Nature News
Mike’s Ramblings
by Mike Williams
Owner, Wild Birds Unlimited, Pleasant Hill
For those of you that read our emails, you will be familiar with “Mike’s Ramblings” which is a section where I touch on various topics, usually associated with bird feeding, bird watching and nature. Mike’s Ramblings has become very popular, so we decided to include it on our website.
The rest of the country is still in deep winter, but in Northern California it is spring (a.k.a. nesting) season for some species. Owls and Anna’s Hummingbirds have already nested. Chickadees and Titmice are singing and in courtship. You should have your nesting houses up NOW! (It seems odd to be writing this as we are currently in Arizona where there is snow on the ground).
We had some damage a few years ago on our Arizona house by Northern Flickers trying to open a roosting cavity under the eaves. We solved the problem by putting up 2 Flicker houses for them to roost in during winter months. One day I heard a lot of noise and went to look at the house. Out came 2 male Flickers. Turf wars? We now have an American Kestrel roosting in one box. This is the smallest falcon and it is a really cool bird.
Last week we learned that we were again the largest store in our industry for 2009. It is an incredible honor both to us and to you. We have met so many interesting people since we opened in 1991 and it is a lot of fun bringing people and nature together!