Here's a cute idea for the bird enthusiast in your life, or maybe a friend you're trying to ecourage to become one. 

Check out our Mr. Canary® 'Pair & a Spare for Christmas' for a different kind of gift, one that you can keep on hand that virtually 'fits' anyone. Two finch feeders filled with Nyjer seed and a 'Fancy Mix' for some holiday variety. They're ready to hang and so simple to use if you can't figure them out, you need to consider other hobby options.

Surprise someone this holiday with something that doesn't require batteries, charging docks or re-boots. In fact, it's not even low tech, it's NO-tech, which somepeople might think is it's own present. 

Give the gift of "LOOK!" this year, and Have Yourself a Mr. Canary® Little Christmas.

1. Heat

2. Drought

3. Color

According to an August 3 posting on Science Daily, a study of North American songbirds indicates birds that live in areas with more fluctuating weather, sing more varied songs. It's an interesting article, you should check it out.

The study, conducted by Australian National University and the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, recorded 44 species of male songbirds. They transferred the 'song' information onto a spectrogram which allowed them to visually compare wild bird song attributes. Aided by computer software, the scientists then analyzed the song graphs alongside habitat data such as precipitation and temperature.

Their surprising results show that more dramatic seasonal changes are linked to more variation in the male's song.  The study also showed that greater color variation between males and females of a species also affects the variation in in their songs. Who knew?

Since 2012 has seen record setting temperatures and drought conditions throughout the country, and since there is such a variation in color between male and female goldfinch, you might notice some exceptionally diverse songs chirped around your Mr.Canary® Finch Feeder this year. So listen up.

If you're driving around in a red car, get a car wash company on retainer.

In addition to blogging about small bird feeders or wild bird seed, I try to keep my loyal readers abreast of useful and breaking bird-related news. It's just another friendly service I offer.

Thus, when my friend, Dave Murray, brought this to my attention, I knew I had to bring it to yours.

It turns out that some guys related to Halford's Autocentres in England did a 'study' to determine which color of car attracts the most bird poop.  According to their research, based  on "1,140 cars in Brighton, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol," red cars received the most unwanted attention, or about 18% of the droppings. Next worst, "blue 14%, black 11%, white 7%, grey/silver 3%, green 1%".

So if you're looking for a car that is least likely to become covered in bird poop, buy a green one.

Or, just  pay attention to where you're parking.

In my earlier blog this week I asked you to support our company in a bid for a small business grant; I'm asking again.

Chase/LivingSocial is giving away  $250,000.00 grants to at least four small businesses, possibly up to twelve.  The first step of eligibility is a company must get 250 votes BY THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 30.  

According to the press release about this offer, "Each business will be required to answer questions about why their business is unique, outline a proposed plan for utilizing the grant to grow their business and describe how the business is involved with its community."

The Mr. Canary® Company is unique in several ways, such as: 

• We're a certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE)
• We qualify as a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) for our industry
• All our products are made in the USA (interesting that we now consider that 'unique' for an American company, right?)
• All our production is done by workers with disabilities.

Carey Services in Marion, Indiana, has been producing every one of our small bird feeders (known as The Original Mr. Canary® Finch Feeder) for over seventeen years. They manage the entire production for us from ordering the raw material to shipping the final product out the door. We tout this astonishing workforce on every package and at every opportunity because it's the smartest business decision we've made. 

Workers with disabilities have an insanely hard time finding work. If you think 10-12% unemployment is heart-stopping, I heard an expert on NPR awhile back claiming that unemployment and underemployment of folks with disabilities could be as high as eighty percent. What if that was an exaggeration? What if it's only HALF that much...would you consider forty percent unemployment high? Exactly. 

The thing is, our company is day-to-day proof that when a business and a community work together, amazing things happen. We offer Carey the opportunity to give their clients decent jobs; which allows us the opportunity to own our business.  Working together at the intersection of Free Enterprise and Social Responsibility we both "enlarge our territories." What's better than that?

If you agree, help us grow. 

Here's all you have to do BY FRIDAY, JUNE 30 (TOMORROW):

• Go to this site https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/
• Click on Log In & Support
• Search for The Mr. Canary Company (cut and paste for accuracy); OR
• Search by Carmel, Indiana (we're on the second page).
• VOTE!
• Share this with EVERYone who will help.

$250,000.00 to any company would be a big deal, but to a small company (100 or less employees) it could make an indescribably huge impact, if they were ready. This company is ready. With your vote, we can turn feeding birds into making magic.

