Birds of West Cobb

In this blog, we attempt to answer the question "What is that red bird on my bird feeder?" Please keep in mind this blog is based in the Southeastern United States (Birds of West Cobb is located in Marietta, Georgia) What are the most common Red Birds to see at your bird feeder in the Southeast? Here in the Southeastern United States, you are most likely to see one of these 7 birds which are very red, or somewhat red. There are a few species here that you might not expect! In the order of "most red" to "least red" here they are: Northern Cardinal House Finch Purple Finch Red-headed Woodpecker Scarlet Tanager Red-bellied Woodpecker Rose-breasted Grosbeak The Male Northern Cardinal is very likely to be the most common Red Bird visiting your bird feeders in the South. Probably the most popular as well, Northern Cardinals are usually the answer to the question "What is that red bird on my bird feeder?" They are gorgeous birds without a question, but only the Male's feathers are bright red, and they will be brightest in Spring and Summer months! Did you know that Cardinals generally do NOT migrate? They will stay in the same area year-round and don't seem to mind the seasons changing! Here is another interesting fact for you: Cardinals are the official state bird of 7 different states! (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia). While the male is typically bright red with a bit of black around the beak and eyes, the female is usually brown with an orange/red beak. Here are some photos for you of the male and female Northern Cardinal to help you identify them on your feeders! The Male House Finch will likely be your second most common Red Bird to see at your bird feeders House Finches are extremely common on feeders in the Southeast, but they were actually native to the Western United States originally and spread throughout the country. They often build nests inside of hanging plants, or in retail store sign lettering. You may even here them singing a a happy "Cheap cheap cheap" call when they are nearby in trees or shrubbery. While they are generally not a species that migrates in the Winter, you may see more than usual in Winter as some of the Northern Birds will migrate. Similar to the Northern Cardinal, the House Finch male is typically the red bird of the pair, and the female is usually quite plain in appearance. Here are some photos for you of the House Finches: The Male Purple Finch is another Red Bird that you can expect to see at your Bird Feeders in the Southeast. Most typically they will pass through, or spend the Winter in the South, so you'll be most likely to spot them in Fall or Early Spring Migratory periods. It looks similar to the House finch but does appear more Purple than red in some lighting! I've heard from several people that they were pretty confident they'd seen Purple Finches on their feeders here in the Metro-Atlanta area. For us though, it's really not very common. We usually see the House Finches (above) far more often and only see the Purple Finches (shown below) in early Spring when they are likely migrating back to their Summer homes. They appear slightly larger than House Finches and the coloration spreads to their wings and down their bellies to their tales as well. it is also, as the name suggests, purple instead of red. (although it is fairly close to red!) Red-headed Woodpeckers (Male & Female) is another bird with lots of Red coloration that you can expect to see on your bird feeders. This photo was captured in Duluth, Georgia at my parent's home. They've had a nesting couple nearby for years and there is almost always one at the feeder visiting while I am spending time with my parents. The male and female BOTH have the completely red head, it is truly wonderful to see with the bright contrasting white and black on the wings, breast and head. Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Male & Female) are very common birds with Red head and belly feathers, which you can expect to see at your bird feeders. The Red-Bellied woodpeckers are favorites of ours. The male has a full-red patch extending from his shoulders all the way to just before the beak. The female has red in the same area, but it is broken up with a patch of warm grey between the back of the head and the beak. In the right lighting (and viewing angles) you can also see the hint of red on the bellies that they are so well known for! The Male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have an incredibly contrasting Red, black and white pattern. These are also migratory birds for most of the South, but always a treat to spot on the feeders! The coloration differences between the male and female are basically completely opposite sides of the spectrum. The male (shown below in most photos) is bright red, black and white while the female is brown (multiple shades) and white. You may not even recognize her until you see a male along with her. The colors on the male sure are impressive to witness! Scarlet Tanager (Spring/Summer Plumage = Red, Winter Plumage - Not red!) The Scarlet Tanager will typically be seen in Georgia and around the Southeast during migration, where the majority of the red has turned to Yellow for Winter months. In this photo (below) you can still see the hints of red on the chin as well as on the belly! In Spring they will be entirely red and black with white accents on the wings and tail! What are the best bird seed options for attracting these types of Red birds to my feeder? Black Oil Sunflower Seed This is one of our top picks for a large variety of backyard birds. You'll find anything from House Finches and Cardinals to the migratory Grosbeaks feasting on this seed type. It's readily available in many stores and you can buy it in bulk to save money as well! We've found that the shell-removed or "hulled" sunflower cuts way down on the mess below the feeders though, and strongly recommend this over the complete sunflower seed options. Here is a link to some on Amazon so you can give it a try! Hulled Sunflower Seed 10lb bag Safflower Seed This is probably our favorite seed type for attracting Red Birds or any other seed-eating birds. The seeds themselves are slightly smaller than Sunflower or Black-oil Sunflower seeds, and typically squirrels do not find them as appetizing. (Over time they will change their mind though if food is scarce). The seed is an off-white color and it makes for some great photographic captures! Here is a link so you can purchase a 10lb bag of Safflower Seed Seed mixtures Seed mixtures can be purchased and as long as they cover the types above you will do very well to attract a large variety of birds, including red birds, to your backyard bird feeders. Some seed mixtures will contain a large percentage of filler or "millet" seed, which is largely going to fall out of the feeders and onto the ground which attracts rodents. For that reason, we try to avoid the millet and go with something like this " Special Feeder Mix " from Cole's Bird Seed. We have had incredible results with it in the past few years!

