The RSPB’s Feed the Birds Day

Most of us take for granted the cheerful song of the many wild birds that frequent our gardens and fill the air with joy. Their presence is merely accepted as part of a daily routine. But when the afternoons become quiet and garden starts to loose its color, we wonder where our feathered friends have gone, and why. One organization that has chosen to address the issues of wild birds is the RSPB in the United Kingdom. They launched a project called Feed the Birds Day, to bring attention to the needs and difficulties that birds often face.

Wild Bird Rehabilitation, Inc – Caring for Wild Birds

Wild Bird Rehabilitation, Inc. (“WBR”) is one of four similar institutions situated in the St. Louis municipal area that was created to care for wild birds. WRB was established in 1992 as a private rehabilitation center and began taking in sick and injured wild birds in the middle of 1993. The Center’s main purpose is to care for wild birds in need of help or that have been orphaned, and then to release them back into their natural habitats when they are ready.

Gardening Techniques to Attract Wild Birds

Do you enjoy observing the antics of wild birds as they chatter away to each other? Is a bird song in the morning like music to your ears? If the answer is yes, maybe you should consider creating or improving your garden to will attract ore varieties of bird species to your home.

A Bird’s Life

How long can birds live in the wild? Anyone who has found a dead bird may wonder about their lifespan. Scientists have as well. For decades, they have been marking birds with numbered metal bands (also known as rings). If that bird is ever recovered, years later, the mystery of a bird’s lifespan can be answered.

Windows: A Fatal Attraction for Birds

Has a wild bird ever hit your window? Did you wonder if it survived? Well, these window-strikes are very common because birds simply do not see the glass. In certain light-conditions, the windows reflect the sky, or nearby plants. Some windows allow them to see through the house to the yard on the other side.

Birds and Outdoor Cats

No bird-enthusiast likes it when their cat kills a wild bird. But they may be unaware just how harmful cats can be on bird populations. Many bird species are reduced in number, or have even become endangered, because of outdoor cats. In fact, one study calculated that in the U.S. state of Wisconsin alone, rural cats may be killing up to 219 million songbirds each year. Another study in England followed 964 free-roaming cats for five months. The cats killed 14,000 animals, 3300 of which were wild birds.

Bird Banding

Bird banding (also called bird ringing) is an important tool for bird research and studies. Scientists put numbered metal bands around a bird’s leg, and keep track of where the birds are recaptured.

Who’s the Smartest Bird? – Birds.com

Which bird species is the most intelligent? Many researchers believe that the most intelligent birds are found in the Corvid family (ravens, crows, magpies and jays). These social birds show advanced problem-solving skills, both in the lab and in the wild.