(Photo at right is a painting a local service group did in a production area at Carey, at the workers' request. We were pretty proud when we saw it)

If you support workers with disabilities, we'd like to hear from you. Leave a comment below, and thank you.

I learned a couple of interesting things today about birds and bugs. ('Interesting,' being a subjective term, read on at your own discretion)

First, did you know that even seed-loving birds like goldfinches feed their babies bugs? It turns out that when it's really hot and dry, one way birds get enough water is by eating bugs instead of seeds. When the little darlins are young and nest-bound and it hasn't rained much, apparently the parents run by McDragonfly's and pick up some treats, " Look princess, Daddy brought a big juicy bug for you." Eeuuw.

So there's one interesting thing about the bird/bug bond.

Typically, I aim to learn one interesting thing every day and when I hit my target, that's it; a person can only manage so much interest.  So I could have said "NO, I'm at my quota today," but in a boldly expansive move on my part, I said in effect, "I believe I'll have another."

That's how I found out  about the bird/GIGANTIC-bug bond.

It might be that we should be thanking those tiny chirping machines that fly erratically around our garden bird feeders for saving us from having insects the size of Volkswagens lounging around our yards.

According to someone who actually studies this sort of thing, our atmosphere used to be made up of 30% oxygen (it's only 21% now, but everyone knows that, right?). The theory is More Oxygen=More Energy= Bigger Bodies which is how the bugs became gigantic.  Birds, probably without reading all the science, just basically said, "Super-size me!"  Not to take anything away from our avian heroes, but let's face it, that kind of over-indulging was a lot easier back then, before Mayor Bloomberg began imposing fines for gluttony.

Anyway, a jillion years (it's a scientific measurement) later, we have more manageable-sized bugs to contend with, and birds to thank.

And so it went up the food chain, each level consuming the the next lower level, before genetic gigantism ensued resulting, more or less, in a natural balance. Then humans figured out how to circumvent the system by evading Grizzly bears and inventing drive-thrus, thereby making it possible for us to grow to the size of small Cessnas.

Until The Big Gulp got on the last nerve of His Mayorness.

But that, as they say, is "a whole 'nother story." The next time I need to fill my daily allocation of 'Interesting,' maybe I'll check it out.  

OH what a night!

Last Saturday my only child and daughter, Laura, got married. 

As occasions go, this one was a biggee for her Dad and me. I got up extra early on Saturday to insure ample time for my major sob-fest marking the passage of an 'era.' Then, with encouragment from my patient husband and after getting my eyes to just the right state of puffy redness, I was ready to begin celebrating my good fortune.

And though lately I've given very litle thought  to thistle seed or feeding birds, I feel totally justified in posting this blog on my bird-related website. While I haven't noticed a goldfinch in a week or more, I did spot two Swans last weekend right here in Indiana: the son-in-law of my dreams, Matthew, and his beautiful wife...Laura.

So if you're thinking my response to emails and phone messages haven't been exactly timely in recent days, the short answer is...I'm still celebrating.

P.S. Checkout our facebook page if you want to see a clip of the 'surprise' ceremony finale. 

You may be 'Smarter Than A Fifth Grader,' but have you ever tried to outwit a squirrel?

One of nature's most inventive and wily food gatherers, the squirrel, continues to exasperate bird lovers everywhere.

Though squirrels gather and eat fruit, insects and most any kind of human food they find, to witness their resourceful ingenuity at its pinnacle, hang a bird feeder in your yard. Those wacky little rodents will  abscond with your thistle seed,  faster than a speeding ticket.

The first time I hung a bird feeder sock, (or the probably the first FIVE times) I'd barely have time to get back in the house before I'd see a hole the size of a quarter in an otherwise empty sock. Although I do understand a bird person's frustration, personally I find those rascally squirrels kind of inspiring. It seems that no obstacle to their goal is too daunting nor hardship unendurable. They exemplify courage and perseverance with their single-minded determination to get that birdseed! I love that what humans think of as "squirrel-proof" feeders, squirrels seem to think of as "supper." To me it's the very essence of optimism and focus.

But, if you committed to feeding birds rather than squirrels, here are 3 tips to TRY and outsmart them:

1. Don't hang your garden bird feeders in trees; use a shepherd's hook. Then, take some Crisco or Vaseline and smear it on the pole. Even if it doesn't keep them out of the seed, it's fun to watch.

2. If you like keeping the hilarity in while keeping squirrels out, try the Slinky solution. Spend a few bucks on a Slinky and attach it to the top of the shepherd's hook or any kind of pole you're using. When the squirrel jumps on the pole (Did you know squirrels can jump 5-6 feet straight up?)  -- Boiinnng! -- Squirrel Bungee. 