The Pileated Woodpecker visits Birds of West Cobb Just the other day Lisa asked me to take some fresh photos for Instagram. Usually she doesn't have to ask, but in the last few weeks with us both being sick, Christmas shopping for family, a crazy work schedule, there has hardly been any time to sit outside with my camera. A couple of days after Christmas though, and I was able to make some time for the birds. As I focused on the smallest Woodpeckers in North America (the Downy Woodpecker), I also noticed a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers, a pair of Northern Flickers, several Carolina Chickadees and our usual white-breasted Nuthatches. Looking away from the camera for a moment and I saw something BIG move in the far back corner of the yard, just beyond our fence. It called out briefly before flying away and for a moment I thought I was caught in the recording of a jungle soundtrack! Once you've heard the call of the Pileated Woodpecker, you won't soon forget it. How can you tell a Male Pileated Woodpecker from a Female Pileated Woodpecker? While both the female and the male Pileated Woodpecker adults have a very bright read mohawk on top of their head, only the male will have red behind and under the beak along the jaw line. While watching the tiny female Downy Woodpecker, which had just come from behind the trunk, and recently came back into focus, (image above) something large flew right across the yard and I didn't even have to guess what it was. That size, that flash of red, black and white. I knew right away that the massive Pileated Woodpecker was back! I zoomed in with my Nikon and quickly noticed that this was a male, as there is some red near the beak, instead of just the giant red mohawk on the top of his head. I walked a dozen or so steps towards him, careful to stay behind another tree while moving in that direction. Then I would very slowly peak around the tree in front of me to make sure it was still there, and start snapping photos (as well as videos). What do Pileated Woodpeckers Typically Eat? Pileated Woodpeckers will naturally enjoy a diet of insects, grubs or other insect larvae including ants, carpenter bees, cockroaches, nuts, berries and even tree sap in the early Springtime. How Can I Attract Pileated Woodpeckers to my Bird Feeders? While we have had some success with C&S Suet Cakes (Woodpecker Treat), we have read other posts where people use "Bark Butter" and spread on a hanging limb or section of open tree trunk. Here is a link to the C&S Suet Cakes for Woodpeckers that we use consistently: C&S Woodpecker Treat Suet If you are interested in Bark Butter , here is a link for this as well: Bark Butter for Woodpeckers (Our only warning for you on this, would be to avoid using bark butter if Squirrels are already an issue for you.) How did you Attract Pileated Woodpeckers to Your Yard? Woodpeckers are naturally attracted to dead trees, which will act as housing for many insect species, including ants, spiders, carpenter bees, beetles and beetle larvae (and more!) which are great natural foods for these incredible birds! In our case, we noticed that we had a tulip poplar tree with a large hollow spot in the base. The tree was slowly dying but at the time still had leaves in the Spring and so we decided to leave it. While the tree is probably at least 40 feet tall, it is placed at least 30-35' from the nearest fence and any damage would be minimal if it fell during a storm. Luckily that hasn't happened so far, and since then it has died, some branches have fallen and the very top of the tree broke off at some point as well. There is still at least 30' of tree remaining though, and between the hollow opening at the bottom and the bark being peeled away from the top, this tree gives us lots of bird-watching enjoyment. Red-bellied woodpeckers love to peck near the top, while white-breasted nuthatches like to fly to the bare hard wood and crack seeds open on it. I was hopeful that this dead tree would eventually attract a Pileated and it finally did! (more than once!) How Tall are Pileated Woodpeckers? The enormous Pileated Woodpecker (standing over 18" tall) first perched on a neighboring tree, but quickly spotted this dead hardwood with a crack and some fungus appearing on the surface. He was ted no time at all pecking and prying and before a minute had passed, many large pieces of bark were flying off to the sides exposing many tasty morsels below the surface. For a moment I visualized this Pileated Woodpecker as a cartoon woodpecker and held back the urge to call out like Woody the Woodpecker (which probably would have terrified the poor bird anyway!). What is the Wingspan of a Pileated Woodpecker? A typical Pileated Woodpecker has a wingspan of approximately 30 inches, or 2.5 feet! To put this in perspective, it is very similar to that of an American Crow! In new subdivisions or young forests you are much less likely to see a Pileated Woodpecker. You may get lucky with Suet feeders but we have not had one visit ours, nor eat the C&S Suet Nuggets that we prefer to feed the other species of Woodpeckers in nearly 8 years. These are such large birds, that you will most likely spot them in forested areas with large, mature trees. They bore holes in the trees for nesting so the limbs and trunk would have to be quite large in order to support nesting requirements for these enormous birds. I have spotted them in the Brushy Mountain Wilderness near the Silver Comet Trail (close to Raccoon Creek), we spotted a female Pileated at Leone Hall Price Park , and we also saw one while hiking the Iron Hill Trail near Red Top Mountain State Park . Lisa watched from inside the house as I stood there at the edge of our deck, taking dozens of photos and a few short video clips of this enormous bird. I'm happy it wasn't startled and it seemed to get a full meal out of this tree. I hope you enjoy the blog post and please feel free to share with your friends and fellow bird enthusiasts! More details about the Massive Pileated Woodpeckers can be found at the following pages: All About Birds (Cornell) - Pileated Woodpecker National Audubon Society - Pileated Woodpecker American Bird Conservancy - Pileated Woodpecker Camera information: We currently shoot our wild backyard bird photography with a Nikon P1000 , which is the largest "point-and-shoot" camera of it's kind (currently). It is also referred to as the Nikon Superzoom camera because it has a zoom of up to 3,000mm effective focal range. For our purposes, this giant 2.2lb camera does a pretty good job and takes great photos, videos and audio. I wonder what the cost (as well as the weight) would be if I had instead purchased a comparable digital SLR body, and enough lenses to cover the same range that this camera covers? The P1000 allows for remote shutter control via the Nikon Snapbridge App, although we don't use it often. I prefer to sit behind the camera and have the freedom of moving around and capturing things as quickly as possible.

