Wood Thrush Notes: Spring Birding, the Arrival of Grosbeaks, a New Chapter of the Tennessee Bluebird Society

Spring Birdwatching

We are in the peak of Spring Migration, and we have been taking full advantage of this at our local parks. This week, I decided to venture to someplace I often pass but rarely visit: Warner Park’s Deep Well Trail entrance. I was not disappointed! Aside from being a beautiful part of the park, with towering old trees and water bubbling out of the rocks, the birdwatching was excellent. I hadn’t yet left the parking area and already I had heard a number of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers chattering away, as well as a Wood Thrush! There were so many calls from everywhere, I decided that it was the perfect time for me to put the Merlin Bird ID app to the test.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Merlin, it is a bird sound identification app produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It is free to use, and works by using your smartphone’s microphone to listen to the bird in question before making an identification based on sound. We love the app, and it is a great tool to aid in learning bird songs and calls.

In addition to the Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Carolina Chickadees, Merlin also picked up Red-eyed Vireo, Hooded Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, and a new species for me, the Kentucky Warbler.

After a quick bit of research to know what I was looking for, I turned my attention to finding the Kentucky Warbler. I did not have to look for long; a brief flash of yellow through the undergrowth and two Kentucky warblers came streaking out. A few moments later, the victor returned to his honeysuckle patch and I was able to observe the other. A beautiful bird with an olive back and wings, fading to vibrant yellow on the breast and belly. A black cap, and black markings on the cheek going to the eye round out this striking bird.

Continuing on, I heard a great deal of commotion from the tree tops ahead on the trail. As I walked closer, I soon uncovered the source of the songbirds consternation. Two Barred owls, directly above the trail! Looking through my binoculars, I was able to see that a positively tiny by comparison Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was aggressively mobbing the Barred owl, swooping down and attacking the much larger bird. The owl finally had all it could stand and flew off into a dense cluster of vines and branches.

Barred Owl

Even in a park the size of Percy Warner, it can still be hard to get away from unwanted attention!

Photograph by Eli Haislip

I also paid a visit to one of my favorite locations, Gossett Tract in Cheatham County. This park consists of more open meadow habitat along the banks of the Harpeth River, and as a result, some of the birds I encounter here are different from the birds of the Deep Well portion of Warner Parks. For example, I saw numerous Indigo Buntings, Common Yellowthroats, and Prairie Warblers all singing. If you don’t mind the drive out there, it is well worth the visit!

Arrival of Grosbeaks

Beginning Monday of this week, it felt as though a switch was flipped, and with it the Rose-breasted Grosbeak sightings began to come in thick and fast. We’re not alone either; a brief glance at my email showed me that people throughout the state have been experiencing the sudden influx of R.B.Gs as well.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Photograph by Eli Haislip

For those of you who are not familiar with these beautiful feeder visitors, let us take a moment to fill you in. Each year these birds can be seen visiting seed feeders from early to mid April through mid May, before moving on to their northern breeding grounds. (A side note, but they are known to breed in the higher elevations of the Smokies in East Tennessee.) We see them again during Fall Migration as they make their way back to Central and South America, though they aren’t as common at feeders during this season. Fortunately for us, they are not difficult to please; safflower, black-oil sunflower, and our blends are all appealing to them. I see them most frequently on my platform feeders. Sightings continue to pour in, so keep your feeders filled and your eyes peeled!

Nashville Bluebird Club

The Tennessee Bluebird Society has a new chapter! For folks who are interested, we are pleased to announce the formation of the Nashville Bluebird Club, Nashville’s branch of the Tennessee Bluebird Society. The club’s mission is to encourage the appreciation of Eastern Bluebirds and other native cavity nesting species by creating and monitoring new and existing nesting box trails and using the data gathered to aid in conservation research. If this sounds like something you or somebody you know would be interested in, please contact Louise Merritt, one of the founding members, at louisemerritt42@yahoo.com for more details!

Male Eastern Bluebird

Photograph by Eli Haislip

Wood Thrush Notes: Courtship Feeding, Easter Gift Ideas, Lights Out Nashville

Birds Feeding One Another

In the past few weeks, you may have noticed birds feeding one another. If you were thinking that it seemed early for fledglings, you’re right! What we have been witnessing is actually a phenomenon known as courtship feeding. Birds use courtship feeding as a way to form and strengthen pair bonds, as well as to provide the female with much needed nutritional value without the expenditure of calories. This is important, as nest building and or egg formation/laying requires a great deal of energy. We most frequently observe this behavior in Cardinals, as well as House Finches, Carolina Chickadees, and Eastern Bluebirds.

