On sale now: Christmas figurines and wine caddies

50% off all Christmas figurines

Christmas has come and gone, but it's never too late to plan for the next holiday season. A limited number of bird-themed Christmas figurines are on sale now at 50 percent off. 

Three styles are available: Santa Claus holding a nest of young cardinals (shown here), Father Christmas with a cardinal perching on his robe, and a delightfully perky snowman. 

They'd make an attractive addition to your mantel, buffet or table, or as a gift to someone special.

Also 50 percent off: decorative wine caddies. These tote bags for wine are made of elegant but durable fabric. Two designs are available: a Snowy Owl and a pair of cardinals on a holly branch. 

Gray Partridge

The Gray Partridge was introduced from Eurasia and can be found in flat agricultural land along the length of the United States-Canadian border. Other areas include the upper Plains states and northern New York.

Gray Partridge

The Gray Partridge is a small chicken-like bird with a short neck and tail and a green bill. It has a grayish back and chest with a dark reddish U-shaped belly patch and chestnut barring on its flanks. Females are similarly colored but duller. 

The wings are short and rounded, which is a perfect shape for explosive takeoffs when the bird is threatened. Most flying is done close to the ground with wing-flapping and wobbly gliding, producing a whirring sound. The voice is a high, hoarse "keev" and a "pitt-pitt-pitt" when alarmed.

Partridges feed on grass, seeds and shoots; during breeding season, they also eat insects. 

Nests are usually well hidden under hedges or clumps of vegetation. Partridges scrape the ground and line it with grass and leaves. After breeding, they form groups known as "coveys." The Gray Partridge hens produce some of the largest clutches of any bird species. Clutch sizes average 16 to 18 eggs and can be as large as 22 eggs! 

When chicks hatch, they are open-eyed and covered with down and are able to leave the nest and feed themselves. For about two weeks after hatching, the young feed on sawflies, beetles and aphids.

Abundant in Britain, the Gray Partridge can be found on wastelands, moors and sand dunes. Adults prefer open grass or vegetation, but tend to move their chicks into cereal crops with abundant sources of invertebrate food.

Gray Partridges tolerate cold climates, and in early winter, they may change their locale, being seen in the occasional pear tree!

Everyone needs a helping hand now and then

Lehigh Valley bird sightings for January 10

Here are the Lehigh Valley bird sightings for the week ended January 10. The list was compiled by Dave DeReamus, of the Eastern PA Birdline, which is sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society.

Canvasbacks, male (at top) and female

Jacobsburg State Park, Northampton County
Red-shouldered Hawk, Hermit Thrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Coplay, Lehigh County
(at the Sheetz Quarry)
Ross's Goose, 1 on January 4.

Haafsville, Lehigh County
Ring-necked Pheasant, 1 on January 6.

Allentown, Lehigh County
Rufous Hummingbird, 1 through January 3 in a backyard in the 900 block of North 21st Street.

Lake Muhlenberg, Lehigh County
Canvasback, 3 on January 7.
Greater Scaup, 1 on January 7.

Alburtis, Lehigh County
(Smith Lane)
Red-tailed Hawk, 1 on January 5 (dark morph bird).

Gilbertsville, Montgomery County
Bullock's Oriole, 1 through January 4 near Oberholtzer Road.

Directions to many of the sites in this week's report can be found in "Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity," a guidebook published by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society. An updated version of the book is due to be published shortly. The Bird House will have copies available for sale once the guidebook is published.

Help songbirds survive cold, snow

This winter's harsh weather is testing the survival instincts of songbirds. 

Snow makes it hard for birds to find natural food. Their favorite foods--berries and seed heads--are dwindling fast. Furthermore they can't find grass seeds or weed seeds when the ground is covered with snow.

Northern Cardinal

Frigid weather poses another problem. They need to eat more food than usual to keep their bodies warm. Did you know that chickadees must eat half of their body weight each day just to stay alive when temperatures plummet? Moreover many of the water sources that birds use for drinking and bathing are frozen over.

Combining snow, wind and extreme temperatures make it especially difficult for songbirds. This is particularly true for young birds who are experiencing their first winter and haven't developed food-gathering skills.

The near-zero weather that we experienced in recent days is just the first of several bouts of harsh conditions that we may experience this winter, according to AccuWeather.
Looking to the long range, AccuWeather foresees another spell of cold weather in mid-January, followed by another bout in early February and then again in late February.

Here are a few tips on how you can help backyard birds meet this winter's challenges:


Replenish seed and suet feeders every day if necessary.

Use a seed mix that provides 50 percent sunflower, 40 percent millet and the rest shelled peanuts or safflower. This provides increased fat and high calories to generate warmth.

If a feeder is covered with ice and snow, birds won't feed. Brush or knock off ice and snow to allow birds to get to the food. A household brush or an old windshield brush from your car is handy tool for removing snow.

One of style feeder doesn't serve all birds. Consider buying a variety if you want to attract the most birds to your backyard.

Buy a suet feeder. Suet is made of high-energy beef fat. It's a good menu item for most birds, but it's especially nutritious for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and titmice whose summer food consists of insects. The Bird House offers a variety of suet products, such as those blended with peanuts, berries, nuts and insects.

