Emma R. 
Bendire’s life history, Forbush’s New England particulars, Wilson’s 1811 indictment-and-defense, and Eaton’s 20,000-crow winter roosts — the whole character of the crow, including the sheep-farm bounty that backfired.
Mimic, sentinel, screech-owl mobber and acorn planter — the blue jay in full, drawn from Forbush, Wilson, Bendire and Audubon.
The crow’s full account with the farmer, item by item, from the USDA’s stomach analyses — corn a third of its diet, 50 bird-eaters in 1,103 stomachs — in both the 1915 and 1926 printings.
An 1882 naturalist’s complete record of how barn swallows raise a mud nest on a bare beam — the masonry, the schedule, the measurements, and the pair that built over a blacksmith’s anvil.
The USDA’s own 1,236-stomach study of the robin — how much cultivated fruit it really takes, why cherries suffer most, and the mulberry planting trick that protects them.
What 88 dissected stomachs, two editions of a USDA farmers’ bulletin, and the Forest Service’s 1977 handbook say about the house wren’s war on other cavity nesters.
Thomas Gentry’s 1882 eyewitness record of the ruby-throat’s nest — mullein wool, spider silk, lichen shingles, and dimensions to the tenth of an inch.
The month-by-month bluebird diet from 855 dissected stomachs — which insects, which berries, and which plants will pull bluebirds onto your property.
This morning, I stepped outside and noticed a golden colored bird on my thistle feeder. It was an American Goldfinch! I quickly grabbed my binoculars to…
Discover the fascinating reason why male House Finches visit your backyard feeders sporting shades of red, orange, and yellow.
A gray catbird landed on the suet cage this chilly March morning and rattled the wire until a House Finch hopped onto the corner of a cheap tube I’d hung…
Summer heat turns standard store-bought suet into a greasy hazard for wild birds. Here is a simple, field-tested recipe for no-melt suet that holds its shape in 80-degree weather.
A female American robin skimmed the surface of my shallow basin just after sunrise this morning, and the way those droplets caught the light stopped me…
I spot a Tree Swallow skimming the yard, blue flash and a thin chirp as it checks an old nest box, and I think about how different birds choose different…
If you are putting out orange halves and jelly but still missing out on Baltimore Orioles, you might be making one simple scheduling mistake. Here is how to fix it.
You might spot a chickadee tugging soft floss from milkweed or a goldfinch gathering thistle down, and wonder how to … Read more
You don’t need to go poking through the bushes to find a bird’s nest. By observing a few subtle behavioral clues, you can easily tell if you have feathered neighbors raising a family in your yard.
If you hear their sweet song in the trees but never see them at your feeders, a single placement habit might be to blame.
I kneel on the damp grass and spot a baby bird near the garden path, its tiny body barely moving while the morning light catches the pale down on its head…
That pile of leaves in your garden bed might look messy, but it’s actually a lifeline for the birds in … Read more
Goldfinches spend most of the year wearing dull olive-brown plumage, a far cry from the brilliant yellow that gets all … Read more
Few things are more heartbreaking than finding a bluebird nest destroyed by house sparrows. If you’ve put up nest boxes … Read more
Every spring, a few adventurous hummingbirds arrive ahead of the crowd. These “scouts”—typically early males—stake out the best feeding territories … Read more
That flash of brick-red against brown grass is unmistakable. You glance out the window, and there it is—your first robin … Read more
Creating a bird-friendly yard doesn’t require expensive feeders or elaborate landscaping. One of the simplest, most effective strategies is something … Read more
Walk into any serious birder’s garage, and you’ll almost always find the same thing: bags of black oil sunflower seeds. … Read more
Store-bought suet cakes can cost $2 or more, and they often melt into a greasy mess when temperatures climb. The … Read more
If you’ve watched squirrels empty your feeder in record time while your favorite songbirds wait hungrily in the wings, you’re … Read more
If you’ve noticed a flash of red slamming against your window lately, you’re not imagining things. Cardinals are ramping up … Read more
If you’ve spent time admiring cardinals at your winter feeders, you’ve probably noticed something curious: every single one looks like … Read more
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