In a previous blog post we wrote about an effective trap for removing yellow jackets from your property. This time, let's take a look at the best (and the worst) ways to remove Chipmunks from your yard. We'll discuss using poisons, electronic traps, stopping the bird feeding completely, and finally the best and most humane traps so they can be relocated, unharmed to a nearby park or vacant property. Why would you want to remove Chipmunks from your yard? They are cute, fairly quiet and pose no physical threat to us humans. Unless you were to step in a recently built chipmunk hole while mowing the lawn. Or if a chipmunk hole and tunnel were abandoned and worse yet, it collapsed in the rain and now you have a small sinkhole in the yard you need to fill. Worst of all, an abandoned chipmunk hole is a prime candidate for a queen yellow jacket to move into in Spring and start building a new colony of serious hurt. Okay, okay, I see why you might want to get rid of the furry critters. But why can't we all just coexist? Chipmunks are a type of small-to-medium sized rodents. Rodents are famously known for their ability to breed and populate very quickly. If you are big into bird feeding like we are, you're likely generating a lot of waste seed from birds (above) in the feeders. This waste seed will eventually attract chipmunks, squirrels and possibly some other rodents including mice or even rats. So to put it simply, you're feeding the chipmunks and they are just going to use that food as fuel to rapidly procreate and then replicate. The holes they create in your yard will quickly attract other pests! The first couple of years we saw a few chipmunks around and didn't think much of it. Then suddenly it seemed like they were all over the yard. It has taken some time to get them back to a much smaller number and occasionally we see one again. If you see more than 2-3 at a time you need to be capturing them and relocating them quickly or the population will literally explode! My neighbor said I should use poison to take care of the chipmunk problem. What do you think? Poison has been used for hundreds of years to rid the world of rodents. It works, but there are ecological side effects and we strongly recommend against poisons because a sick/poisoned chipmunk can then be eaten by a hawk or an owl, a raccoon, possum, or even a house cat or your next door neighbor's dog. Additionally, if it's poison pellets it's very likely that birds will find this poison and ingest it as well, which will certainly end up killing them. Some of the many birds that we see eating from the ground include: Carolina Wrens, Winter Wrens Chipping Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows Brown Thrashers Rufous-sided Towhee Northern Cardinals Hermit Thrushes Pine Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Tennessee Warblers Another reason you would likely want to consider if the reasons above don't deter you, is the location of the dead chipmunks. You can't choose where they will end up when they finally kick the bucket. They could end up in a downspout on your home, under the deck or front porch in an inaccessible spot. Then they will start to rot and stink. Before you know it, you'll have ants crawling all over in addition to the smell. Nobody wants or needs that! Okay I see some folks using electronic rodent traps that kill their targets in an instant. How would these work for Chipmunks? We've seen those around the back of our local grocery store and strip mall as well. These electronic traps are considered fairly humane because they are intended to instantly kill their targets pests, but they are actually designed for other rodents (rats) which would be snooping around in these locations where there may be nesting materials or food nearby. Chipmunks are really after your birdseed and that's about it. Plus, these are quite expensive and require recharging as well. If you have a mouse or rat problem, an electronic trap would be an excellent and humane option for reducing the number of these rodents. But for Chipmunks, we would go another route. What trap should I use for catching chipmunks? We have been using a very simple trap, and also a very easy baiting technique I was able to capture nearly all of them and move them to a park just a few miles down the road. I've been using simple 2-door metal traps similar to Havahart branded traps for a few decades now. They are extremely durable, reusable, easy to clean, and simply work time and time again. I have a pair of these traps designed for small-to-medium sized rodents and since we have multiple bird feeders stations, it makes better use of my time capturing and taking them to the park two at a time. What do you use for bait for chipmunks? If you already have chipmunks hanging around under your bird feeders, they are used to the seed that they are finding each day. With one of these metal traps, toss a small bit of that seed straight into the trap and just wait about 20-30 minutes. If you try to make it fancy or add something like peanut butter, you may actually make them a bit suspicious and you will have less success capturing chipmunks. Where is the best place to set the chipmunk trap? I usually place one of these humane traps under each of the bird feeder stations. The reason i like to place the traps below these feeder stations is similar to the reason I choose to stick with the seed that the chipmunks are used to. They are already going to these bird feeder areas to get seed like they would any other day. They then smell a little pile of fresh seeds and head right for it. It's super easy and takes less time out of your day or weekend. How do I transport the trapped chipmunks once they've been captured? Once you've trapped them, you'll want to put on some leather work gloves, and then just carry the trap out to the trunk of your car with the built-in carry handle. I recommend placing some cardboard or a trash bag under the traps though because the chipmunks will be pretty excited about being in your trunk and will definitely eject some seeds from their cheeks. When you get to the park, just carry the trap to some grass or some pinestraw covered area, pop open one of the doors on the trap and wait a few seconds. The little chipmunks will come firing out of the door just like a cannon as soon as they realize they are free again! I've included a product link below 👇 for the specific trap model we've been using now for several years. Rather than poison, or expensive electronic countermeasures, we strongly recommend you try out one of these Havahart traps instead. Thanks for reading! 🙏 -Birds of West Cobb (Lisa & Dan)

