Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Strange and Fascinating Bird Facts

!: Strange and Fascinating Bird Facts

Birds are some of the most fascinating creatures on the earth and our interest and fascination in them goes back centuries. Our primary fascination with them is that, aside from insects, they are one of the few creatures that have mastery of the air and can take off and travel to wherever they please. But, various species of birds have other fascinating traits as well.

One example is the albatross. Most birds, in order to stay afloat in the air, have to constantly flap their wings. This, as you might expect, burns a great deal of energy. The albatross, however, is one of the few exceptions. It is an ocean bird and spends most of its time above the open ocean searching for food. The air above the ocean is unique in that the wind is blowing constantly. The albatross has learned to take advantage of these wind currents and ride them expertly. It can effortlessly control its direction by changing from one wind current to another. And it can do all this for hours, without a single beat of its wings - thus expending no energy. It is the ultimate wind surfer.

A second example is the hummingbird. When you ask someone to name an animal that hibernates, the first animal that comes to the mind of most people is bears. Hardly anyone will mention the hummingbird. Throughout the day, the hummingbird expends a great deal of energy in its constant search for nectar. Even while resting, its heartbeat has been measured at anywhere from 250 to 480 beats a minute. In fact, it uses so much energy during the day, that at night, in order to let its body recover and prepare for the next day, it shuts down its body almost totally. In effect, it is hibernating.

Birdwatchers have often wondered how birds are able to migrate back and forth from the same areas year after year. Based on research, it appears to be that they can sense the magnetic field of the earth. Researchers have proven this by taking a group of birds and equipping half of them with magnetic rods that interfere with the earth's magnetism. The others were equipped with non-magnetic rods. The ones with the magnetic rods got lost. The birds equipped with the non-magnetic rods found their destination as usual. In a sense, it seems that many birds that their own built-in, internal GPS system that is dependent on the earths magnetic poles.

With these facts only scratching the surface of interesting bird traits, it is no wonder that some bird watchers spend decades studying their favorite creatures.


Strange and Fascinating Bird Facts

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Saturday, November 12, 2011

How To Make Your Own Wooden Bird Feeder

!: How To Make Your Own Wooden Bird Feeder

You can make your wooden bird feeder as simple or extravagant as you desire, according to your level of expertise. Those who are more adept with the tools of woodworking, may want to try their hand at making a wooden castle bird feeder. The idea behind this is to have all the stools on each side of the castle manufactured so as to stick out for the birds to eat their food out of. Or maybe you consider yourself to be talented enough to make a tube that spirals around, having a trough for the birds to snack away at. However, if you are not so talented and have never built one before, you may want to start with a simple step-by-step design.

You could try starting with a simple wooden tray feeder, where you just glue and nail a few pieces of wood together. As you become more experienced in constructing your wooden bird feeders, you'll be able to experiment a bit more until you feel confident enough to make the bigger feeders that call for a lot more talent and patience. As a child, perhaps you may have built your very first wooden tray feeders in wood shop. On the other hand, if you weren't fortunate enough to take the class you may have built your own bird feeder at home using a soda bottle or a coffee can. I can remember, back when I was a child, taking the empty coffee can, filling it up with my dad's sunflower seeds and hanging it from a tree just to watch the birds come to the yard Endless hours of pleasure!

Check out this quick and easy way to make a simple wooden tray feeder. Please keep in mind that if you are a child you will need adult supervision.

MAKING A WOODEN TRAY BIRD FEEDER

4 pieces of wood about 2 inches wide

1 square piece of wood

Nails

Use the square piece of wood as the base for your wooden tray feeder. Now take your four pieces of wood and prop them up on all sides of the square. Hammer each strip to the base until you have a small square dish with sides. Insert a newspaper into the base, making sure to flatten it down properly so it doesn't fly out. Pour in the seeds and you are set to go. On top of a large post or table would be a great place to position your tray.

