole.

Another location option is on a metal conduit pole out in the yard at 8’-12’ high. This prevents predators being able to climb up and get into the box. Place 10’ from nearest tree, in the shade, facing South or Southeast. 

Like humans, birds can make awful real estate choices. If this has happened, a licensed professional with proper federal permits might be able to relocate the birds. Landscapers, pest companies, your neighbor, and you should never attempt a nest relocation. Improper relocation is most likely going to kill the young birds. Birds recognize their young by EXACT location, not just their calls. Contact us for advice.

A nest box on the house is excellent for smaller cavity nesters tapping on the home - nuthatches and chickadees. You can often simply place a box right over the hole they are making. Giving them a box can prevent the birds from not being able to find a nest cavity when the female is close to laying her eggs. Simply fill the created hole with a sealant and place the nest box over it. Put two inches of the aspen bark in the box. Ensure the box also has grooves all the way across the front wall, not just under the entrance hole, so babies can get alongside and push dominant, bigger babies away from the hole. Grooves should be 1/8" inch deep by every 1/8". Placement and location are same as Flickers. Never put perches on bird boxes unless you want to feed predators.  ​

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Should I use a Nest Box?
Flickers feed insects to their babies and young, and their babies need incredibly high protein content to be nutritionally sound enough to grow stout, fully functioning bodies that will allow them to survive. Feeder foods ARE NOT APPROPRIATE for babies! Do not be misled by marketing language that calls certain feeder foods good for nesting birds or babies. It is not! Babies need wild insects (mealworms are not enough and there are issues with them). 
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The average nesting territory for flickers is about 330' in circumference. They are large enough birds to fly some distance to find food for their young. Their nesting territory will vary based on how rich the habitat happens to be and the competition for their food sources (lots of ants). If there are flicker boxes on many homes in an urban neighborhood and the habitat is only marginally productive in insects, then those babies are at risk.

When choosing to use bird boxes, please consider the amount of territory the birds will need, the quality of the habitat, and what competition the birds might face. 

Did you know some precocial birds are fed by their parents? Loons, shorebirds, coots for example. Only 2 truly precocial birds exist, and they are not in North America. Anyhoo...will continue this later...

This is a nestling Western Wood Pewee. She came in after her nest was blown down after a heavy wind. She was a hoot to finish raising. As an aerial insectivore and eating by catching her insect prey in flight with her feet, she took some extra care getting her ready for release. Babies like this need practice catching their food, so giving her flighted insects was necessary. We do that with bot fly larva and fruit flies (which we make ourselves by...you guessed it...lots of old fruit scraps. Basically we leave a bucket of rotting food out in the aviary with 1/4 inch screen on it so birds cannot get in, but bugs can get out. I would also toss crickets and mealworms in the air for her to catch...she was super adept early on and kept getting better. She learned way faster than her barn swallow buddy who would just look at me from his high perch and shun my attempts. He eventually got it though and both would swoop down to catch what I tossed up. Notably, she caught her bugs with her feet and the swallow caught his with his mouth - both variations on on-the-wing foraging by birds. This little Pewee was surely one of the sweetest birds we have had in care. She got released with a whole flock of other Pewees at Camp Polk Meadows. Birders helped us locate a flock, then we took her to them. She flew directly towards the flock and two came out to greet her. Absolutely perfect! 

American Coots are abundant, that's true, but it doesn't take away from them being a fascinating, beautiful, and unique bird. These cuties navigate inland waters year-round, and they fit in a similar niche as a small grebe (like a Horned or Eared). But they are actually part of the Rail family (along with Virginia Rail). Rather than skirt the shoreline like a Virginia though, these guys are eating small fish, crustaceans, bugs, invertebrates and vegetation along the shore while in the water. They are floaters, not walkers. Like the grebes, these birds cannot take off from the ground due to their feet and the size of their wings (which are small in relation  to their body size and weight, which is an advantage if you are a swimmer). So, these birds wind up stranded in poor winter weather (like loons, grebes, and ruddy ducks). 

This girl rebounded remarkably once we dewormed her, warmed her up, and got her fed and hydrated. In fact, she put on 200 grams in 9 days (its amazing how quickly they can respond once the problem is found!). Like other waterbirds that come through here, we made sure her feathers and waterproofing were in shape, and maintained, and she got a pool. Had we not already put our winter pools away (oops, who knew winter would be in March!), she would have had a bigger pool, but instead she had to do with our large indoor water set up, which is a whole lot more work for us as it has to be cleaned very frequently so she stayed clean. (Note - next year, leave winter pools up in aviary!) 

