bird feeding
Best Foods & Feeders Attract More Birds by Offering Seasonally-appropriate Foods in Different Types of Feeders
NEW! Jim’s Birdacious® Treats, Trays & Toppers™ The Revolutionary Bird Feeding Concept that Attracts More Birds, is More Fun and Uses Less Space
Pictured: Black-capped Chickadee
NEW! EcoClean™ Feeders & Accessories The Newest, Most Exciting Advancement in Bird Feeding 2010 Fall/Winter Edition
welcome Your Source for: • Finest, Freshest Bird Food • Best Selection of High-quality Bird Feeders • Exclusive Advanced Pole System® • Decorative Nature and Garden Gifts It’s the perfect time to come in and see the newest and best products for the hobby of backyard bird feeding. At Wild Birds Unlimited, we’re dedicated to helping you turn your yard into a fall and winter habitat that not only benefits wild birds and the environment, but also brings song, color and life to your home. Most discount seed blends are full of cereal grains and fillers that birds won’t eat, such as milo, wheat and others. Our exclusive seed blends are fresh and specially formulated from 100% edible seed with no cereal fillers. Though we carry the finest quality selection of bird feeding supplies, we’re not just about selling seed and feeders. We pride ourselves on being able to give you the most accurate information about our local birds. Our passion is to talk to you about your birds and the bird feeders, food and accessories that are right for you. We want you to have the best bird feeding experience possible. After all, it’s the most relaxing, fulfilling, educational and exciting hobby that anyone, young or old, can enjoy.
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Check local store for product availability
Winter Feeding is Fun It’s time to prepare your yard for some old friends that have been visiting each fall and winter, year after year. Surprisingly, research shows that many migratory birds, including Dark-eyed Juncos, White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows, often return to the same location each fall and winter. Mix these migrants with all of the birds that claim your yard as their yearround home, and you have potentially the most rewarding bird feeding activity of the year. These birds would not be so loyal to your yard if you weren’t doing something right. By providing nutritious foods, clean water and ample shelter, you are helping these birds make it through one of the toughest times of the year. Combining the joy of seeing so many active and energetic birds at your feeders with the fulfillment of being able to make a difference in the quality of their lives is what makes feeding the birds at this time of the year so special.
Tufted Titmouse
Irregular Irruptive Migrations More Irruption Information • Red-breasted Nuthatches
are typically the earliest species to head south, leaving as early as mid-summer and settling into their new southern winter territories by the end of September. Check local store for product availability
When natural winter food supplies are scarce in northern Canada, numerous bird species will “irrupt,” migrating south in search of food. During these irruptions, birds such as Red and White-winged Crossbills, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Common and Hoary Redpolls, Pine Siskins and Purple Finches can become common feeder visitors. • Irruptive migrations of
Common Redpolls and Purple Finches typically occur every two years.
• Irruptive migrations of Pine
Siskins usually occur when seed crops fail in the boreal forests. Large flocks of these “winter finches” may appear as far south as Florida.
• Before the 1850s, Evening
Grosbeaks were not commonly found east of the Rocky Mountains. Winter irruptions can now occur in all of the 48 contiguous states. Wild Birds Unlimited • www.wbu.com | 3
Foods to Serve During Fall and Winter The Importance of Fat and Calories in a Bird’s Diet Whether they are preparing for fall migration or the onset of winter, birds need foods that are high in oil, fat and calories. These foods and stored body fat are the primary energy supply that fuels a bird throughout migration and during long, cold winter nights.
Seed-eating birds will continue to look for sources of seeds that will provide them with their essential fall and winter fat and calories. So it’s important to offer the right seeds in your bird feeders. Many of these seeds, including black oil sunflower, Nyjer® (thistle) and millet, are featured in our regionally-formulated, customized seed blends that also have other seasonally appropriate ingredients. More information about seed blends that will help your birds during fall and winter is featured on the next page.
Seed
Pictured: Pine Siskin
Loaded with fat and protein, peanuts provide birds with energy and are particularly helpful as they fatten up for migration and during the winter months when the extra calories help keep them warm. As winter approaches, many birds change some of their eating habits. Birds that usually eat insects may start to eat berries to supplement their diets. Dried or fresh fruit are a winter favorite of birds such as robins, waxwings, bluebirds and mockingbirds. Our Cranberry Fare Seed Cylinder is loaded with seeds, nuts and cranberries and is a great way to offer your fall and winter birds these foods.
Nuts & Berries/Fruits
Pictured: Carolina Chickadee
Suet is a high-energy, pure-fat substance that is particularly helpful in winter when many birds have a hard time finding the insects they normally eat. We carry a selection of suet and high-fat foods, such as Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter®, various suet cakes and plugs, Suet Snacks and No-melt Suet Dough Cylinders and Stackables™.
