Innehållsförteckning för April/May 2024 från Birds & Blooms

Every spring, I look forward to the arrival of what I like to call The Big Three—Baltimore orioles, indigo buntings and rose-breasted grosbeaks. It is such a treat to see these distinctly colored birds at my feeders. The grosbeaks tend to arrive first, followed by the orioles. Indigo buntings are more sporadic, and when they do show up, it’s usually only for a few days. The absolute best year, though, was when we had Baltimore and orchard orioles feasting on our oranges—males and females of both species. Talk about a treat. Eight oriole species are sprinkled around the United States in the summertime. Read “Meet the Orioles” on page 26 to find out which one is most likely to visit your backyard, and learn expert-approved tricks for how to attract…

HELPING OUT Some western bluebird parents get extra parenting support. These assistants, which help feed and protect the new hatchlings, are usually offspring from a previous brood. HOMEY HOLES Though western bluebirds are cavity nesters, they don’t make the holes for themselves. Instead, they use woodpecker holes and other existing hollows, often in dead trees. SUBTLE ELEGANCE Female western bluebirds lack the bold coloring of males, but look for their blue-tinted wings and tails, and faint orange shading on the breast.…

ALL THE RAGE Apricot flowers with a light fragrance JULIA CHILD Brilliant yellow blooms with a light fragrance CINCO DE MAYO A cascade of blooms with a slight apple fragrance—loves a bigger container OSO EASY PETIT PINK A tough, salt-tolerant beauty PETITE KNOCK OUT The perfect small bright red rose for a small container AT LAST A sunset-orange bloom with a sweet perfume fragrance CHAMPAGNE DREAM A 4-foot-tall patio tree rose with apricot blooms and fruity fragrance ANGEL FACE A true lavender rose with a strong, sweet citrus fragrance—grow it in a large container SUMMER SURPRISE A tree rose standing about 4 to 6 feet tall with 5-inch yellow flowers with orange tips…

TOOLS 1⅛" Forstner or spade bit 1/16" drill bit Drill Hot glue gun or double-sided adhesive tape Measuring tape Small hammer Small propane tank with plumbers torch MATERIALS 1" screws 10' of ½" x ¾" trim or molding 11' of ¼" x ¾" trim or molding 150-grit sandpaper 1 x 8 x 2' cedar board ¾" copper nails Aluminum foil Chain or rope Exterior grade sealer Exterior wood glue Paint CUTTING LIST Step 1: Create a template like the one on the next page. Then transfer it onto wood face pieces (A) by tracing over carbon paper, or simply cutting out the template and outlining it with a marker. Pro tip: Templates don’t have to be complicated; there’s no need for a fancy computer illustration application. You’ll be amazed how…

Lisa Swanson of Richland Center, Wisconsin, spotted this content chipmunk in her backyard. She offered a possible caption: “Take time to smell the peanut.” SHARE YOUR CAPTION Your funny caption for this cute chipmunk scene could appear in the next issue. Share your clever idea at birdsandblooms.com/caption. LAST ISSUE’S WINNING CAPTION “Mmm, I love that new cologne, dear!” MOURNING DOVES: KATHERINE MYER SHARE YOUR BEST FUNNY NATURE PHOTOS! Follow the Submission Guidelines on page 56.…

PLANT BENEFITS The beautiful blooms make up for one of its unfortunate common names: masterwort. Consider cutting the flowers to use in an indoor bouquet. Rosea Astrantia Astrantia major, Zones 4 to 9 Charming pink flowers in the shape of pincushions will brighten up cottage or woodland gardens. For best results, grow Rosea astrantia in well-draining soil. It does tolerate many soil types, including acidic, clay and sandy. Or try growing this bee magnet in a pot. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun to part shade. Size: 18 to 20 inches tall and 12 to 15 inches wide. Grown for: Attractive flowers. Bloom time: Late spring to early summer. Foliage: Lush and green. More to try: Star of Billion offers ivory blooms, and Star of Fire has small pink-red flowers.…

1 Double Scoop Watermelon Deluxe coneflower ECHINACEA X HYBRIDA, ZONES 4 TO 9 With hot pink double blossoms exploding in late spring through late summer, this sun-loving coneflower makes a bold statement with lush layers of petals. It is compact, grows up to 2 feet high and 20 inches wide and prefers well-draining soil. Why we love it: This award-winning upright variety is deer resistant and has long-lasting flowers. 2 Kalama Blood Orange tecoma TECOMA STANS, ZONES 8 TO 11, ANNUAL ELSEWHERE Trumpet-shaped orange petals and a dark orange center ring add a warm, tropical vibe to sunny spots in the garden. Fertilize it every two weeks, and it will bloom from June until first frost. Watch it grow up to 2 feet high and 18 inches wide. Why we love…

Scarlet tanager RANGE Widespread in eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in summer. APPEARANCE Adult males are red with solid black wings and tails. They’re red in spring and summer, molting to olive tones after breeding season. SOUNDS Hoarse, whistled song with phrases in a rapid pattern. Sometimes described as an American robin with a sore throat. Call is chik-burr. DIET Insects mostly, but also wild fruits and berries. Summer tanager RANGE Found in southeast U.S. and all through the South into California in summer. APPEARANCE Adult males are solid red all over, and they keep that coloring year-round. They’re the only all-red birds that are widespread in North America. SOUNDS Song is low, lazy and robinlike. Call note is a snappy pick-i-tuck. DIET Insects mostly, but especially known to eat…