In this blog post, we share our story about a close-up visit from a Red-tailed Hawk. The largest hawk in North America came to visit and let us take some photos! Usually when I wake up in the morning the goal is simple. I must make some coffee. Everything else will follow (after Coffee kicks in). On the way down the stairs I’ll stop and take a quick look out the window. On this particular morning I looked and only saw a gray squirrel at the bottom of our larger bird feeder pole. He was staring up at the bird seed in the feeders above him and then back at the feeder baffle, which had definitely confused him. I had no idea I was about to have a close-up encounter with an incredible juvenile red-tailed hawk! By the time I made coffee downstairs and turned back to look out the window, there was now no squirrel in sight, but instead there was a HUGE hawk sitting on top of the feeder eating breakfast (and it wasn’t birdseed). After a solid 30 minutes of the hawk getting every single piece of fresh protein it could, I was surprised to see that it actually flew closer to the house, and perched on our deck railing. We have a couple of short video clips uploaded to YouTube also: Click here to view them on our channel! In this video clip, I had just stepped outside and tried to move extremely slowly, so I wouldn't startle Stephen the Red-tailed hawk, the last thing I wanted to do was scare him away while attempting to get a close-up photo or two. Luckily, he was patient and not the least bit worried about my camera and I! Another 20 minutes or so of this very full hawk hanging out, the Blue Jays screaming, and Carolina Wrens sounding off with their shrill alarm call, Lisa really wanted me to chase the hawk off, so she could come outside and feed the rest of the birds. Just in case it didn’t get startled and take off, I brought my camera out with me. The railing where the hawk was sitting is about 15 or 16 feet from the back door so theoretically I should be able to snap a few pics before it leaves, maybe even capture the launch of this massive bird and the first few wing flaps. I had no idea what was next. (keep reading!) After a minute or two, I was able to very slowly move a bit closer, while just snapping photos like crazy. Then, I moved around to the right of it. Although he saw every move I made, he was way more interested in all the activity around him in the trees above. Some small songbirds even came down to eat off the feeders less than 10 feet away because they must have understood that this hawk wasn’t a threat to them. I even saw another squirrel approaching from the furthest parts of the yard before seeing what was ahead and then freezing for a good 10-15 minutes. We named this juvenile Red-tailed hawk Stephen “ Red ” Hawkings, just for laughs. Red-tailed hawks come around our yard only a few times a year, although we generally see Red-Shouldered Hawks or Cooper’s Hawks a lot more often. Stephen hung around for nearly an hour and a half, and it seemed like he had a bit of a food coma after eating that entire squirrel. At the closest point between this hawk and my camera, I was probably around 4-5 feet from him. Finally though, he grew tired of me standing around with a camera in his face and he flew up to an oak limb between our house and our neighbor’s. Lisa was able to feed the birds and everything went back to the regularly scheduled program. This was quite an experience that I recognized as a very unique occurrence, and I do not take moments like these for granted. Nor will I soon forget it! Thanks for reading! Please like and subscribe if you enjoyed this post! In the video below, take a look at the size of those massive talons! You can also hear the titmice carrying on in the background at the start of the video as well!

The Rose Breasted Grosbeaks migrate thousands of miles each year so it’s always a treat to see them when they return to Marietta, GA! A few years ago I was walking back across the deck, after refilling the bird feeders. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of white and red and knew immediately what it was. Here in the metro Atlanta area of Georgia it’s not super common to see a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and they are merely passing through so they are easy to miss. In many years of feeding birds in 3 different counties of Georgia, I had never seen a single one. I managed to snap a couple of blurry photos with my cell phone that day before it was gone. Luckily it came back several more times in the next few days and brought females along with him. That first year we saw 3 or 4, but the following year 7 or 8 at a time visited, several times within a few weeks before they departed. If you’re like me, you’ve been looking at these birds on bird-seed packaging, books about wild birds, art about wild birds and more for years. When you finally get to see one in person, it’s pretty impressive! The adult males have much sharper contrast between the black & white and red coloration. The females look much more brownish and lack the red, but otherwise look very similar. The large beak is used for cracking open seeds, and they seem to navigate to the black oil sunflower seeds in open trays/plates, and safflower seeds. The Rose-breasted grosbeak is one of the species we enjoy seeing here in Marietta because of the journey that they make each year (2 times per year!) If you were to hop on a jet and fly from “Southern Newfoundland, Canada” to Northern Ecuador, you’d be looking at a flight of around 4300 miles one way. The birds can’t fly non-stop though so it’s really impressive to think that they probably cover 5,000-6,000 miles!!! With that kind of trip you’d make Diamond Status with Delta Airlines in no time at all! September 2024: Update Nearly a year to the day September 24th, 2023 I photographed some adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, with some adult female Grosbeaks and a few juvenile males (like the one pictured above). This year we had Hurricane Helene approaching and I was a bit worried the birds would circumvent us this year to avoid the storm. However, On September 28th I looked out the back door to see a female and a juvenile male once again! Two days later, I saw an adult Male as well! Here is a short video of our juvenile Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, who seems very uninterested in Cardinals and Titmice and more that get close to him. I think he is a bit tired from all the traveling and the rain delays as well! I'm finding it interesting that these birds know where we are even after travelling literally thousands of miles, they find our back yard, and feeders, nestled in some 30-40 year old maple trees, pine trees, dogwoods and more. They seem to like eating in the mornings from 7-10am. After noon and you won't see a single bird (at least this has been our experience). Here are few photos I've take from this recent migratory group! Have you ever seen any Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at your bird feeders? We’d love to hear from you in the comments! In the video below you'll be able to see juvenile male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks as well as Females. They now stop every year in Marietta, on both of their migratory trips that span thousands of miles each way! We couldn't be happier about this!