Suet & Fats
Pictured: Male Downy Woodpecker
As temperatures fall, birds have a more difficult time finding the limited number of live, active insects. Loaded with protein, mealworms can help you attract common and uncommon insect-eating birds like bluebirds or wrens.
Mealworms
Pictured: Tufted Titmouse
It’s important to continue offering WBU Nectar in regions along the Pacific Coast, the Southwest and in the extreme Southeast where hummingbirds stay throughout winter.
Nectar 4 | Wild Birds Unlimited • www.wbu.com
Pictured: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds Check local store for product availability
WBU Regionally-formulated Seed Blends
Choice Blend
Supreme Blend
Deluxe Blend
No-Mess Blend
Our Choice Blend is a combination of black oil sunflower seeds, sunflower chips, striped sunflower and safflower seeds and peanuts that provides birds with energy during the fall and winter.
Loaded with fat and calories, our Supreme Blend features black oil sunflower, striped sunflower and safflower seeds and sunflower chips and attracts birds, such as chickadees, nuthatches and wrens.
Full of black oil sunflower seeds, millet, striped sunflower and safflower, our Deluxe Blend is an excellent fall and winter blend for ground feeders like juncos, doves and various sparrows.
Loaded with fat, protein and carbohydrates, our No-Mess Blend is a tidy feeding solution that is perfect for helping birds prepare for migration and winter.
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Over 100 birds love it and counting No other bird food attracts more species of birds! Already enjoyed by more than 100 different bird species, Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter® has been improved with added calcium. Created by Jim Carpenter, founder of Wild Birds Unlimited, Bark Butter is easily spread on tree bark or a Bark Butter Feeder or scooped into a Dinner Bell™ Feeder to attract a variety of birds, including many that do not normally visit feeders. For more information and to see a video of birds eating Bark Butter, visit www.barkbutter.com. Bark Butter and Birdacious Squirrel Inhibitor (left) Bark Butter not only attracts birds, but also squirrels. Use the Birdacious Squirrel Inhibitor on a tree with Bark Butter, or place it in the Birdacious TreatTray™ to slow squirrels trying to gobble up all your Treats.
Pictured Left to Right: Male Downy Woodpecker, Male Hairy Woodpecker Check local store for product availability
Wild Birds Unlimited • www.wbu.com | 5
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Available Exclusively at Wild Birds Unlimited Trays - Where the Action Happens Jim Carpenter is the founder and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited and the creator of Jim’s Birdacious® Treats, Trays & Toppers™. This fun, revolutionary system helps you attract the most birds in the least amount of space.
Treats - They’re Oh So Yummy We have an assortment of tidy Treats that you can offer your birds. Don’t be surprised if your birds gobble up the food in no time. That’s okay, they’re treats, and they’re supposed to be offered in small amounts, when you actually have time to enjoy watching your birds.
Crumble them to attract woodpeckers, jays, bluebirds and many more!
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The TreatTray™ is where the fun begins. It allows you to offer four Treats at one time and provides a clear view of birds and their antics.
Toppers - Customize Your Creation What’s a Topper? Roofs, crook arms, feeders and finials - if it attaches to our Advanced Pole System®, it can go on top of the TreatTray. This setup maximizes the bird feeding capabilities of a small space such as a deck, balcony or patio, and it’s ideal for apartments, condos or any home with a small yard. Plus, the Treats require very little storage space.
BugBerry Blend™ contains all of your birds’ favorites - roasted mealworms, sunflower chips, chopped tree nuts and four different fruits - cherries, blueberries, raisins and cranberries. BugBerry Blend is available as a specialty blend, a Stackable™ Bird Food Cylinder, Suet Nuggets and a new flavor of Bark Butter!
Full of protein and fat, this Treat is loaded with peanuts and large tree nuts, including almonds, walnuts, cashews and Brazil Nuts. Check local store for product availability
Carolina Chickadee
With Jim’s Birdacious® Treats, Trays & Toppers™, it’s easy to turn a small outdoor space into a bird feeding system with lots of activity. The big decision is: Go Simple or Go Wild?
Place Jim’s Birdacious TreatTray™ on a Deck Mount or Advanced Pole System® pole. Add four different Treats in the four sections of the TreatTray. It’s a simple setup that, with the four delicious foods, will attract a variety of birds and allow you to see all of their interactions.
