How To Make A Birdbath
(Watch the how-to video at the bottom of this article.)
Like all living creatures, birds need water everyday. Adding a birdbath to your garden will attract more birds than just providing birdseed. Also, watching birds bathe and drink from birdbaths is simply delightful!
Birdbaths come in many varieties. The best birdbaths are 1-3 inches deep and designed with birds in mind. Small and large birds have different needs. A gradual slope is ideal for allowing various birds to wade into the water to a depth that is comfortable. The height of the birdbath can vary from ground height to 4 feet tall. Small birds are safer in a raised birdbath, where are out of direct reach and have a better view of predators that might be lurking on the ground.
The material of the birdbath should have some texture for tiny talons to grip. Putting sand in the bottom of the basin helps provide sure footing. Birds should be able to drink from the birdbath without getting wet, especially in cold weather. Placing stones or sticks in the bath is a nice solution for that.
Shown above, are two different homemade birdbaths. Both of these were made from repurposed items found around the house or purchased from a resale shop.
The bath on the left is made with small birds in mind. The stoneware bowl has some texture, actually much more texture than a glass bowl would have. The lip of the bowl is about a quarter of an inch thick, so tiny feet will rest comfortably. The pedestal in the center provides a perch close to the water as well as possible protection from predators, such as the neighborhood tom cat.
The birdbath on right will accommodate larger birds. The painted flowers add a bit of texture to the surface, to help with the grip. The sloping edge of the bowl lets birds reach the water while staying dry. However, the basin is wide open to encourage splishing and splashing!
Remember to keep your birdbath clean and full!
Learn how to make these ornamental upcycled birdbaths in this 1 minute video:
What Kind of Bird Feeder Do I Need?
When you begin to feed birds, you might wonder whether the type of bird feeder makes a difference to the birds. In fact, it does! Different birds have different feeding habits. Also, the number of feeders and amount of wild bird food available has an impact. The more feeders you have, the more birds will frequent your yard.
Many, many varieties of birds feed on the ground or on a flat surface. So if you want to provide nourishment for any bird and every bird, platform feeders near the ground and raised to about 5ft high would be a great place to start.
If you are hoping to attract a certain type of bird, you may want a bird feeder that is more specific to its feeding habits. For example, a finch/thistle sock will almost only be used by finches, because most other seed eating birds need to perch while they eat.
We’ve put together an infographic to help you learn which birds use what kind of bird feeder. The infographic also lists which Nature’s Window wild bird food blends are the best fit for each feeder.
Download a PDF of Nature’s Window What Kind of Bird Feeder Infographic
Education
What does bird seed have to do with science class?
The answer is a lot, actually. Feeding birds is a hobby, but it is also an excellent opportunity for project-based learning. A group of teachers who want to bring real science into their classrooms spent a morning with Nature’s Window.
Together we explored the Nature’s Window distribution center and talked about what goes into making high-quality wild bird seed. The group examined different varieties of seed blends and gained an understanding of why a particular bird species might eat certain seeds.
Our goal was to spark questions that the teachers could bring into their classrooms, engaging students in creating authentic science projects, making their own discoveries about birds. We provided a took kit for each participant that included Nature’s Window birdseed, suet and feeders to help them get started.
Leaders from the Outdoor Discovery Center (Holland, MI) share our belief that feeding birds is a fundamental step in getting people outdoors and to connecting with nature. We look forward to many more events together.
#FillYourFeederChallenge
February is National Wild Bird Feeding Month
Studies show that feeding birds increases survival during particularly harsh conditions. For that reason, February was named National Wild Bird Feeding Month to provide nutrition for birds during a time when finding food is difficult. This month, we challenge you to fill your feeders! Not only will you be providing nourishment for birds, but you will also delight in the wonders of bringing nature right to your window.
Fill your birdfeeder and take a picture. Post it on Instagram and Facebook with the hash tag: #FillYourFeederChallenge and #natureswindowbirdseed. Show the world how you are helping your backyard birds find fuel this winter.
Nature’s Window Wild Bird Food Blends are formulated by bird feeding experts specifically for attracting and nourishing a wide variety of birds. Made in Michigan and backed by a Satisfaction Guarantee, all Nature’s Window wild bird foods are designed for year-round feeding. Choose Nature’s Window to provide optimal nutrition for winter birds this February.
