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Dear $$firstname$$,

We’re kicking off some new features in this month’s edition of the newsletter. Now, each Birds & Blooms newsletter will feature a trio of favorites.

Our Bird of the Month will introduce you to one of our favorite birds and offer tips on how to attract it to your backyard. Our Photo of the Month showcases a stunning bird image, from a reader like you. Finally, our Plant of the Month will feature a backyard favorite that offers benefits to your feathered friends.

Don’t forget to check out our Web site because we’re always adding features, like our Where’s Webster game. And be sure to take our Cover of the Year survey to weigh in our your favorite image.

Remember to share this newsletter with your friends who enjoy birding and gardening. If this newsletter was sent to you, sign up today and receive your own monthly Birds & Blooms e-mail.

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• READ ON TO DISCOVER...
• Cover of the Year
• Bird of the Month
• Photo of the Month
• Plant of the Month
• Where’s Webster
• Grow Trees from Pinecones
• Real Suet
• In the Gutter
• Best of Bird Tales
• Winter Water Plants

Cover of the Year

It’s been a great year at Birds & Blooms. We know it’s only October, but we’re already working on issues for 2008. We’re not ready to let go of 2007 yet, though. We want you to help us vote for the cover of the year. Last year, we featured 12 different stunning cover images. Which one was your favorite? Vote Now!

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Bird of the Month: American Goldfinch

Scientific Name: Carduelis tristis.
Family: Finch.
Length: 5 inches.
Wingspan: 9 inches.
Distinctive Markings: In spring and summer, males are bright yellow with black wings, tail and forehead. Females are a duller yellow with white wing bars. In winter, both males and females are olive brown with wing bars.
Nest: Cup-shaped nest, lined with thistle or milkweed down. Lays four to six pale-blue eggs.
Song: Melodic flight call, "per-chick-o-ree, per-chick-o-ree." Courtship son is a canary-like sweet song, rising and falling.
Habitat: Open areas like yards, fields, fencerows and groves.
Diet: Seeds and berries.
Backyard Favorites: Supply nyjer (thistle) in a tube feeder with multiple ports, or in a nylon stocking.

Listen to this bird’s song by visiting our 50 Most Wanted Birds section on the Web site.

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Photo of the Month

Ellen Kimball of Winter Park, Florida snapped this amazing shot of a great horned owl. With Halloween just around the corner, this spooky close-up is perfect for the season.

See more great photos in our online Photo Galleries.

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Plant of the Month: Firethorn

Sustain fall’s glowing colors with the brilliant autumn berries of firethorn. The birds will love this added food source.
Common Name: Firethorn.
Botanical Name: Pyracantha coccinea.
Size: 6 to 12 feet in both height and spread.
Bloom Time: Spring, but the berries turn a brilliant orange-red in autumn.
Flowers: White 1-to 2-inch clusters.
Fruit: Orange-red 1/4-inch berries appear in fall through winter. Will remain on shrubs until birds eat them.
Hardiness: Zones 5 to 9, depending on the variety.
Light Needs: Full sun for best fruit production, but it does fine in partial shade.
Soil Needs: Ordinary soil with regular watering. Tolerates dry soil once established.
Growing Advice: Use container-grown plants. Watch out for this plant’s sharp spines. Firethorns are often trained to grow on fences and exterior walls for a more formal look.

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Where’s Webster?

Have you played our new online game, Where’s Webster? Each month, we feature a new prize. All you have to do is find our duck friend, Webster, to win. Click here to learn more.

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Grow Trees from Pinecones

It’s not that hard to start new trees from pinecones. Just take your cues from nature. Most pine seeds ripen and drop to the ground in fall, and then sprout in spring. They need the winter conditions of their native region to germinate.

To duplicate this process, collect ripe pinecones that are brown and closed in fall and spread them in a warm sunny location to dry. Once the cones open, place them in a covered box and shake it to dislodge the seeds. Keep only the healthy-looking plump ones.

Plant the seeds outdoors in fall. Come spring, you should see the beginnings of small pine trees.

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Real Suet

Real suet is the fat that surrounds the beef kidney, but it isn’t easy to find anymore. Most suet block manufacturers mix suet or lard with everything from sunflower seeds to peanuts to fruit when making bird treats.

Birding expert, George Harrison, uses blocks of pure suet in his feeders. He reports that it gives him plenty of feathered friends, especially woodpeckers.

If pure suet isn’t available in your area, fat trimmings, lard and peanut butter are good substitutes. Just remember to include ingredients like these because they provide protein and energy. In turn, this helps birds survive.

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In the Gutter

Eldora Hunter of Clearlake, Washington knows how to recycle for the birds. A few years ago, when they had to replace their old rain gutters with durable plastic ones, they ended up with several feet of extra material.

Rather than throw it away, they put it to use as a simple bird feeder that welcomes birds to their picture window.

They cut a 6-foot length of gutter so it spanned the width of the window. Then they fastened it to the lower edge with plastic brackets and capped the ends so the seed wouldn’t spill out. Finally, they added several small drainage holes to keep the water from collecting.

Since the gutter already matched their house siding, it’s barely noticeable, except when the birds are perched. It’s been a great way for Eldora to enjoy the birds’ antics from the comfort of her own home!

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Best of Bird Tales

Some of you might remember Deck Hunter’s story of battling magpies in Big Horn, Wyoming. Either way, you’re bound to identify with his frustration for battling pests at feeders. Here’s his story…

Uninvited Guests

As a New Jersey native, I didn’t see my first black-billed magpie until I visited the West. But once we retired to Wyoming, I became very familiar with the bold birds that sport formal “tuxedos,” yet have terrible table manners.

I’d spend hours trying to outwit these feeder raiders. No matter how hard I tried, they always got the best of me, using their acrobatic abilities to overcome every barricade.

After months of unsuccessful attempts, I decided to create a feeder just for them, hoping to draw the magpies away from my woodpecker feeders.

Looking back, I should have known better.

I was momentarily excited when the new feeder attracted their attention. But soon, I had more magpies than I bargained for. Those black and white airplanes were taking off and landing so quickly, I was amazed there weren’t any mid-air collisions.

The food was gone in a matter of minutes. Then the flock refocused on the woodpecker feeders.

That’s when I realized I should simply welcome my new neighbors, bad habits and all. At least they always arrive dressed for dinner!

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Winter Water Plants

Don’t leave your water plants outside if you get freezing temperatures in the winter.

Many common water plants, including water hyacinths, water lettuce and some species of duckweed, are tropical. They can’t survive winter outdoors except in regions where the water stays quite warm. In those areas, these plants flourish so well that they sometimes become weeds and should be used only in contained ponds.

To overwinter these plants in other areas, place them in an indoor aquarium. Make sure the water is warm and filtered, and use artificial lights to supplement or replace natural sunlight.

Move the plants back outside in spring once air and water temperatures are consistently warm. Check with your local water garden clubs for more growing tips for your region.

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