​We all enjoy all of the wildlife we see in our own backyards. It’s exciting to be able to look out your window and see a variety of species without even having to leave your home. There are many things that we can do to help ensure that the bird species we see in our own backyards continue to thrive. Here are five things you can do now to help our feathered friends right outside your window:

Read more: http://birdsandblooms.com/blog/5-ways-to-help-bird-species-in-your-backyard/#ixzz497XOWKsz

We love our birds.... bears, not so much.
Feeding birds in the summer is enjoyable because the birds add interest, color, motion and music to our yards. However, there are several things bird lovers can do to reduce bear activity in the area other than “stop feeding the birds.” They are attracted to garbage, pet food, bird seed and BBQ grills that we leave outside.  Luckily, they are much more active at night than during the day; most of their raids on homes and cabins happen at night, which makes it easy to keep them out of trouble. 
 

• Don’t leave trash or garbage outside.
• Keep pet food inside
• Keep your BBQ grill clean and covered, or store it inside.
• Avoid bird seed that contains milo and other “fillers”.  Milo is generally not eaten by our birds, but is often a filler in inexpensive “wild bird mix.” It usually winds up on the ground under your feeders and will attract bears and raccoons at night, even if you take your feeders inside. Our Birdman’s Blend doesn’t have “fillers” and very little falls to the ground.
• Use a hot pepper seasoning mixed in with the bird seed like Coles Flaming Squirrel Seed Sauce. Birds will eat it but squirrels and bears don't like it.
• Use feeder trays attached to or under the feeders to catch spilled seed.
• Hang bird feeders on a wire between trees 8+ feet above the ground.
• Bring your bird feeders in at night if you feed your birds from the yard.
• Feed birds from a second story porch if there are no stairs to the ground.
• Hang your bird feeders under the eve of the roof. Squirrels won't get to the feeder also.

Stop by the store with your bear concerns and we should be able to
come up with birder solutions.

See a helpful video by For The Birds owner, Terry Allen, about minimizing things that attract bears to your yard below!
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We have a winner in the For The Birds Photo Contest!

Congratulations to Lisa Ristow for posting this beautiful shot to our Facebook page! As our random drawing winner, Lisa has won a free 20 lb bucket of Birdman's Blend premium birdseed (A $35 value)! Way to go, Lisa!

We want to thank ALL of you for sharing your birding photos with us. We started this giveaway contest in the hopes that all of us would share the wonderful world of backyard birds together, and it has been a great success! So keep those photos coming!

Who will our next winner be??? It could be you! Simply snap photos of your backyard birds and post them to our Facebook page for a chance to win!

You may enter as often as you like and no professional photography skills are required. (We choose our winners randomly.) We simply want everyone to share and enjoy the wonderful world of backyard birds together!
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Stop into For The Birds for all of your bird supply needs! Feeders, houses, bird seed, lawn and garden decor-- everything you need to attract more birds to your backyard!

See Lisa's winning photo and some of our others entry photos this spring in the gallery below!