Have you noticed? The signs of spring are everywhere. Not only are flower bulbs coming up and fruit trees are budding out, but the red-tailed hawks are beginning to pair up, Canada geese are on the move, the red-winged blackbirds have returned to my feeders, tree swallows are back in the valley, and I saw a raven flying over carrying nesting materials the other day. It is time to make sure your nest boxes are up and cleaned out and repaired if necessary. Do you want a bird house or two to add to your backyard habitat this year? Our Wild Bird Country departments have many nest boxes available, from wrens to owls and everything in between. All of our houses in Wild Bird Country are built with the birds in mind. If you have never put up a bird house before or haven’t had much luck attracting birds with a nest box, come in and pick up a “How to Choose a Bird House” sheet from our wild bird department.

Have you tried putting out nesting material for your birds? Not only does it save the birds energy and time looking for nesting materials, it is also great fun to watch them pull out “just the right piece” for their nests. Even birds that don’t use nest boxes will be looking for nesting materials. We have four styles available: 1) all cotton, “Best Nest Builder” which the goldfinches seem to love. 2) “Nesting Material Mixture” which contains a mixture of five natural-colored materials including feathers, string, cotton, hemp, and aspen fiber. Try putting this mixture out in a suet cage for your birds. 3) “Hummer Helper Nesting Material” that hummingbirds really use. It comes with a red hanger to attract them and it helps take the place of spider webs and lichen in lining their tiny nests, and 4) New for 2014! “Alpaca Wool” packaged in 3 oz. ready-to-hang mesh bags. Alpaca wool is a warm all-weather friendly fiber. It repels water and dries quickly. It provides great insulation keeping babies warm and is lightweight, yet strong, soft, and durable.