Want to maximize your Treats and attract even more birds to your setup? Then get ready for your imagination to take off. Pictured Left to Right: Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, Female Downy Woodpecker
Basically, anything that attaches to our Advanced Pole System can go on top of the TreatTray. These additions are called Toppers, and there are hundreds of combinations. Add a roof over the TreatTray to protect your birds and food from the elements. Do you have squirrels? Place Squirrel Inhibitors on the TreatTray to keep them from eating all of your birds’ Treats. Toppers include finials, Bark Butter Feeders, Bird Food Cylinder Feeders, Seed Tube and Finch Feeders, WBU Hummingbird Feeders and Dinner Bell™ Feeders. Have fun!
more birds more fun less space ™
For more information, visit www.jimsbirdacious.com
Check local store for product availability
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Available only at Wild Birds Unlimited, our EcoClean™ feeders and accessories are the most advanced bird feeding products available on the market. EcoClean products feature a patented technology that inhibits the growth of damaging bacteria, mold and other microbes on treated components. This protection won’t wash or wear away, and it uses environmentally friendly technology.
Every EcoClean Feeder comes with: • 24/7 Antimicrobial Product Protection in treated components • Our Seed Tube Feeders and Finch Feeders feature Quick-Clean® removable bottoms • Lifetime Guarantee* • No more need for bleach solutions for cleaning feeders
EcoClean Finch Feeder House Finch, American Goldfinches
How does it work? EcoClean products incorporate Agion®, a patented antimicrobial agent which is based on naturally occurring silver. Silver has been proven safe and effective in fighting a wide range of microbes and is environmentally friendly. Some antimicrobial products use unsafe synthetic chemicals or volatile organic substances, but these can be potentially toxic and dangerous at inappropriate levels. No such dangers are known to exist for silver. Agion is a “smart” material meaning that it will only release its antimicrobial properties when microbes are present. When microorganisms come in contact with an Agion treated surface, silver ions are released on demand to the surface of the product to combat the organism. Agion is already extensively used for applications in consumer products, including cell phones, shoes, keyboards, medical catheters and more. Agion is also registered with the EPA, FDA and USDA for a broad range of uses. For more information about EcoClean, visit www.wbu.com/ecoclean.
EcoClean Dinner Bell™ Feeder Male Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee
Additional Accessories • 8½" Round Seed Tray • 12" Round Seed Tray • Perch Covers
*Lifetime guarantee does not cover EcoClean perch covers. Manufactured exclusively for Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc. EcoClean is a trademark of Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., Carmel, IN 46032. EcoClean products are protected by U.S. Patents and Patents Pending. U.S. Patent No. 5215039, 5452682, 7621232. Agion is a trademark of Agion Technologies, Inc. Wakefield, MA. Antimicrobial protection is limited to the treated article and does not protect a user against disease causing bacteria. EcoClean is not available in Canada.
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Check local store for product availability
Available Exclusively at Wild Birds Unlimited
REVOLUTIONARY
NEW PRODUCT
Embedded into:
• Tube Quick-Clean® Removable Base
• All Black Powder Coated Metal Components
• Seed Diverter • Perch Covers
Carolina Chickadee
Check local store for product availability
Tufted Titmouse
EcoClean Seed Tube Feeder
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Seed Feeders
Enjoyed by Birds and Bird Feeding Enthusiasts We offer a variety of feeders that you can use to offer your birds seed or seed blends. • Hopper feeders have a seed storage bin that automatically releases seed to a tray on which the birds perch to feed. Most of our hopper feeders, including our EcoTough® Classic, have extended roofs that protect your birds and seed from the elements, curved ends that allow you to see birds feeding on both sides at the same time and perch drains that let seed drop for ground-feeding birds. • Seed tube feeders have perches that are small enough to keep larger birds off the feeder, yet large enough to allow small- to medium-sized birds to perch, relax and get their fill. Our Quick-Clean® Seed Tube Feeders are the absolute easiest-to-clean feeders on the market.
• Solve squirrel problems with squirrel-proof feeders like our Eliminator™. When a squirrel touches the perch ring, its weight closes the seed ports. The Eliminator’s unique technology allows you to set the sensitivity level, so you can also exclude large birds.
Tufted Titmouse on Eliminator Squirrel-proof Feeder
Quick-Clean® Seed Tube Feeder with Weather Dome & Seed Tray
Classic with Catch-a-Seed Tray
Looks Like Wood, Tough Like Plastic We are proud to conserve and protect bird and wildlife habitats through educational programs, community involvement and the support of conservation organizations.
Classic Hopper Feeder This feeder has a roof that protects the birds and food from the elements and perch drains that allow seed to fall for ground-feeding birds.