Easter Gift Ideas

I’ve always enjoyed and looked forward to the fun, small gift items that come in Easter baskets. Fortunately, our store is filled with items that are perfect for Easter! For the little ones, finger puppets and our Audubon stuffed birds make great gifts. When squeezed, the latter makes the call of that species, so it is a great way for them (and you as well) to learn that specific bird’s call!

Wildflower seed packets, Birds of the Southeast playing cards, and our Shroomyz ceramic mushrooms also all make great Easter gifts! Mr. Bird’s Christmas seed wreaths and ornaments are one of our best-selling gift items year after year, but did you know that they also have a spring collection? We currently have their Wildfare Wreathes, Rustic Wren seed houses, and the Whoo-lio seed owl in stock. The seed owl and the seed wreath are both made entirely from seed, therefore there is nothing left over to store or find space for! The Rustic Wren seed house however has a wooden wren house beneath its coating of seed, and therefore after the seed is gone, you are left with a useable bird house!

Lights Out Nashville

Did you know that many neo-tropical migrants migrate at night? Species such as Indigo buntings, for example, are shown to even use stars to aid in navigation. That’s why during the migration months of March through May, and August through October we encourage folks to turn off outside lights that they aren’t in use, or to switch them to motion activated if possible. The bright lights can disorientate migrating songbirds, leading to confusion or worse, impacts. Simple acts like this go a long way towards helping birds in their long and challenging migrations!

Indigo Bunting

Photo Credit: Eli Haislip



April Sale!

Suet Feeders on Sale!

As we make our way through spring, we are regularly asked if it is too late to continue to feed suet. To this we reply, “Never!” All of us here at the shop feed suet year round, even during the heat of summer. While birds will certainly consume suet during the depths of winter, spring can be an even busier time at the suet feeders as birds that are migrating through as well as raising young will devour suet, taking advantage of its high protein and fat content.

During the busiest feeding months; late April, May, June, and into July, you can see a fresh suet cake put out in the morning reduced to mere scraps by dusk. Suet really is that popular! Not only is it valued by your backyard regulars, it is also a great way of drawing birds not commonly seen at seed feeders to your feeding stations. Case in point; John feeds 3 pound blocks of suet year round, and during the summer months routinely has Summer Tanagers visiting his suet feeder. There are many more examples of birds visiting suet that would be unlikely to eat seed. Baltimore Orioles, warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and even Western Tanagers* have all been seen feeding on suet feeders!

 Sure, all this sounds good, but how do I feed suet? A suet feeder, fortunately for us, is one of the easiest ways to feed birds and creates less mess than seed feeders. We currently have 20 different types of suet feeders in stock, ranging from a utilitarian wire single cake holder that retails for $8.50, large Squirrel Buster weight activated suet feeders, caged models that will deter Starlings and Grackles, even natural models made from Red Cedar.

If you find yourself thinking that you might need a suet feeder now, (or need another one!) we’ve got you covered! Saturday, 04/12 through Friday, 04/18 all suet feeders will be on sale for 20% off!

ATZ Bluebird Box Sale!

We are now officially in Bluebird nesting season! If you don’t yet have a box out yet, it’s not too late. There is still plenty of time remaining to attract nesting Bluebirds! Remember, the Eastern Bluebird will nest up to three times between late March and late July, with some even starting nests as late as August. With this in mind, we decided to do a sale on our favorite houses! This week, Saturday 04/12 through Friday, 04/18, take 20% off the ATZ Classic and ATZ Classic Vented Bluebird Box. These boxes are handmade in Ohio from durable kiln dried cedar, and open from the top down, which is ideal for cleaning and monitoring. That coupled with their reasonable price point of $45 and $55, respectively, is why they are our favorite boxes!






How do Birds Survive Storms, the Arrival of the Hummingbirds!

How Do Our Backyard Birds Survive Storms?

To begin this week’s blog, we hope that everybody stayed safe and dry during this past week’s severe weather! Fortunately, we all faired well with no worse than a wet basement amongst the Wood Thrush Shop team, and we hope the same is true for you. (Minus of course the wet basement!) While having my sleep interrupted for several hours during the ceaseless wailing of the tornado siren at the end of my street, I had plenty of time to wonder, what do our backyard birds do during severe weather?

Many birds are cavity nesting species, and these will naturally gravitate towards nooks and crannies, as well as disused woodpecker nests and the cavities we provide in the form of nesting boxes. Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, and our different woodpecker species will all take advantage of cavities for shelter during bad weather. I have even seen Carolina Wrens pop into our Roosting Pockets ahead of a spring storm.