In this blog we will discuss one of our backyard birding favorites; the American Goldfinch. Meet Gordie the American Goldfinch and His Family: the tiny, bright yellow, friendly little birds at your Backyard Feeders If you’ve ever noticed this tiny, but bright yellow and black bird in your backyard, you’ve likely been lucky enough to spot an American Goldfinch. Our resident male American Goldfinch, Gordie, visits our yard nearly every single day, often bringing his family along with him to brighten up our days. American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) are known for their beautiful seasonal transformations, where they will turn from a mild brownish yellow to an incredible bright yellow. I tend to look at the seasonal colors like the difference between Grey Poupon mustard (winter plumage) and French's Yellow Mustard (Spring/Summer plumage). Take a look at the photos below in the rest of this blog and you'll see what I mean! Gordie's Bright Summer Colors In the warmer months, Gordie, like most male American Goldfinches, wears a vibrant yellow plumage with contrasting black wings and cap, making him stand out among backyard birds. This bold coloration serves two purposes: it attracts female mates and helps males like him establish their territory. American Goldfinches, including Gordie, are among the few bird species that undergo a full molt twice a year, which means they shed old feathers and grow new ones to prepare for different seasons. Duller Tones in Winter As winter approaches, Gordie and other male goldfinches lose their bright yellow feathers, blending into their surroundings with muted, olive-brown tones. This seasonal change is crucial for survival, as it allows them to camouflage from predators when food is scarcer and trees have shed their leaves. Female American Goldfinches and juvenile birds also adopt a more subdued color palette during winter, making Gordie and his family look quite different from their summertime selves. How to Attract Goldfinches to Your Backyard If you’re hoping to welcome birds like Gordie and his family to your own backyard, consider providing their favorite food—Nyjer seeds and black oil sunflower seeds, and Safflower seed as well—in feeders specifically designed for small birds. American Goldfinches are drawn to these seeds, and a dedicated goldfinch feeder with small holes will help keep squirrels and larger birds from eating the seeds. (Please Note: We have shared a couple of links to feeders down 👇 below the main blog content) Will American Goldfinches visit a bird bath? American Goldfinches will visit bird baths frequently for drinks of water. Additionally, on hot Summer days they will sometimes dive in and take a full bath as well! They look like little rubber duckies splashing around in their respective pool! We are huge proponents of keeping a bird bath, or even multiple bird baths clean and available for all of our feathered friends. Enhancing the Birdwatching Experience To truly enjoy the beauty of American Goldfinches all year round, investing in a quality pair of binoculars and a bird-watching guidebook is essential. Here are some helpful product links to affiliate products that will be sure to enhance your bird-watching experience: Tube-style bird feeder for finches – [Amazon link] Sock-style feeder for Goldfinches - [Amazon link] High-Quality Nikon Binoculars for Birdwatching  – [Amazon link] Nyjer Seed  – [Amazon link] Black-oil Sunflower Seed Safflower Seed - [Amazon link]

In this blog post we'll talk about how our friends, the Gray Catbirds call Marietta, Georgia their Summer home. Gray Catbirds first visited our back deck on our 3rd or 4th year of feeding wild birds in our backyard. I went out to our back deck to refill the bird bath with fresh water and I thought just for a moment that I heard a cat's very typical "meow". I turned my head left and then right, but I found no cats or kittens prowling around the yard. With bird feeders and bird houses all over the yard, it's definitely something we keep in our thoughts to be aware of, and we have shouted and chased a few out of the yard (please don't ask about how I bark like a angry dog while giving chase lol). "Okay, well I'm pretty sure I heard a Cat." I said softly to myself. Shrugging it off and turning around to go back inside, a medium-sized warm grey bird flew right in front of me and landed on a 10" terracotta plate full of mealworms. It turned its head as if to look directly at me and then it's beak opened slightly and it let out a perfect "MEOWWW". I had read about Catbirds as a kid and knew for years that they were named for their cat-like calls, but I had never witnessed one in person. As a matter of fact, I had never even seen a Gray Catbird. But now, sitting right in front of me "mewing" there was one. They may be common in Georgia but for someone that spent countless hours outdoors fishing, hiking, mountain biking and more over the years, it seemed to me like more of a rare sighting! I went in the back door of our house and called out to Lisa. "Babe, we have Catbirds!". "That's nice!" I heard back from the other room. We went back to doing whatever it was that we were doing before I went outside to refresh the bird bath water, and didn't think much more about it for a while. Just a few hours later, Lisa went out back to add some more mealworms to the feeders and was not even outside for 1 minute. She came running back inside shouting "I think there is a cat somewhere under our deck!". "NO!" I shouted back. "That's the Gray Catbird I was telling you about earlier!" Over the next few weeks we started seeing them each morning and evening. A Pair of catbirds would come down from the lower limbs of the trees that hang over our deck and snap up several mealworms or suet nuggets at a time, before retreating to the same branches to finish eating them. It wasn't long before they were there nearly every hour of the day, and we realized one afternoon there were three of them! The new, fluffy addition to the bunch was clearly a juvenile but we were both very surprised that it was nearly identical in coloration when compared with the parents, except it was a bit fluffier! I've taken a couple of Gray Catbird Videos this year which I'll add below for your viewing/listening pleasure. Here is the video of the Gray Catbird and I exchanging "mew" and "meow" sounds - we hope you'll get a good laugh at this! Here are our favorite 2 food options for attracting these wonderful birds to your yard. Both the suet nuggets and the dried mealworms can be found on Amazon with the links below: C&S Suet Nuggets (Peanut Flavored) Hatortempt Dried Mealworms (10lb Bag) Once Summer comes to an end, we start to see less and less of the Gray Catbird family. We have a neighborhood lake and we take our canoe out on the lake from time to time to fish and birdwatch. Sometimes in the thickest brush along the edge of the lake we'll hear the familiar "Mew" and "Meow" of our friends, the Gray Catbirds. By October though, they have moved further South to Florida or South Georgia and here they will stay until typically April or early May. Then, we look forward to the cycle starting over again and seeing new young Catbirds. Also, we named the first one we saw "Tigger". It seemed fitting! Thanks for reading, everyone! -BOWC (Lisa & Dan)