Environmentally Friendly Packaging
If you already buy Nature’s Window, you know that we triple-clean our birdseed and leave out unnecessary fillers. Our wild bird food blends only contain nutritious ingredients that are good for the birds you love.
The benefits of Nature’s Window reach beyond the nutrition and quality that we feed the birds. Nature’s Window’s bags are made in a food-safe facility that meets the standards of the Global Food Safety Initiative. Complete control processes are in place for labor, plant environment and component storage to be FOOD SAFE. Our bags are fumigated with food-safe product prior to shipping to insure no harmful insects are transported. Our ink systems contain no heavy metals.
Recycle
Environmentally friendly by design, Nature’s Window bags are made of Polypropylene that is recyclable under #5.
Reduce
This material is ideal because it is lightweight and durable. The weight of Nature’s Window bags creates less volume, for improved impact on landfills, distribution and storage. The woven texture of our bags increases strength for reduced breakage, fewer returns and less plant repacking. Light weight packaging saves on fuel which is good for the environment as well as reducing costs.
Reuse
Attractive styling and superior strength make Nature’s Window bags repurposable. We have seen customers make totes like this from a Nature’s Window bags. We think these fashionable and durable totes are a great way to reuse our quality packaging.
What to feed in the fall | Bird feeding tips
The autumnal solstice is Sept. 22, 2018. You might want to consider choosing slightly different wild bird feeds to prepare for the change of season. The first question is ‘which birds will be here after summer?” In the fall, wild birds that are commonly visiting backyard feeders in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio are cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, goldfinches, titmice and chickadees.
All of Nature’s Window wild bird food blends are formulated for year-round feeding and will attract a variety of species. Some fall favorites are Nature’s Window Four Seasons, No Waste, Nut & Fruity, Supreme, and our Species-specifc blends: Cardinal, Wild Finch and Woodpecker.
If you prefer to mix your own wild bird food, be sure to serve Black Sunflower,
Safflower and Peanuts.
If less mess is your goal, choose Blanched Peanut Splits and Sunflower Hearts and Chips.
Satisfy the fun-to-watch goldfinches with Nyjer® and Sunflower Hearts and Chips.
Nature’s Window wild bird foods are available at independent retailers near you. Check out our dealer locator. If you don’t find what you are looking for at a store, ask them to carry all of your favorite Nature’s Window products.
In addition to bird food, Nature’s Window always recommends providing fresh water to create the best habitat for your feathered friends. Check your water vessel daily to make sure it is clean and full.
Our recent blog post How To Make a Birdbath gives two easy ways to make simple birdbaths that double as attractive yard ornaments.
There is still time before you need to worry about freezing water, but watch for timely tips from Nature’s Window for how to handle freezing temperatures and birdbaths.
Media Mention – Packaging of the World
Nature’s Window has been featured on Packaging Of The World for the fantastic work that our creative firm partner, Ideas That Kick, did on the redesign of our wild bird food bags.
This quote from the article captures the essence of what we do at Nature’s Window and why. Click the link below to read the full story.
“We focused on a big goal: shake up the industry to put this brand at the forefront,” says Jessica Simanton, Sr. Account Manager at the agency. “We positioned Nature’s Window as an industry leader — breaking barriers and changing the perceptions of wild bird food as a commodity product. These food blends are beyond excellent, so it was all about telling the premium story in an engaging way to birders.”
https://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2017/10/natures-window-bird-food-packaging.html
Image source: Ideas That Kick via Packaging of the World Natures-Window-Bird-02.jpg
Top 5 Fattiest Wild Bird Food Blends
On cold days, birds burn a lot of energy just keeping warm. Feeders filled with nutritious wild bird food are needed during the winter more than ever. Look for the highest fat varieties of wild bird food to pack the most punch for your feathered friends’ feasts. Nature’s Window offers quality nutrition in all of our bird feeds, although if you are looking for the richest of the rich, here is the top five list of our fattiest wild bird food blends.
5
Nature’s Window Cardinal Blend – Crude Fat: min. 25%
Nature’s Window Cardinal Species-specific bird food is specially formulated for bright and beautiful cardinals. Furthermore, this wild bird food blend attracts a variety of other wild birds that feed on sunflower and safflower seeds. This Nature’s Window blend also appeals to chickadees, finches, jays, nuthatches and titmice. This blend is a nutritious and high-energy mix because of the seeds that make up this quality bird food. Like all Nature’s Window wild bird food blends, Cardinal is free of wheat and fillers.