Tufted Titmouse in Nesting Box

Photo Credit: Eli Haislip

What do the species of birds that do not nest in cavities do? Species such as Northern Cardinals, American Robins, Blue Jays, and others will seek cover wherever they can find it, such as in bushes and shrubs, and on tree limbs. Fortunately for them, they have a several adaptations that make it easier for them to not get blown away, even in high winds. They will often roost on a thicker branch on the opposite side of the trunk from the wind, providing them with added protection. Also, their feet naturally grip tightly when they are relaxed; this coupled with their sharp claws mean that they can sleep tight without the worry of being blown away! Sheltering in a bush during a severe storm may not sound pleasant for us, but keep in mind, birds are wild animals. They neither expect, nor need, comfort in situations like this. All they require is to survive!

Blue Jay

Photo Credit: Eli Haislip

The Hummingbirds are Back!

In other news, the hummingbirds are here again at last! April 3rd, John had his first hummingbird of the season visit his feeder at his home in Pegram. Since then, reports have begun to trickle in from customers of their first of season Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. If you live closer to the shop, while writing this I had a customer call in to report a hummingbird at her feeder on Chickering Lane. As we mentioned last week, if you would like to put a feeder out, we recommend managing your expectations. While yes, they are here, they will not be showing a lot of interest at the feeders at this point. Just put out one feeder, and only put a little nectar in it! Want to make your own nectar? It’s super simple! Fully dissolve one part sugar into four parts water (easier if boiled, but not necessary) and you’re good to go. Top tip! Store your homemade nectar in a water bottle in the refrigerator and it will keep longer that way.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Photo Credit: Eli Haislip





Wood Thrush Notes: Questions Answered: Hummingbirds, Grosbeaks, and Updates!

With spring officially here, and a flurry of pleasant days both behind and ahead of us in the forecast, the yearly spring-time questions have gone from a trickle to a daily deluge. Today, we are going to answer some of these questions, and also give you some fun updates from the store!

When are the hummingbirds arriving?

The first and most frequently asked question is by far “When are the hummingbirds getting here?” This is an easy question to answer. Each year, almost like clock-work, hummingbirds will begin to be seen by folks in our area within a few days either side of the first of April. However, just because you are out in your yard picking up sticks after our ceaseless wind and you hear that unmistakable buzzing of your first hummer of the season, don’t go hustling to get all your feeders filled and put out just yet! While yes, hummingbirds begin to be seen around the first of April, they did not fly thousands of miles for sugar water. They are here to breed and raise young. Also, early in the season, it’s entirely possible that that first hummingbird you encountered is going to continue north, maybe even as far as southern Canada!

Where are my grosbeaks?

For those of you who do want to put out a feeder, we recommend only presenting one.  There simply is not enough activity this early in the season to warrant putting out and filling multiple feeders; most of the nectar will go to waste. Remember, for those of you making your nectar at home (our recommended method) the correct ratio is four parts water to one part sugar. This most closely simulates the nectar found in flowers. Do NOT try to make it extra sweet for them, and please, again for emphasis, please, only use plain white table sugar. Never, under any circumstances, should you use brown sugar, raw sugar, or honey. We will cover all this and more soon when we have a hummingbird dedicated post!

Another common question we get during these early warm days is “When do the grosbeaks get here?” The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a long distance migrant that will winter in Central and northern South America before passing through Tennessee anywhere between mid-April and mid-May on the way to their northern breeding grounds. Fortunately, they are easy birds to attract and can become an almost common sight at our seed feeders during this time. Sunflower seed in and out of the shell, safflower, and our Woodland Blend are all popular with these seed-eaters! While the males are unmistakable with their striking black and white bodies and red throats, females can cause some confusion. If you see something that looks like an oversized House Finch, chances are that you have a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak!

Store Updates!

To round things out, we’d like to share a few updates about the store. We have expanded our fountain offerings, and now have 8 different fountains in stock ranging from small table top models, a waterfall, and a 4+ foot tall cast stone pedestal model! For those of you who enjoy house plants, or rooting plants, we now have some offerings for you! We now have Couronne’s full line of rooting vases, so now you can grow your plants in a much more visually appealing way than putting them in a disused cup or bowl. Last, but not least, we are excited to share that our door mats are finally back in stock and we are well supplied with all your spring and summer favorites! We’ve made new changes as well, including new displays and fresh paint, so if you haven’t stopped by in the last few months, there is no time like the present. We hope to see you soon, and happy spring!