In this blog we explore the question: "Do Yellowjacket Traps actually work? " We feel they work very well, however we noticed that Yellowjacket Traps work best during late Spring and early Summer months. While Bees and Wasps are beneficial pollinators, yellowjackets are particularly obnoxious. They seem to be the only wasps that climb onto our hummingbird feeders regularly, they can be found in our terracotta plates full of dried mealworms, and we have even seen them drive away birds from a meal in some situations. Of course, running over a nest with a lawn mower is never fun either. But what can we do about it? How can we reduce the number of yellowjackets and also keep the majority from interfering with your backyard birding adventures? I strongly recommend yellowjacket traps for this! If anyone asks you the question "Do Yellowjacket Traps actually work?" You'll be able to tell them with certainty - They really do work . In fact, this year so far I have likely dumped out well over a hundred yellowjackets from our single trap. Here’s how it works: There is a small cotton ball or cotton pad that you pour special, concentrated nectar onto. This cotton ball/pad is inserted inside the plastic trap, which is essentially a funnel with holes at the bottom which are the exact size of a yellowjacket. Smaller pollinators like bees or even larger wasps will not fit or are small enough that they won’t get stuck and can climb back out. The 3 pieces of the trap snap together and can be quickly hung from a hook, cable, or low-hanging tree limb. You’ll want to position this someplace fa bit further from your house and feeders. I’d recommend 30-50ft or further from your porch/deck or feeders if you have the space. You don't want to be attracting Yellowjackets any closer to your door! Here is the direct link to the product on Amazon: Yellow Jacket Traps (2-pack ) If you intend to empty out the trap of all the dead yellow jackets, do so at dusk, as they are typically less active at this point in the day and you are then also far less likely to encounter any live ones. The nectar slowly loses its effectiveness and typically you will want to replace the cotton ball, or at least refresh the nectar once each month or month and a half. The Rescue! brand Yellow Jacket traps allow the insects to crawl inside from the bottom of the trap, but they find it impossible to leave. The hole sizes have been engineered to allow Yellow Jackets specifically, but larger and smaller wasps either won’t fit, or won’t get stuck! In fact, we have tested this and only have found dead yellow-jackets inside of our trap, now in the second year of usage! This trap has been busy for about a month. (May-June) It is time to take it down, ideally at dusk before the Yellow Jackets are too active, clean it out and refill the attractant concentrated nectar. This is our 3rd or 4th trap full of them this year! Once again, here is a link to the yellowjacket trap we use, and it has been working even better than we expected! D irect Product Link: Rescue! Brand – Yellow Jacket Traps 2-pack The package indicates that this trap is ideally placed in early Spring to eliminate future Queens and prevent them from building new nests. We didn’t catch any queens this time around, but we are hopeful for next Spring. Also, the activity was slow at first. Maybe only 3-5 yellowjackets per week were trapped for April-May. But once the weather became warm, and eventually just hot, there were fewer food sources available and the trap quickly began to fill with these pesky wasps! Does Rescue! make any other traps for garden pests? You bet! They have an entire arsenal to help get rid of various Wasps, Gnats, Fruit Flies, House Flies, Japanese Beetles, Ants, Moths, Carpenter bees and more! Check out their Amazon store here: Rescue! Amazon Store link . Have you tried another brand or style of trap from Rescue! or another company? We’d love to hear about your experience! Please leave us a comment below!

What are some Bird-Safe Cleaners for cleaning birdfeeders, birdhouses, birdbaths and more! Questions come up frequently from our neighbors that feed birds, about the cleaners we use to keep them safe and healthy. Here we will give you several examples for each category of cleaners. We did the research so you don’t have to! This is not intended to be a complete list of all of the cleaners out there, however many of these you’ll already have in your pantry. And for the few that you may not have, we’ve included links to purchase them from Amazon so you can get them delivered directly to your door! Bird-safe cleaners for cleaning bird feeders Vinegar solution: A mixture of one part white vinegar and nine parts water is a safe and natural way to clean bird feeders, as vinegar is a natural disinfectant that won’t harm birds. Here is a great value on White Vinegar on Amazon: Happy Belly White Vinegar. Mild dish soap: A mild dish soap like Dawn or Ivory is a good option for cleaning bird feeders. However, it’s essential to rinse the feeder thoroughly after cleaning to remove any soap residue. We prefer Dawn after seeing the images in the news years ago from oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico and in Alaska, where Dawn was used to clean the oil off of birds and other animals. In fact, they now also have a “ Free and Clear ” product which would be perfect for cleaning different bird feeders, bird baths and bird houses! Hydrogen peroxide: A solution of three percent hydrogen peroxide and water is also effective at cleaning bird feeders. Be sure to mix it in the correct ratio (one part peroxide to nine parts water) to ensure it is safe for birds. Here is a link to a 1-gallon size jug of Hydrogen Peroxide for cleaning. Bird-safe commercial cleaners: Some manufacturers offer bird-safe cleaners that are specifically designed for cleaning bird feeders. These products can be a good option if you prefer a pre-made solution. MICROBE-LIFT makes a cleaner that is Soy based just for this purpose! You can check it out here on Amazon (Direct Link to product page on Amazon.com ). Hot water: While boiling-hot water can also be used to clean bird feeders, by pouring it into the feeders and letting it sit for several minutes before scrubbing, then rinsing the feeder thoroughly. However, this method may not be effective at removing tough stains or disinfecting the feeder, so it’s best used in combination with other cleaning methods. Not to mention the dangers of carrying around boiling water. Bird-safe cleaners for cleaning bird houses Vinegar solution: Mix one part white vinegar with nine parts water to create a natural and safe disinfectant for cleaning birdhouses. Hydrogen peroxide : A mixture of three percent hydrogen peroxide and water (one part peroxide to nine parts water) can also be used to clean birdhouses safely and effectively. Commercial birdhouse cleaners: There are several bird-safe commercial cleaners on the market that are specifically designed for cleaning birdhouses. One popular product is “ Birdhouse Cleaner ” by JCS Wildlife . They make a lot of products from feeders and houses to cleaners and even some clothing! Unscented soap: Use a mild, unscented soap such as Castile soap to clean the birdhouse. After cleaning, rinse the house thoroughly to remove any soap residue that may be harmful to birds. Bird-safe cleaners for cleaning bird baths Vinegar solution: A mixture of one part white vinegar and nine parts water is a safe and effective cleaner for bird baths. It is a natural disinfectant that won’t harm birds. Hydrogen peroxide : A solution of three percent hydrogen peroxide and water (one part peroxide to nine parts water) is also a safe and effective cleaner for bird baths. Bird-safe commercial cleaners: Some manufacturers offer bird-safe cleaners specifically designed for cleaning bird baths, such as “ Bird Bath & Statuary Cleaner ” by JC's Wildlife products. Unscented soap: A mild, unscented soap such as Castile soap can also be used to clean bird baths. Be sure to rinse the bath thoroughly after cleaning to remove any soap residue. Bleach: If used carefully , bleach can also be used to clean bird baths. A solution of one part bleach to nine parts water can be effective at removing tough stains and disinfecting the bath. However, it’s essential to rinse the bath thoroughly after cleaning to remove any bleach residue, as even small amounts of bleach can be harmful to birds. For this reason we typically avoid Bleach. Do you have a favorite cleaner for Bird Feeders, Bird Baths or Bird Houses that isn't listed here? We'd love to hear about it! Please leave a comment and we'll be sure to check it out!

