Backyard Birding Tips

Scorching summer days are tough on birds. Here's how you can help them stay cool and safe this summer! 💧 Provide water: Use a shallow container. The more natural its appearance the more appealing it will be for birds. 🌿 Offer shade: Place water in a shady spot, near shrubs or trees. Nearby cover gives birds a safe escape from predators. 🧼 Keep it clean & fresh: Dirty water can be harmful—refresh it daily if possible! 📷 Image credits via Dreamstime.com 1: ID 123525497 © Davidgn 2: ID 5604918 © Naturesdisplay 3: ID 915296 © Lincolnrogers Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening #NatureCentered #ZEISS #ZEISSNature #birdwatching #BirdCareTips #BackyardBirding #SummerWildlife #NatureLovers

Did you know feathers are more than 90% protein?🪶🪶 🪶🤯 So growing new feathers—which a lot of adult songbirds are doing right now—demands a lot of protein, as well as fats. Most adult songbirds molt (change feathers) once a year, usually after nesting season. Worn feathers drop away and fresh ones emerge. You can make a difference by keeping your feeders full of high-fat, high-protein foods, such as our No-Mess Blends, peanuts, sunflower chips, mealworms, finch blends, and no-melt suets. These essential building blocks will help your birds maintain their health (and good looks!) throughout the molt. Keep your eyes peeled for these American Goldfinches in the coming months, as some come to overwinter in the Rio Grande Valley. 🎤🗓️ And don't miss the great FREE TALK THIS SATURDAY the 23rd with well-known local native plant expert Anita Westervelt! She'll teach us about the 12 native plants sure to bring HUMMINGBIRDS to your yard! 🌺 Be sure to stay after for our popular NATIVE PLANT SALE! 🛒🌻🌿 Details: https://www.facebook.com/wbumcallen/events https://mcallen.wbu.com/events Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 Featured Bird: American Goldfinches WBU Food: Finch Blend Feeder: Quick-Clean™ Medium Finch Feeder (Yellow) #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening

ZEISS

#Birdwatching starts with awareness. Study up before you arrive, respect their habitats by observing from a distance, and leave no trace. Let’s protect what we love to watch. Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening #NatureCentered #ZEISS #ZEISSNature #ZEISSSFL50 #50mmbinoculars #BrightOptics

Happy International Owl Awareness Day!🦉❤️ Did you know that many different kinds of owls can be seen here in the Rio Grande Valley? We're lucky to have the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Eastern Screech-Owl year-round. Less common are the Burrowing Owls, Barn Owls, and Great Horned Owls. But even more owls have been recorded, including the Mottled Owl, Long-eared Owl., Stygian Owl, and Short-eared Owl! If you have a favorite owl or an interesting owl sighting, please share whooooooo you saw in the comments!👇 And check out the myths and FAQs from Houston's International Owl Center https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/mythsandfaq.html 🎤 🗓️ Finally, please plan to join us THIS SATURDAY for a fascinating FREE TALK on how drones are being used for conservation efforts in forestry, environmental sciences, and agroecology here in the RGV! Details on our Events page: https://mcallen.wbu.com/events Featured Birds: Barred Owl,* Eastern Screech Owl, & Burrowing Owl Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 *Featured Birds may include species from across the USA, not just those seen in Texas' Rio Grande Valley. #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening

Meet Our August Bird of the Month, the Mexican Violetear! Though a rare visitor, this is just one of several hummingbirds that make appearances here in the Rio Grande Valley. Have you been lucky enough to spot a violetear? Fun Facts 🔵 A largish hummingbird common in Mexico and Nicaragua, they usually prefer high-altitude pine and oak forests. 🔵 Named for its blue-violet ear patch, which can fluff up when the bird is agitated. Also has a blue-violet patch on its chest. 🔵 Was once known as the Green Violetear, along with what's now considered a separate species, the Lesser Violetear (which doesn't have the blue-violet patch on its chest). 🔵 Learn more on the Audubon site: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/mexican-violetear HOW TO ATTRACT 🔵 Plant natives that produce tubular flowers, especially red or orange ones. Examples include Salvia, Drummond’s Turk’s Cap, Tropical Sage, and Texas Lantana. Local nurseries that specialize in natives can help, like Rancho Lomitas Nursery. @toni_trevino/ 🔵 Hang a red or red-accented hummingbird feeder. Be sure it's safe from cats! 🔵 Use a high-quality nectar like ours, or if you have time, make your own. See our Bird of the Month page for the recipe: https://mcallen.wbu.com/bird-of-the-month (clickable link in our bio's link tree) 🔵 Replace the nectar in your feeders every couple of days to prevent bacteria and mold. Or try our Feeder Fresh™ Nectar Defender™, which contains a bird-safe mineral micronutrient that stops spoilage and helps nectar last for weeks. 🗓️ Don't miss our Aug. 23rd FREE TALK "Bring On the Hummingbirds Using Native Plants," followed by a NATIVE PLANT SALE! Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening

Many of our native Rio Grande Plants produce fruits, seeds, and/or nectar that birds use for food. For example, our chachalacas and doves are fans of this plant: Rivina humilis, commonly known as Coralito, Bloodberry, or Pigeonberry. The leaves are important for butterfly larvae and javelinas, too! See our website for local nurseries that specialize in plants, shrubs, and trees that are native to the Rio Grande Valley: https://mcallen.wbu.com/local-birding-and-nature-resources 🎤 🗓️ And don't miss our upcoming PLANT SALE and FREE TALK on Saturday, August 23rd: "Bring On the Hummingbirds Using Native Plants." 🌼 🌺 🌸 Local native plant expert Anita Westervelt will be telling us about the 12 locally available plants sure to bring hummingbirds to your garden! 🤩 Details at https://mcallen.wbu.com/events Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening

Did you catch our colleagues from WBU Dripping Springs, Texas, (@wbuofdrippingspringstx) on the most recent #NatureCentered Podcast🎙️? They're talking all things goldfinch,💛 and how these sunny little birds can look (and act!) a bit different depending on where you live. We don't typically see these cuties in the Rio Grande Valley over the summer, but some American Goldfinches do visit in Fall, Winter, and Spring. And their charming cousins the Lesser Goldfinch are resident here year-round! 🎧 Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or on our website: https://mcallen.wbu.com/nature-centered-onewbu Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening #NatureCentered

THERE'S STILL TIME! Through July 31, the National Wildlife Federation is offering Wild Birds Unlimited customers 20% OFF Habitat Certification with promo code WBU20! 🎉🌍 How cool would it be to officially GET YOUR YARD RECOGNIZED AS A CERTIFIED WILDLIFE HABITAT®️?! 🤩 Take their SHORT QUIZ📝 to see how eligible YOUR yard is: https://www.riddle.com/view/5yCRCAGe Learn more about creating a Certified Wildlife Habitat: https://www.wbu.com/certify-your-yard/ Apply for certification: https://bit.ly/3z0KG0n Wild Birds Unlimited is proud to be the Champion for the National Wildlife Federation's®️ Certified Wildlife Habitat®️ program. 🌿 This initiative helps nature lovers like you discover how a few simple additions to your yard can make a big difference! It's easier than you think! 💚✨ Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening #CertifiedWildlifeHabitat #GardeningForWildlife

Did you know today is National Disability Independence Day, commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990? If you know someone with mobility issues or other disabilities or health concerns, let them know about Birdability—a great organization that works to ensure that birding and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody. Birdability has tons of helpful info on their website, like: 🩵 A Birdability Map that lists the accessibility features of birding locations: https://gis.audubon.org/birdability/ 🩵 Advice on adaptive birding equipment: www.birdability.org/adaptive-birding-equipment Happy birding, from the RGV's friendly backyard bird feeding experts! ❤️🐦 #Birdability #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening

Did you know many of our beloved VALLEY BIRDS RELY ON INSECTS for food,🐛🐜🕷️ including our cardinals, warblers, and wrens? Reducing PESTICIDE use in your yard is one of the 7 SIMPLE ACTIONS you can take to help #savethesongbirds. That's because pesticides CAN HARM BIRDS both: ☠️ DIRECTLY through poisoning ☠️ INDIRECTLY by reducing birds' natural food supply of insects WHAT YOU CAN DO as a Rio Grande Valley bird champion: 💡 Always try the least toxic solution you can find first on pests. There's tons of helpful info online. 💡 Consider adding more native plants, trees, and shrubs to your yard. They're often more resistant to native pests. See our website's Local Resources page for some native nurseries: https://mcallen.wbu.com/local-resources These include: Rancho Lomitas Native Plant Nursery National Butterfly Center Learn about other steps you can take: https://www.wbu.com/save-the-song-birds/ Happy birding! ❤️🐦 #wbumcallen #rgvbirds #backyardbirding #mcallentexas #riograndevalley #Riograndevalleytexas #birding #birds #shoplocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #nativeplants #gardening