4
Nature’s Window Extreme No Waste – Crude Fat: min. 27%
Nature’s Window Extreme No Waste is a waste-free bird food. This super high-quality blend and an excellent source of energy for a variety of wild birds. Most of all, Extreme No Waste won’t leave the usual shells in your yard. This high-energy formula includes peanut pieces, sunflower hearts, hulled millet, tree nut pieces. The seeds in Nature’s Window No Waste appeal to a variety of wild birds, including cardinals, chickadees, finches, grosbeaks, juncos, nuthatches, siskins, titmice, towhees and woodpeckers. Like all Nature’s Window wild bird food blends, this one is free of wheat and fillers.
3
Nature’s Window Premium Backyard – Crude Fat: min. 29%
Nature’s Window Premium Backyard wild bird food is a limited ingredient blend that features high-quality black oil sunflower seeds and no corn, milo, millet or wheat. Premium Backyard is a favorite of chickadees, cardinals, jays, nuthatches and titmice. This wild bird food blend also appeals to finches, grosbeaks, siskins and woodpeckers. Premium Backyard is a Nature’s Window Reserve blend that is most noteworthy for having a high ratio of sunflower seeds. Therefore, Premium Backyard is a high energy source for birds. Like all Nature’s Window wild bird food blends, this blend is free of wheat and fillers.
2
Nature’s Window Nut & Fruity – Crude Fat: min. 30%
Nature’s Window Nut & Fruity wild bird food is a high protein blend. It offers an assortment of nuts and fruits making it an excellent energy source for a variety of wild birds. This blend is made with fruit birds eat to diversify their diets, including raisins and dried cherries. Furthermore, Nut & Fruity is no waste wild bird food. This high protein mix of seeds, nuts and fruit formula includes over 35% sunflower hearts. Nature’s Window Nut & Fruity appeals to a variety of wild birds including cardinals, chickadees, finches, grosbeaks, jays, nuthatches, siskins, titmice, towhees and woodpeckers. Like all Nature’s Window wild bird food blends, this one is free of wheat and fillers.
1
Nature’s Window Woodpecker Mix – Crude Fat: min. 32%
How do you attract woodpeckers to your garden? Nature’s Window Woodpecker Mix is a great blend of mixed nuts that’s loved by all woodpeckers. Furthermore, this wild bird food blend appeals to cardinals, chickadees, grosbeaks, jays and titmice. This blend is a nutritious, high-energy bird food because of the rich nuts that make up this quality mix. Like all Nature’s Window wild bird food blends, Woodpecker Mix is free of wheat and fillers.
Learn About Our Formula Upgrades
At Nature’s Window, we’ve changed our blends to keep the beautiful birds you love coming back to your yard again and again, all year round. See the difference in our packaging, and know that you are giving your flighted friends even more nourishment with the new Nature’s Window blends – now free of wheat and fillers.
Why Wheat Free?
As a premium wild bird food brand, Nature’s Window only provides the best nutritional choices for the birds in your backyard. The birds we commonly want to attract do not eat wheat as often as they choose fattier, higher protein ingredients. Chickadees, cardinals, finches, grosbeaks, sparrows, juncos, nuthatches, titmice and woodpeckers need energy rich seeds and nuts, such as sunflower, safflower, peanuts, or Nyjer®. By removing wheat and fillers, we attract more birds, waste less, and make more room for the best ingredients like sunflower, safflower and peanuts. Nature’s Window Four Season and Premium were upgraded by removing wheat and increasing the amount of sunflower.
Nature’s Window upgraded the quality of Cherry Blossom, Premium, Apple Orchard, No Waste, Premium Backyard and Nut & Fruity by removing oats and oat groats. While many birds eat oats, they are lower in protein and fat than seeds and nuts. When we took out the oats, we increased the amount of nutritious seeds and nuts. We made room for more sunflower in Premium, Premium Backyard, and Nut & Fruity.
Nature’s Window Cherry Blossom and Apple Orchard now include Safflower. Cardinal was also improved with more safflower. Safflower is a high-energy seed that is loved by backyard favorites like cardinals, chickadees, flickers, finches, nuthatches, titmice and woodpeckers. Another benefit of Safflower is that it deters squirrels and bully birds.