Q What can I do to stop a bird from singing loudly at night? Susan Miller MILWAUKEE, WI Kenn and Kimberly: This is a challenge because the birds known for singing loudly at night in North America are all native species that are protected by law. A northern mockingbird may sing right through the middle of the night. American robins sometimes begin their dawn chorus extremely early, before the first hint of light on the eastern horizon. There are few legal or ethical options for making them stop. In general the best response is to shut your windows, or turn on a fan or other white noise to muffle the sound. These nighttime serenades last for only a few weeks at most, during the peak of the breeding season, and…

Find the Hummingbird In each issue, we hide a hummingbird like the one above left. Enter to win at birdsandblooms.com/contests if you find it. Winners get a one-year subscription to Birds & Blooms. In the February/March issue, we hid it on page 10. HIDDEN OBJECT GUIDELINES No purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions, or of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). Sweepstakes begins on March 20, 2024, and ends on May 21, 2024. Visit birdsandblooms.com/contestsfor official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC. Contact Us! CUSTOMER CARE For subscriptions, renewals, gifts, payments, account info and inquiries: Email: customercare@birdsandblooms.com Visit: birdsandblooms.com/customercare Write: BIRDS &…

Nothing brightens a backyard quite like a western bluebird. “The blue feathers of a western bluebird sparkle,” says Joyce Volmut, coordinator for Olympic Peninsula Audubon’s western bluebird survey. “They have a real personality. They are comfortable around people, and their color is absolutely fantastic.” Look Closely The western bluebird is one of three bluebird species found in North America. True to the name, western bluebirds are West Coast birds that also appear in regions across the West and down south into Mexico. Male mountain bluebirds are predominantly blue, but male eastern and western bluebirds are more difficult to tell apart because they both have blue and orange plumage. It’s a western if it has a blue belly, throat and face. Nest Specifics These small, vibrantly colored members of the thrush…

With the range of colors, shapes and sizes of roses available, it’s possible to have blooms from May through the fall frost. Here are tips and tricks for planting and growing roses in pots. Pick the Right Pot Laura LeBoutillier of Garden Answer, a popular YouTube channel, says rose tags state the average height and width. For miniature and petite roses, the minimum container size is 12 inches in diameter to allow for enough room for root growth. Insulation from heat and cold is another factor for the 12-inch pot recommendation. The rule of thumb for larger roses is a minimum container size of 18 inches. The larger the pot, the more space the rose has to grow a strong root system. Tall, narrow containers are not ideal because they…

Last spring, we had a phenomenal migration in East Texas and saw more species in larger numbers than in past years—such as this striking adult male Baltimore oriole. Bryan Barrow RUSK, TX I was thrilled to see a pair of great crested flycatchers in my yard almost every day last spring. They are such beautiful birds and easy to spot and photograph as they sit so stately, often on open branches, as this one did for me. Kimberly Miskiewicz COATS, NC WELCOME HOME Great cresteds are the only eastern flycatcher to nest in cavities. Invite them to your yard by providing nest boxes. I was going for a short walk down a quiet dirt road when a curious cardinal came out of the bushes to investigate. Fortunately, I had my…

Bloomerang Dark Purple produces diminutive dark purple flowers with a wonderful scent and reblooms from midsummer until frost. With its pale pink flowers, the award-winning Palibin is dense and grows up to 5 feet tall, making it an ideal choice for a hedge. Wedgewood Blue grows 4 to 6 feet tall and produces beautiful flowers with a true blue interior and lavender around the edges of the petals. Best of all, it has an excellent fragrance. Tinkerbelle is a later-blooming selection with bright, single pink blooms that last up to four weeks. The upright shrub reaches up to 6 feet tall and can be trained into a small tree form. The smallest dwarf cultivar, Baby Kim has a mature size of just 2 to 3 feet tall and produces small,…

Perhaps no bird native to North America is more maligned than the brown-headed cowbird. This smallish blackbird lays its eggs in the nests of host species, letting unsuspecting parents raise its young—a breeding strategy known as brood parasitism. Nest Invaders The brown-headed cowbird is the most common brood parasite in North America. Both shiny and bronzed cowbirds, native to the American tropics and extending into some southern states, are also brood parasites. Female brown-headed cowbirds parasitize more than 200 bird species, including the widespread northern cardinal; grassland birds such as meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows and dickcissels; and the endangered Kirtland’s warbler. As a native species, cowbirds are protected under federal law, so it’s illegal for humans to remove their eggs from a nest. A cowbird looks for a nest containing freshly…

1,000,000 Pigeons or rock doves are common New York City sights. Unofficial estimates of the pigeon population start around 1 million! 1986 Eurasian collared-doves reached Florida by 1986, after escaping a Bahamas pet shop during a burglary in the mid-1970s. 17 Stevie Nicks’s famous song “Edge of Seventeen” opens with a white-winged dove. She says she was inspired after learning about the bird while traveling. 10 Although visually similar, Eurasian collared-doves are heftier than mourning doves and have greater wingspans—a difference of about 10 centimeters. 30 White-winged doves build their nests in cholla and saguaro cactuses, up to 30 feet high. 11 Doves and pigeons both belong to the Columbidae family. At least 11 types of doves and pigeons call the U.S. home, with pigeons being larger in size. 6 A pair of mourning doves may…