Children love building bird feeders as well. Once they spot you making one they'll naturally want to do something to help. Try giving them a pine cone, butter knife and some peanut butter and have them spread it all over the pine cone. When finished, have them sprinkle seeds all over it. They'll be happy that they got to make a bird feeder too.

Hopper feeders are little wooden bird feeders that look like houses; birds love these because they keep the wind and rain off them.

When caring for your wooden bird feeders always remember that you need to empty them of food every night, unless you can somehow cover them. Rain can ruin bird seeds and make birds extremely sick, and I'm sure that's the last thing you want.

Bird watching has always been, and always will be, a fun hobby. By building your own wooden bird feeders, you can make this a time full of memories for you and your children.

Decide what type of feeder you'll use and where in the yard it will go. Location is a key item when it comes to wooden bird feeders. If you don't have it in the right place the birds may never find it.


How To Make Your Own Wooden Bird Feeder

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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

DIY Bird Feeder - Don't Buy, Build Your Own Bird Feeder

!: DIY Bird Feeder - Don't Buy, Build Your Own Bird Feeder

There are many benefits to having a bird feeder in your back garden. One of the biggest benefits of a bird feeder is that is does the obvious; It attracts and feeds birds. When birds are attracted to your garden they will not only feed on the seed you put out for them, but they will also feed on the insects in the garden. Lets call it your own "green" insect killer.

This simple DIY Bird Feeder Guide will give you a quick 10 step plan to building your own Bird Feeder in a snap. It is easy to do, so don't panic about having 10 thumbs. Now let's get started.

What do you need for this DIY Bird Feeder Project:

1) 1 Piece of (22mm x 222mm x 300mm) Pine Wood for Base
2) Waterproof Glue
3) Brass Screws and Screwdriver
4) 2 x Pine (9mm x 44mm x 300mm) cover strips
5) 2 x Pine Uprights (+- 350mm Long)
6) 2 x Pine (12mm x 350mm x 300mm) Roof Tops
7) 1 x Pine Peak Bar (32mm x 32mm x 350mm)
7) String for hanging
8) Paint / Varnish
9) Bird Seed

10 Step DIY Part of Building the Bird Feeder

1) Select your Base piece of Pine Wood (22mm x 222mm x 300mm) and, using your waterproof glue and 2 brass screws per side, attach the cover strips (9mm x 44mm x 300mm) on each 300mm side of the Bird Feeder base.

2) Take your 2 uprights (350mm long) and cut one side of each upright into a 45 / 90 / 45 degree arrow head shape.

3) Attached each upright to 222mm side of the base, again using your waterproof glue and 2 screws per side.

4) Measure and cut the 2 roof top sections (12mm x 350mm x 300mm). The one must be trimmed down to the thickness of the wood so that the roof is even when attached. For example in this case the roof is 12mm thick: Take the one side of the roof and trim down by 12 mm. Your 1 roof piece will then be 12mm x 350mm x 300mm and the other 12mm x 338mm x 300mm. Adapt these dimensions as required, depending on the thickness of the wood.

5) Cut the peak bar (32mm x 32mm x 350mm) to fit snugly between the uprights and attached the 2 roof halves using your glue and screws. Use a minimum of 3 brass screws per roof half to ensure it is stable Bird Feeder.

6) Now attached the complete roof assembly to the uprights using the waterproof glue and brass screws and secure.

7) Apply a finish of your choice (paint / varnish etc)

8) Drill a hole through the top of your feeder, in the centre of the roof and attach your rope for hanging.

9) Hang the feeder, in a tree in, a cat free area and fill it with you favourite bird seed.

10) Sit back, relax and enjoy watching the birds flock to your garden.

I hope this quick DIY Bird Feeder guide will be very useful to you and you will have lots of fun making your bird feeder and enjoy the site of birds in your garden. I have uploaded a picture / diagram of how the feeder looks on my website - go check it out if you get stuck.


DIY Bird Feeder - Don't Buy, Build Your Own Bird Feeder

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