Nature’s Window’s mess-free blends are now even cleaner and without hulls. The red and white millet in No Waste was swapped for hulless millet. Nutrasaff has a thin hull, so it was excluded from the ingredient panel of Extreme No Waste. The protein content of Extreme No Waste is maintained with delicious chopped tree nuts that birds love.
Nut & Fruity is another no waste blend that Nature’s Window offers. Nut & Fruity’s nutritional content is improved with more sunflower and peanuts, and no grit or oat groats. These changes also made it easier for birds to eat.
Two of Nature’s Window’s Species-Specific blends have been upgraded to be even more palatable: Cardinal and Wild Finch. Cardinals love safflower. So we removed the cracked corn and increased safflower in Nature’s Window Cardinal. Wild Finch is now composed of over 50% Nyjer®, the first choice seed of finches. It is also less messy because we removed millet, canary and flax. We replaced those ingredients with hulled millet.
The new Nature’s Window Blends were designed by bird feeding experts and are based on findings from recent research from Cornell University. Nature’s Window is bringing you more of the best ingredients in our wild bird food.
Nature’s Window is also getting a new look. Our revolutionary packaging is designed to merchandise and make shopping easy with squared edges, birding tips, and species-specific bird feeding information. Watch our Nature’s Window New Packaging Launch video on YouTube to hear the full story.
Distribution of the new Nature’s Window will begin on November 1, 2017. Visit http://www.natureswindowbird.com to learn more about our products.
And follow us! #natureswindowbirdseed on Instagram and FaceBook.
Nature’s Window New Packaging Launch
Nature’s Window has a brand new look and refined formulas. We’re aiming high to bring you the very best, so you can fuel the flight of the wild bird you love.
Our bold new identity is designed to clearly show that making wild bird food is what Nature’s Window does best.
Our original packaging was nice, but we thought it could work harder to educate you about the quality bird feed inside. Every change we made is designed to make it easier to choose your wild bird food blend.
You will notice that we kept our favorite qualities like poly woven rip-stop bags and the easy open strip. And we made our viewing window even more crystal clear.
The biggest innovation we made to our Nature’s Window wild bird food packaging is the shape. We now have neatly formed flat edges, that allow for each side of the product to be clearly marked, no matter which way it lays on the store shelf. Similar to what you see in pet food.
Nature’s Window will grab your attention with our proprietary in-flight bird photography. The white background and matte finish enhance the visibility of the packaging. The quality features of the packaging reflect the quality of the bird food inside. We are so committed to quality, that we stamped our satisfaction guarantee right there on the front – and back – of the bag. We selected the clearest film available to us so that you can see exactly what is inside.
As mentioned before, our goal was to make it easy to choose a Nature’s Window wild bird food blends. Each side of the bag gives you an at-a-glance appeals to guide, listing the birds who will be attracted with each blend. Our benefit icons highlight that Nature’s Window is made in the USA and the unique features of each blend.
At Nature’s Window, we are excited to share our knowledge gained from generations of feeding birds. The back of the bag is full of interesting and helpful hints, like Find Your Feed icons, feeder suggestions and backyard birding tips.
The new Nature’s Window is designed to merchandise and will be fueling the flight of the birds you love this November.
At Nature’s Window, we’ve also upgraded our formulas. We eliminated wheat and fillers from our wild bird food blends. So our feathered friends will find more of their favorite seeds.
Learn about our formula upgrades in our next post.
Get to know the New Nature’s Window
Nature’s Window Improvements
Introducing a brand new look and select, refined wild bird seed formulas. We’re aiming high to bring you the very best, all for the wild birds you love.
What’s new
At Nature’s Window, we’ve changed our blends to keep the beautiful birds you love coming back to your yard again and again, all year round. Free of wheat and fillers, our new, refined blends are more nutritious than ever, with the grains, nuts and seeds birds flock to.
We’ve taken care to make it easy to choose the perfect feed. Look for these icons on our bags to help you decide which blends or singe ingredients to bring home.
From beginning birder to advanced, you pick the perfect feed for you.
Understanding what each Nature’s Window wild bird seed blend offers you and the birds you love is easier than ever, with ingredient blends and benefits in rectangles and icons like these.
We’ve also added complimentary feeder suggestions for each formula.
Conversion Chart: Looking for your trusty ol’ bag of Nature’s Window wild bird seed? Download our conversion chart to see our transition from old bags to new.
Learn more in our new Nature’s Window brochure! Request a free download of our brochure by completing this form.
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