Heated bath keeps water from freezing

Some birds like to feed on the ground. Juncos and White-throated Sparrows prefer millet placed directly on the surface of the ground. Another option is a ground-level feeder that is elevated slightly. Among the birds favoring these feeders are Mourning Doves, House Sparrows and cardinals.

Seed can easily get wet. Once it does, it's bound to clump and clog feeders. If an active feeder suddenly becomes deserted, this is the first thing to check. If food is soaked, dump it out and replace it with fresh dry food.

Don't forget water. It's vital to birds' survival. When temperatures dip below freezing, birds have a hard time finding water for drinking and bathing. Their usual puddles and ponds may be frozen over. They may have to travel miles to find a steady source of water, which uses energy at a time they need it for nighttime chills. You can provide songbirds with much-needed water. Several different models of heated bird baths and electric heaters are available.

Birds also need cover during the winter. In warm months, leaves provide natural cover where the birds can escape from predators, find protection from rain or roost at night. Use a discarded Christmas tree to provide them with cover. The dense evergreen needles provide shelter from the elements.

Another option is to place a roosting bag on a tree limb so smaller birds can obtain shelter when no evergreens are available. The bag, made of long-lasting woven reeds and capped by a bamboo roof, provides shelter for several birds to huddle together for warmth on frigid nights. (For more information on roosting bags, see the posting for October 26, 2013).

Snow Goose

"Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid the cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe."

That is the first impression that the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology gives when describing Snow Geese. And so true that depiction is.

A Snow Goose is a medium-sized goose with a white body and black tipped wings. The thick bill is pink with a dark line along it, giving it a "smiling patch." In large flocks, you also may see a dark morph or "Blue Goose."

Snow Geese prefer to travel in the company of a couple of dozen other Snow Geese and can form flocks of several hundred thousand. They are found in agricultural fields, especially corn fields after harvest. Also look for them in lakes, ponds and marshes.

One year in mid-winter, we walked around Merrill Creek Reservoir, which was filled with Snow Geese. At one point, hundreds suddenly took off in our direction. The sound of their beating wings and honks skimmed across the water toward us as if amplified by a megaphone. It was an exciting experience that will always stay with us.

Snow Geese breed in northern Canada. Within three weeks of hatching, goslings may walk 50 miles to a more suitable brood-rearing area.

The geese feed on grasses, sedges, rushes, forms, horsetails, shrubs and willows. They consume any part of the plant: stems, seeds, leaves, tubers and roots. Food passes through their digestive tracts in only an hour or two, generating six to 15 droppings per hour. This rate is highest when they are feeding on high-fiber rhizomes as they always consume mud at the same time.

Nestlings are at risk from gulls, foxes, bears, Common Ravens and Snowy Owls. Adults may be hunted by eagles, foxes, wolves and bears, more so during the breeding season.

In wintering flocks that are feeding, lookouts keep an eye our for predators. When a threat is seen, they call out to the rest of the flock, which may take flight.

Lehigh Valley bird sightings for January 3

Here are the Lehigh Valley bird sightings for the snowy week ended January 3. The list was compiled by Dave DeReamus, of the Eastern PA Birdline, which is sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society.

Iceland Gull

Plainfield Township, Northampton County
(at the Grand View Landfill)
Iceland Gull, 1 on January 2.

Jacobsburg State Park, Northampton County
Red-shouldered Hawk.

Palmer Township, Northampton County
(near Hollo and Van Buren roads)
Snowy Owl, 1 through December 30.
Snow Buntings, about 70 on January 1.

Nazareth Quarry, Northampton County
Snow Geese, about 8,000 on January 1.

Lower Nazareth Township, Northampton County
Peregrine Falcon, 1 on January 1 (jousting with 2 Bald Eagles).

Fogelsville Quarry, Lehigh County
Greater White-fronted Goose, 1 on January 1.

Whitehall, Lehigh County
Gray Catbird, 1 on January 1.

Allentown, Lehigh County
Rufous Hummingbird, 1 through January 2 in a backyard in the 900 block of North 21st Street. (Update: The Rufous Hummingbird hasn't been seen since the frigid and snowy winter days gripped the area. We'll let you know about any developments.)
Peregrine Falcon, 2 on January 1, at Cedar Beach.

Walking Purchase Park, Lehigh County
Gray Catbird, 1 through January 31.

Gilbertsville, Montgomery County
Bullock's Oriole, 1 through January 1 near Oberholtzer Road

BIRDING PROGRAM: The next meeting of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society is scheduled for January 10. Chris Hugosson, an LVAS member, will discuss "Getting the Most from Your Smart Phone while Birding." He'll tell about E-Bird and other programs. Meet at 7 p.m. at the Wildlands Conservancy Education Center Building, located at 3701 Orchid Place, off South Cedar Crest Boulevard (Route 29) near Emmaus. Questions? Dial 610-965-4397 or visit wildlandspa.org.

BIRD WALK: Jon Levin will conduct a monthly bird walk on January 12. The walks will be laid-back and social, which is a great way to meet Audubon Society members. Call Levin at 484-560-3688 for details about the location.

An updated version of "Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity, a guidebook published by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, will be published shortly. The new guidebook will be available for sale at The Bird House as soon as copies are made available.