We also offer a variety of products, such as our EcoTough® line, that are functional as well as earth-friendly. Our EcoTough feeders are good for the birds, good for the environment and good for you, too. Made of recycled milk jugs, these feeders are high-quality products that help keep unnecessary waste from making its way into our landfills. Anywhere from eight to 64 milk jugs are used in one of our recycled feeders, depending on its size. EcoTough feeders are built to last. Even in the harshest weather conditions, they won’t rot, crack, fade or warp and have limited lifetime guarantees.
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Pictured Left to Right: Male Northern Cardinal, Female Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee Check local store for product availability
Finch Feeders
Attract More Finches to Your Backyard Wild Birds Unlimited Finch Feeders are specially designed to hold smaller foods like Nyjer® (thistle) or fine sunflower chips. Here are a few items to remember when you are attracting finches: • Goldfinches can be finicky eaters, so it’s important to keep food fresh and dry inside the feeder. Shake the feeder periodically to make sure that the food is dry, and use a Weather Guard to help protect your food from the elements. Make sure the food does not stay in the feeder uneaten for more than three to four weeks. • Place your finch feeder away from other feeders where larger birds are feeding. This allows the smaller birds access to the finch feeder without being harassed by larger birds. • Because goldfinches move around often, there may be quiet times at finch feeders.
Quick-Clean Finch Feeders Our Quick-Clean® Finch Feeders allow finches to easily dine on Nyjer® (thistle), and the removable bases make cleaning a breeze. These feeders are backed by a lifetime guarantee that includes raccoon and squirrel damage.
Quick-Clean®
Small Six perches Capacity: ¾ qt Medium Eight perches Capacity: 1¼ qts Large Ten perches Capacity: 1¾ qts
American Goldfinch
Pine Siskin
Peanut Feeders Let Your Birds Go Nuts
Peanuts are a great addition to the choices you offer your backyard birds. Peanuts are a high-energy food enjoyed by a wide variety of birds, such as woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches, chickadees, jays and more. These feeders are especially fun because of the interesting behaviors exhibited by peanut-eating birds. Jays and titmice will pull nuts out of the feeder and may even stop to weigh their choices to make sure they get the heaviest peanut. Some birds will cache nuts to retrieve later, making repeated trips to feeders to gather food and hide it in a safe spot.
Black-capped Chickadee
Check local store for product availability
WBU Mesh Peanut Feeders (left) Attract peanut-loving birds to your yard with our Mesh Peanut Feeders. These feeders are designed to hold peanut pieces and are easy to fill and easy to hang. Our lifetime guarantee on these feeders also covers squirrel and raccoon damage.
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Bird Food Cylinders The Easy, Long-lasting Way to Feed Birds Available exclusively at Wild Birds Unlimited, our Bird Food Cylinders are an easy and tidy way to offer your birds a wide variety of food. Bird Food Cylinders are made of different combinations of tightly packed seeds, nuts, and sometimes, fruits and suet. Watch nuthatches pry seeds loose and sometimes fly off to store them for retrieval later in the same day or as a quick source of food the next morning. Bird Food Cylinders last longer, requiring you to refill your feeders less often. Our Seed and No-melt Suet Dough Stackables™ allow you to offer more than one food at a time and cater to the preferences of the birds visiting your yard. With several unique flavors to mix and match, you can have fun creating various combinations that will attract different birds to your backyard. Red-bellied Woodpecker
Our No-melt Suet Dough Cylinders and Stackables are available in two flavors (Peanut Butter’n Jelly™ and Naturally Nuts®) and are an easy way to offer a high-protein, highenergy food to your birds during fall and winter.
Suet Feeders The Suet-able Way to Feed Your Birds Suet is a high-energy, pure fat substance that is invaluable in fall and winter when insects are harder to find and birds need many more calories to keep their bodies warm. Offering suet at a backyard feeding station is one way to attract a greater diversity of insect-eating birds. Birds that eat suet will still find natural food sources, such as insects, insect eggs and larvae for a well-rounded diet. Birds that eat both insects and seeds, like chickadees and nuthatches, will also visit suet feeders often. Some suet is plain and some suet contains nuts, raisins or other fruit and insects. The variety of suet flavors helps attract a variety of birds.
