3 Reasons to Feed the Birds in Spring!
Spring is an amazing time to invite birds to your backyard. Providing high-quality foods with the right ingredients will provide a benefit to the birds and to you.
- Limited Time Beauty: Attract the beauty, color, and harmonics of migrating songbirds as they pass through your neighborhoods. Offer them a place to rest and refuel with our variety of Jim's Birdacious® Bark Butter® products, mealworms, seed blends, nectar, and more. You’ll be amazed at who may stop in your yard for a few days.
- Better Survival Rates: Parent birds with access to abundant, quality foods spend less time searching for food and more time selecting better nesting sites, constructing higher quality nests, and protecting eggs and young from predators.
- Baby’s First Steps: Abundant, quality food sources allow more baby birds to survive and thrive, allowing you to enjoy watching them grow, leave the nest, and learn to use your feeders. They will seek out foods full of protein and calcium.
We have all the calcium-enriched foods, such as Bark Butter, Bark Butter Bits, and No-Mess Plus Blend, and products you need to experience the wonder of spring bird feeding. Come see us at the store today.
April birds to watch in Central Illinois
Things are getting lively out there! April brings a flurry of arrivals as migrating birds settle in or pass through on their journey north. One of the showstoppers this month? The ruby-crowned kinglet. This tiny bird is all energy, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a flash of its bright red crown during a mid-branch flit.
Red-winged blackbirds are everywhere now, calling out from cattails and fence posts with their signature “conk-la-ree.” Brown thrashers have also returned, rustling through leaf piles like little musicians with a rhythm section. And don’t forget to look low; white-throated sparrows are hopping around the underbrush, whistling that sweet “Oh sweet Canada” tune.
April also marks the start of warbler season. Yellow-rumped warblers are often the first to show, bringing a splash of sunshine to your trees. These early migrants are here for a short time, so grab your binoculars and enjoy the show while it lasts.
Need fresh suet or seed to keep up with the action? Stop by the shop! We’ve got what your backyard birds are craving this spring.
Live Raptor Series
The Illinois Raptor Center of Decatur will present every other month starting February 22. Our February program kicks off at 9 a.m. and features a live Red-Tailed Hawk. Seating is limited, so please call or visit the store to reserve your spot. If you’re unable to attend after reserving, we kindly ask that you let us know so others can take advantage of the opportunity.
Dates and raptors for the year are:
April 26 Barn Owl
June 28 Ferruginous Hawk
August 30 Great Horned owl
October 25 Snowy Owl
Red Tailed Hawk
The Perfect Gift for Every Nature Lover
Every nature lover is different, so finding the ideal gift for them can be difficult. That's why our gift cards are the perfect gift for every occasion. They allow your friend or loved one to choose what part of nature he or she wants to enjoy. The best part: our gift cards are redeemable at every Wild Birds Unlimited location.