What did you do during the pandemic? This is a question we are likely to hear for decades to come and each of us has our own unique answer as to how we endured the seemingly endless months of social isolation. Some became experts at baking sour dough bread, others binge-watched old movies, and of course, we all learned how to hold video calls with our friends and relatives. But if you are reading this article, the odds are that your backyard birds played a big role in your life during the pandemic. Feeling overwhelmed by the events of the past few years, many of us simply retreated to the com ..read more

Inquiring minds want to know…what is your favorite style of bird feeder? A classic tube feeder? Maybe a traditional hopper feeder? Or could it be a new-fangled seed or suet cylinder feeder? All excellent choices! But if backed into a corner, many passionate bird feeding hobbyists would all share the same answer. Their choice would be the simple and timeless tray feeder. Why? Because birds love them! A tray feeder provides them with easiest access to the widest range of food types that can be used in any feeder. They find a tray to be a comfortable place to land and feed. It also makes them fe ..read more

Would you stake your life on your memory? For many of us, probably not! But if forced to, how would you deal with a situation where the ability to remember where you put some food would be the difference between life and death? Well, if you could mimic a chickadee, you would simply grow more memory cells to make sure you don’t forget! Amazing…and true…here’s how it works. Each fall, chickadees begin caching seeds by the thousands. By storing seeds, they ensure they will have something to eat during harsh weather and when natural foods become scarce in the future. In a behavior called scatter ..read more

Water is always important! So, what’s changed to make it more important than ever? Well, if the past few years are any guide, there appears to be many more circumstances occurring in nature that are making water…especially fresh, clean water…harder to come by for birds and other wildlife. Depending on the geographic location, birds have had to deal with extreme heat events, extensive wildfires and widespread areas of severe drought. Needless to say, under these life-threatening circumstances, water is more important than ever for birds. Even under normal circumstances, birds need water. Water ..read more

If you’ve been around bird feeding for any length of time, you’ve likely heard the old expression, “I don’t feed the birds in summer because they don’t need it!” Well, if they don’t “need it,” they sure do seem to love it! Maybe we should ask the birds if they want us to stop feeding them this summer. They’d probably tell us that summer is actually the most heavily bird populated season in most of North America, and contrary to the old expression, recent research shows summer to be the most abundant season for birds to visit feeders. Feeding birds in the summer actually provides numerous perk ..read more

Carmel, IN – Wild Birds Unlimited (WBU), the leading backyard bird feeding specialty retail franchise, walked away from this year’s Franchise Customer Experience Conference winning multiple innovation awards, including the top prize Best Marketing Leadership Award. In a field of world-class brands and franchise systems, this recognition is bestowed upon the franchise brand which created the most innovative and successful marketing campaign in the past year. WBU also took top honors in the categories of Best Digital Marketing Campaign, Best Limited Budget Marketing Campaign and Best Franchisee ..read more

Not all bird fathers are alike, that is for sure! Some are doting and devoted parents, while others are totally missing in action. So to help tell their stories, here is a quick look at a few of our favorite fathers in the world of birds. It’s debatable, but the Father-of-the-Year Award could go to the woodpecker dads that visit your feeders. During the daytime, dad woodpeckers often share equally in the nesting duties with their mates, but come nighttime, the fathers often solely incubate the eggs and brood the nestlings. They also bring food to the nestlings as often, or even more so, than ..read more

It’s mighty bold to single out a single bird type and declare them the best mom ever. Right? But let’s just see how strong a case can be made that hummingbirds are indeed the best bird moms ever! First and foremost, mother hummingbirds have to deal with the worst bird fathers ever. Her mate will play absolutely no role in helping her to build the nest, incubate the eggs or feed the young. He’s not only an absentee father, he can also be a bully that makes her life more difficult every time she comes to the nectar feeder. The odds are stacked against her right from the start! Typically, birds ..read more

You may be thinking, “So, what is the big deal with so-called native plants? A plant is a plant. What possible difference can it make as to the choice of plants I use to landscape my yard? How can a beautiful plant not be good for birds and other wildlife?” Great question. Simple answer…bird food! But probably not the type of bird food that first comes to mind. Many plants produce fruits and seeds that birds use for food, but native plants also attract and feed lots of native insects. Most non-native plants don’t. And insects are the essential element that many bird parents need to successful ..read more

Think Spring! What a great time of year! Longer days and warmer temperatures help to rapidly reawaken the natural world around us during this true season of renewal. Our fields and forests celebrate with splashes of amazing colors…from freshly blooming wildflowers to the return of migrant songbirds decked out in their finest breeding plumage. Yes, nesting season is just around the corner. A new generation of birds will soon be entering the world. Many of them will call your yard home. You might even say that their families will become part of your family. And you can make a significant differ ..read more