​Why the red eyes? Lots of waterbirds have red eyes as it helps them see underwater. Note the babies have brown eyes, red eyes happen as they reach adulthood. Their leg color also changes, from more green/olive to more and more yellow as they age.  And while Grebes and Loons have toenails, nothing compares to the talons on these guys. Just check out the first picture. In fact, these feisty birds will flip over on their backs like a raptor and try to slash you with those sharp, hooked nails (yes, we ALWAYS wear gloves with Coots, ha ha!). The boys are another 200 grams on the girls, so they can be a handful (2 handfulls, ha). The lobes on those pretty yellow-green feet are designed to propel them through the water, highly effective paddles, very cool. 

​We had the fun time of raising a baby coot last summer. So for fun I've added a parent and two babies. Notably, like most waterbirds, Coots also feed their babies bill to bill. So, even though they are born "precocial" (born with down, able to move away from nest soon), they cannot feed themselves. This is such a wonderful picture of their colorful, adorable babies. Coots may be one of the few birds that can make the global transition we are experiencing, because they are adaptable, can eat a diversity of food, and are productive. Go Coots!

They look larger than they really are, at only 2 or so ounces. They are tiny really. They live almost entirely on fruit in winter, and today they have moved towards more of our planted species, like the mountain ash. However, they get their name from the Cedar tree, which they ate the berries of historically. 

They are highly susceptible to the insecticides and other sprays with coat our trees and shrubs with. And being so little, it does not take much to make them sick. At least 2 of my intakes were sick from what I think was pesticide poisoning. One did not survive, the other I just released. If you love birds, please do not spray your trees with anything...not even "non-toxic" products like soap (soaps kills the waterproofing on birds and makes them sick too). 

These are not feeder birds, but if you want them in your yard plant serviceberry, mountain ash, cherry trees, crabapple, and raspberries - but be happy birds are eating all your fruit! Know that your fruiting trees are keeping these cuties alive. In rehab, they are eating soaked currents, pear, chopped raisens, raspberries, and blueberries, along with mealworms (at least they are offered). 

Unlike some birds in which we try to return them to their original location and group, with the Waxwings, we release them to larger flocks with abundant resources (if we can). Cedar Waxwings are flocking up at this time anyway and we like to give our rehabs a good chance. There is safety in numbers, and they have night-time buddies to stay warm with on freezing nights and experienced birds that can lead the way to food sources. 

Enjoy these special birds! Keep some small binocs in your car, and take that moment or two just to get close up look. However, never walk up to trees at night and try to get closer looks at birds resting for the night or even on really cold days. 

Once a bird flies, it loses all of its built up heat. Birds can die from having to lose this critical heat upon a flight made late in the day. For the tiny songbirds, they may not have the physical reserves to make more heat for their frigged night. 


Enjoy those Waxwings! See the fb post for video. 

Mountain Bluebirds must be one of the most beautiful songbirds that grace our skies here in Central Oregon. I was blessed this summer to be able to save 4 baby mountains who had sadly lost their parents somehow. The kind home owner who noticed this, intervened after a day and called us. The babies were a bit burdened by parasites and a bit thin, and of course quite hungry, but luckily nothing else was wrong. So, in they came. 

About Mountain Bluebirds
These beautiful birds are in the family as the American Robin - they are thrushes. And of all the thrushes they eat the most insects. This is why we do not see them at our feeders and instead out in wide open meadows and sometimes agricultural lands. They love caterpillars, but eat many flying insects as well. They also glean insects from trees like aphids which makes them good for the forest. 

You will see them perched on fences and on tree limbs on the edges of a forest meadow waiting to flit out from their perch, grab the bug, and land again. They can also hover and dive bomb. Ground insects are not safe either, these expert insectivores will spend some time on the ground hunting beetles and crickets. 

In Central Oregon we get to enjoy these sweet birds year-round, some winter here from northern climates, while others are local migrants moving from different areas for breeding or wintering habitat. 

Bluebird populations are stable, specially now with fires opening up more habitat. They expanded with logging at the turn of last century, then declined with the use of DDT and the overgrowth of our forests (from logging large trees and clearcutting). Now, they compete with House Wrens, House Sparrows, and Swallows. But swallows will happily nest in an adjacent box, so always post two boxes if trying to offer homes to bluebirds. Swallows are in decline, and they need the same size home. Mountain bluebirds are one bird that actually benefits from prescribed burns (unlike a lot of other birds that need shrub cover). 

Mountain bluebirds need wild, native grasses, so our agricultural lands don't really  help them like it does Robins. However, humans can assist these lovely important birds by keeping cats indoors and if offering nest boxes, making sure we do not feed raccoons and other bird predators. Putting a box on a metal conduit post is a great solution for preventing depredation. See the instructions for a great box for this bird at www.treeswallowproject.com. And be sure to post one for the swallow too!

Note: wish I was a skilled photographer, but my phone just doesn't do it. The adults in this post are all stock photos, only the babies are Native Bird Care. ​