In this blog, Birds of West Cobb visits the Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch - Read more to find out how Alpaca fur can be beneficial to nesting birds! Back in late Spring, Lisa and friends heard about a nearby Alpaca farm . They host several activities including yoga with the Alpacas, craft nights and more. We had no idea that there was a place like this so close to us. Okay, okay, but what does this have to do with birds? Well, Alpacas are typically raised and bred for their fur. Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch provides visitors with some of these ultra soft fur trimmings for crafts. Participants can sit in front of the Alpaca barn (which is a nice tidy area covered by a small roof and ventilated well with multiple fans) and your group can stuff various colors of Alpaca fur into dried woven balls made of vines or twigs. During nesting season, all sorts of birds will look for soft materials to use for nesting material. When you are finished stuffing the fur into the hangable vine spheres, Tina (the hostess) will happily provide you with some additional “to go” fur so you can refill your sphere once birds take the initial stuffing out and use it for nesting. UPDATE 11/22/2023 : We also cleaned out all of our bird houses for the Winter in mid-November, and put a bit of Alpaca fur in these bird houses in case they are to be used as roosting boxes when the temperatures drop. Lisa’s initial visit with friends was unfortunately canceled due to rain. The owner was super easy to talk to and happy to reschedule for free. The second time the group of friends made it to the Alpaca farm, a huge storm rolled in and the visit was cut short. So June became July and then finally a full visit was possible for several of us on September 22nd. The weather was absolutely amazing. Behind the Alpaca farm area is a large meadow with several garden beds and many species of wildflowers which attracted a ton of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. We were able to snap a few photos of these hummers on the fence while we were visiting the Alpacas. If you’re in the Marietta Georgia area and you would LOVE to meet the Alpaca family and the gracious hosts Dave and Tina, you can check out the Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch here: https://lostmountainalpacaranch.com/ They are also on Instagram and TikTok if you use either of these social media platforms! Here are some additional photos of the property, Alpacas, and a few birds (of course) we captured while visiting the Ranch: Also, here is a quick video of an Alpaca munching on sassafras at the Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch! Thanks for reading this blog post "Birds of West Cobb visits the Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch" and checking out our photos and videos above! Have you ever seen Alpacas? What did you think? We'd love to hear your story!

So what is the best birdseed for Southern Backyard Birds? Is it Sunflower seed, Safflower seed, Suet or Mealworms? This actually depends heavily on what types of birds you intend to attract! When we started feeding the birds from our backyard, there were quite a few uncertainties, and quite a bit of discussion took place about what we wanted to attract (as well as what we didn’t!). Over the past 8+ years, we have experimented, learned, and refined the menu to near-perfection. These are our TOP 4 picks which we hope will save you time, and also make the time you have more enjoyable! Pick 1. SAFFLOWER SEED Safflower is our number 1 choice overall and one of the best birdseed options to use for Southern Backyard Birds . This delicious white seed (for the birds, silly) is a bit smaller than sunflower seed, but it attracts a pretty large variety of birds. Also, the flavor of the seed does not usually attract squirrels or chipmunks (at least at first, later in the Summer when it gets hot we’ve seen them eat Safflower seeds and even dried mealworms !). Where can you find Safflower seed? While we do support our local shops, they don’t always have it in stock. However, if you’re in West Cobb area here are a few options. I’ve put them in order of “most likely to be in stock”. Our favorite store to visit is Wild Birds Unlimited which is located in East Cobb. The folks there are friendly, filled with knowledge and want to help you enjoy birding more than just selling you a product (and it really shows!). Birdwatcher Supply Co. see locations here Wild Birds Unlimited ( our favorite! ) o ne location in Marietta Pike Nursery West Cobb Home Depot West Cobb Tractor Supply Co located on Cobb Parkway in Acworth Due West Pharmacy one location in West Cobb Sometimes you just want to buy online. That’s fine! Here is a link to our favorite brand on Amazon. They process / package the seeds right here in Kennesaw Georgia! Cole’s 5lb Bag of Safflower Seed . What birds can you expect to see feeding on this seed? We have seen: Mourning Doves, House Finches, purple finches, Northern Cardinals, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, rose-breasted grosbeaks, red-bellied woodpeckers, tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees, and more! Large birds like Blue Jays that can be pests don’t seem to like it and this means more of our friendly, colorful songbirds will hang around! Pick 2. DRIED MEALWORMS Our 2nd pick isn't a birdseed at all, but ranks very highly for the sheer amount of birds it attracts so we couldn't skip mentioning it in this article " Best birdseed for southern backyard birds " Dried mealworms are definitely in our top-two spots here @birdsofwestcobb . Without these treats, we likely never would have had our Eastern Bluebirds start to visit and later move into several bird houses in our property. What birds can you expect to see feeding on dried mealworms? In addition to the Eastern Bluebirds, you will likely also see these species; Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Grey Catbird, multiple species of warblers, Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, Rufous-sided towhees, Northern Mockingbirds, and even more still! Where can you find Dried Mealworms? What’s a fair price? Dried Mealworms seem to be a tough one to find locally for a good price. Currently