Tail Prop Suet Feeder Male Hairy Woodpecker
12 | Wild Birds Unlimited • www.wbu.com
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Nectar Feeding The New WBU High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder Whether you live in an area where hummingbirds stay throughout winter or you are looking for a great gift for the nature lovers on your list, our new High Perch Hummingbird Feeder is the perfect way to attract hummingbirds to any yard. Our High Perch Hummingbird Feeder: • features a high perch that allows hummingbirds to comfortably rest. Longer perching/sitting times at the feeder = better, longer views of the birds. • has four ports and a 12 oz. nectar solution capacity. • features a clear bottom that allows you to see hummingbirds’ tongues lap up nectar (up to 12 times a second) as well as the level of the nectar solution. • has a built-in ant moat to prevent crawling bugs from reaching the nectar solution. • does not leak. • has ports that keep rain water from diluting the nectar solution. • can have nectar guard tips (sold separately) added to combat insect issues. • is easy to fill, clean (top shelf dishwasher safe), hang or mount and is extremely durable. • comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
Providing Water for Birds The Importance of Water in Winter Birds continue to need a source of water for drinking and bathing during winter. Providing a reliable source of water when natural sources are frozen can attract more birds to your backyard than just feeders alone. Clean feathers help birds stay warm, and a bird bath is often the only way for some birds to drink and stay clean when it’s cold. Research has shown that a chickadee with well-maintained feathers can sustain a 70° F (21° C) layer of insulation between the outside air and its skin.
Pictured: American Goldfinch
Heated Bird Bath (right) This durable, plastic bird bath provides a reliable source of water, even to temperatures below -20° F (-29° C). Easily mounted to wood deck rails, it features a built-in 150 watt, fully grounded heater that is thermostatically controlled to conserve energy. Check local store for product availability
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Decorative APS Most decorative bird feeding station hardware is created to be more aesthetic than useful. Our Decorative APS hardware is eye-catching as well as functional and can also be used for feeding or housing birds, hanging plants and more.
The Advanced Pole System
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The Ultimate Bird Feeding Solution Available exclusively at Wild Birds Unlimited, our patented Advanced Pole System (APS) is a revolutionary concept and the foundation for successfully bringing more birds to your yard. Comprised of interchangeable hardware pieces, the APS lets you create a customized setup that best suits your yard and the birds you want to attract. All APS parts are powder-coated to prevent rusting, and they fit together easily with no special tools required. Deck Setups If you don’t have much of a yard, but you still want to enjoy the wonders of bird feeding, try creating an APS bird feeding station on your deck or porch.
With our APS, you can create the ultimate system for hanging or mounting feeders to your deck or patio rails. We have a number of deck mounts that accommodate all types of decks and patios, whether it’s made of metal, wood or composite. We offer a variety of combinations that will attract the birds to your backyard but keep the mess off your deck or patio. APS Accessories Make the most of your bird feeding station by adding APS accessories. A Squirrel or Raccoon Baffle will deter unwanted visitors from eating all your bird food. Our Decorative Branch Perch gives birds a place to rest before visiting feeders. The APS SideDish™ Feeder is a versatile feeder for offering foods, such as mealworms, fruit, peanuts, a seed blend and more. APS is protected by U.S. Patent No. 6,386,142
14 | Wild Birds Unlimited • www.wbu.com
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More Than a Hobby
Our Partners in Nature
Making a Difference in Our Communities Bird feeding is more than a hobby; it’s a way to connect with the outdoors and help the natural environment around you. By providing quality products, service and an inspiring shopping experience, Wild Birds Unlimited has been helping people enjoy birds and nature for almost 30 years. Pathways To Nature Conservation Fund The Wild Birds Unlimited Pathways To Nature® Conservation Fund (www.pathwaystonature.com) was established in 1999 and has been responsible for more than $2.2 million in projects at 25 sites across North America. These projects include the creation and maintenance of trails, boardwalks, wildlife-viewing platforms and nature center exhibits. The 25 recipients of Pathways To Nature grants jointly provide habitat and protection for 37 animal and plant species that are found on the U.S. Endangered Species list.
www.bsc-eoc.org
www.audubon.org
THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT www.birds.cornell.edu
www.birdsource.org/gbbc
Pathways To Nature for Kids According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, today’s overscheduled youth spend an average of 44 hours per week staring at some kind of electronic screen, creating America’s first generation to grow up emotionally and physically disconnected from nature. For years, our mission has been to bring people and nature together by offering products that make enjoying the outdoors easier. In 2007, we created Pathways To Nature for Kids (www.pathwaysforkids.com), an initiative that gives children from across North America opportunities to connect with the natural world.
www.batconservation.org
www.nabluebirdsociety.org
In partnership with the National Audubon Society, Pathways To Nature for Kids provides about 250 scholarships annually for underserved and underprivileged young people to attend summer camps at more than 30 Audubon Centers across the United States. While attending these camps, young people not only connect with nature, but they also learn to respect it and gain a desire to preserve it for future generations.
Check local store for product availability
www.rtpi.org
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Available Exclusively at Wild Birds Unlimited See Page 6 & 7
Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee
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