Brown bird taking a bath on a hot summer day.
Louise Beckinsale
Summer Birds in Ontario

Learn all about the summer songbirds in Ontario, how they stay cool in the heat, and the best ways to attract them to your backyard.

House Wren Fledgling Fun
Louise Beckinsale
House Wren Fledgling Fun

For those that keep up with us from week-to-week, you already know we have been lucky enough to have some house wrens nesting out in the yard. As with every year, we place a couple of wren nesting boxes out in the yard and hope that a well-vocalized male selects one of them to raise […]

 

barn-swallows
Louise Beckinsale
How to Use a Barn Swallow Nesting Cup

With the spring season officially upon us, the birding community is (naturally) abuzz with excitement. Across our social media channels and those whom we meet on a daily basis in both of our Ottawa stores are talking migration, nesting and everything in between. As we anxiously await the pending snowmelt, we are busy planning our […]

protecting-baby-birds
Louise Beckinsale
How to Protect Baby Birds

It’s a wonderful time of year to be outdoors and enjoying nature.  In addition to the green spaces, blue skies, and wildlife activity, it is a fragile time of year as new editions are brought into this beautiful world we call home. As birders, we have been keeping a close eye on the breeding and […]

flooding-in-constance-bay-ottawa
Louise Beckinsale
How Flooding Affects Our Birds

While many local residents are still rebuilding and re-calibrating after this month’s historic flooding here in the Ottawa area, much of our wildlife has also been displaced by the sudden change of the landscape.  As waters rise and run into places that did not previously have water, the animals, birds, and insects are forced with […]

choosing-a-nesting-box
Louise Beckinsale
How to Choose a Nesting Box

Walk into either of our stores and in addition to a plethora of the very best in bird seed and supplies, you will be met with an abundant amount of nesting boxes.  While for the inexperienced, having to choose from one of the different models can be a daunting task, but when informed, the process […]

 

male-and-female-starlings-tending-to-their-young
Louise Beckinsale
The Roles of Raising Young in Birds

A common misinterpretation among birders and other nature lovers is that the female of the species is the sole care-taker for any newborn birds.  While in some cases this can be absolutely true, in most others, it is quite the opposite. Typically speaking, the majority of bird species partake in a socially monogamous relationship for […]

chicks-after-hatching
Louise Beckinsale
Four Ways to tell the Breeding Season Is Coming to a Close

Wait.  What?  That’s right, we’ve blinked and suddenly we are approaching midway through the month of June.  The excitement of the spring migration period is in our rear view and all of the sudden the summer is upon us. While for the moment, there is still a good deal of nesting activity going on locally […]