we are ordering dried mealworms from Amazon because it is substantially more at Pike Nursery for a 10 lb bag, even though the store is only a mile away. Home Depot doesn’t seem to stock them in West Cobb. However, I’ve found 1 lb bags or 12 oz bags (expensive though!) at the Brookstone Ace Hardware, and Kroger in the pet food aisle. We spend about 59.00 currently for a 10 pound bag – and this lasts us several weeks even with several plates and a feeder with mealworms! What do we recommend? Here is the link to the 10lb bag of dried mealworms on Amazon. If this seems like too much (either in weight or in cost), don’t worry they have smaller bags available also! Pick 3. C&S SUET NUGGETS (also referred to as ‘Scoob Balls’ around here), the CS Suet Nuggets (Peanut flavor) are a staple. We usually pick them up at the local Home Depot, because if you buy 6 bags you save some additional money but you can also find them at other major retailers nearby. Don’t have a Home Depot nearby? Well don’t worry! We’ve got a link here for you to order them also! C&S Suet Nuggets on Amazon. C&S makes some great quality bird foods and you will be impressed by the activity you see on your feeders when using high-quality seeds and suet, versus 10 year old stale bird food mixes from other big box stores. Currently the link above shows the nuggets 23% off! Normally 24.99, these are currently going for only 19.29! What birds can you expect to see feeding on suet nuggets? Very similarly to the dried mealworms because of their high fat and protein content, you will also see these energetic species; hermit thrush, brown thrasher, grey catbird, multiple species of warblers, Carolina wrens, tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees, rufous-sided towhees, northern mockingbirds, and even more still! Pick 4. C&S SUET CAKES Suet Cakes are typically hung in in a special feeder, the cakes drop-in from the top and don’t take a lot of extra effort to maintain. What birds can you expect to see feeding on these suet cakes? Woodpeckers usually find these first but often are followed soon after by many species including White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Pine Warblers, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Grey Catbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, and Northern Mockingbirds and more. The biggest difference we’ve found though, is by switching up the flavor and the brand of the suet cakes! We usually buy these in bulk packs – If we haven’t stocked up any and have just run out, we’ll typically make a trip to Wild Birds Unlimited in East Cobb, or grab some from West Cobb Pike Nursery. However, in the event that you are in no rush and can wait a day or two for your Amazon deliveries to sustain your feathered friends, here is a link to some top-notch suet cakes on Amazon also. What is your personal backyard bird food favorite? Comments are welcomed below!

Driving down the road and you may have thought you were hallucinating! Was that a turkey? Do Wild Turkeys live in Marietta, Georgia? Read below to find out the answer to these questions and more! So you may be wondering if you can find wild turkeys in Marietta, Georgia. You certainly can. There are a lot of them! A few days ago, I woke up and started to get ready for work. For whatever reason, I looked out of the front window and saw a funny-looking bird at the edge of our yard. It was a bit fluffy, and at a glance had colors similar to a duckling. Considering that this was likely 70-80 feet from the window I am not surprised that I was wrong - it was not a duckling, but instead was a very young turkey. There were more than just the one as it turns out…we counted 10! We jokingly call them “turklettes”. We first counted 8 little turkeys, and then later we saw 10. Apparently 2 are very, very close to each other and often take naps, one will tuck it’s chin under the other and they will pass out. It has been very hot lately here (last week around 97F with a heat index of 106F for most of the week) and so the birds are out foraging for food. We had a turkey visit our feeder last summer and he walked the majority of the yard before leaving. We have a feeling this is the “daddy” turkey and now he brought back the female and the children as well. What would you do if you woke up and found a DOZEN turkeys in your backyard? After walking around the front yard, this family did move to the back. They somehow got over the fence which surprised me considering the majority of it is 6′ privacy fence. As it turns out, the young turklettes can actually fly a little bit and a 6′ fence is but a mere obstacle for them. They do need a little bit of launching space before the fence to make it all the way over. For the most part, the turkey youngsters will stay between their parents, in case of predators attempting to get an easy meal. I actually went outside and tossed a few handfuls of mealworms toward the adult male, and at first he was a little alarmed and moved away, herding the children away too. Then I threw some mealworms out into the grass and he ran back over immediately and started scooping them up. Several of the babies followed him and were able to get some much-needed protein too. Update: They’ve been coming now for 6 days in a row, at least twice a day. All 10 babies are still with them looking healthy and we have even seen a hawk get a little too close for comfort! That was exciting to watch! A Red-tailed hawk came swooping in, just over our back privacy fence and very close to the ground. The parents saw this and both fanned out their wings to a full-width and RAN straight at the hawk very quickly! The hawk did a U-turn in mid-air and quietly went back over the fence where it came from. Amazingly, the baby turkeys all knew there was something wrong also, and they all piled together into one large heap, and tucked in all of their necks and feet. They looked like a medium-sized boulder! They stayed this way until Mom and Dad came back and let them know things were “all clear”. Then they started to forage again in the yard! If you’d like to read more about the breeding habits, mating calls or the seasonal ranges for the Eastern Wild Turkey, check out this page on the Audubon Guide to North American Birds website .