3. If you're a Foodie who hates squirrels on your finch feeder, try this recipe using Cole's Flaming Squirrel Sauce. Actually, I'd buy it based on the name alone, which is the same basis for my recommendation. According to its description if you add this "nutritional bird seed supplement" to wild bird seed, it's the equivalent of ingesting a habanero pepper, in other words tres HOT.

I, for one, am always on the lookout for ways to be smarter than a squirrel so if you know some, please, speak up and share your tips.

Here's why I love my job. 

I've been feeling a little melancholy lately. My daughter, Laura, whom I admire and adore, is getting married in a month to a man (who coincidentally and thankfully) I also admire and adore. It's not like she's just leaving home, I mean, she'll be thirty-one in a couple of days and she's been on her own since college. Still, it's a passage, right? Then, next week marks the one year anniversary of the day my Mom died. She was, IS, my hero and I miss her everyday.  I'm not miserable, but I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself; to say the least, it's been a struggle to focus on thistle feeders and wild bird seed. Then suddenly, as if the cosmos knew I needed a boost, I get an Internet order from 'Marjie,' my New Best Friend from Chiloquin, Oregon. I had shipped an order a week or so earlier to Mary, in Ashford, Oregon but made no connection until I received this note:  

I try to spend my blogging research time on things that pertain to goldfinches and small bird feeders since, you know, that's my business and all. Sometimes though, I get lucky and start following a thread that leads to something like this, and it's a bonus play in my day. For the serious birder, and you know who you are (and most likely you aren't here) this is properly a quite informative couple of minutes about the Lyre bird, a unique wild bird who mimics the sound of many other birds. And camera shutters. And car alarms. For the more sophomoric bird enthusiast, like myself, it's a couple of minutes of potential SNL material complete with the BBC's venerable David Attenborough crouching in the forest whispering about the "Soo-PUHB lyeh buhrd." More like a Liar bird, unless of course, it's also a chainsaw or kookaburra. It's an interesting piece which I'd give 4 stars; if The Honey Badger's venerable 'Randall' was narrating, I'd give it 5. 

I love stuff like this. 

Scientists at UCLA have identified some 2000 genes in the brains of Zebra finch that are significantly related to singing. Whoa. First, that's sort of an amazing number of singing genes, isn't it? Second, who knew major universities had scientists on staff to count them? And third, that discovery may aid  in the understanding of human speech disorders like stuttering, and speech-related conditions arising from autism or strokes. It's a remarkable story of where you can end up when you're on your way to someplace else; not unlike my search for car keys that led me to inventing a great way to refill my bird feeder without spilling Nyjer seed all over the place. But I digress.

The take away here is that everything is related to everything, sometimes in obvious ways and other times not so much. History is filled with breakthroughs found  "on the way to someplace else" (e.g. penicillin, plastic, popsicles...) and songbirds that may teach us about speech disorders are just one more reminder of the importance of being open to possibilities. So the next time you're watching those pretty goldfinch dining on that little tube bird feeder in your backyard, widen your viewable area. Maybe you'll notice something else that enriches your life.

                                                                      It's all out there, we just have to be sharp enough to notice, and open minded enough to imagine the possibilities.

Did you know it was National Bird Feeding Month? Neither did I. If I hadn't been searching for the exact dates of 2012 National Pancake Week (Feb 19-25, fyi), I may have missed it altogether which would have been a bummer, what with me being in the bird feeding business and all. Anyway,in light of the designated month, here are FIVE reasons you should be feeding birds today:

1.  It improves your mental attitude. Cold weather and dreary days can wreak havoc on the sunshiniest of personalities. Hang a few small bird feeders around your yard, though, and you might be surprised at how it lifts your spirits. Maybe it's just the distraction from a daily routine, but watch a few moments of that little 'flock of crazy' hanging around your window and if you aren't careful, you may find the corners of your mouth creeping upward.

2.  It takes you outdoors. Even if it's only for a few moments, when you have to reload the thistle feeder or fill up that bird feeder sock, it makes you go outside...and that's a good thing. It's not exactly a 'workout,' but it sure beats riding that Baraclounger as a calorie burner.

3.  It makes you notice. Our lives are filled with things requiring our attention, immediately. Most of them ring, buzz, flash or vibrate so demandingly we start believing that's what's important. So when things like air quality, clean water, or the plight of other life that shares this planet -- the things our lives actually hinge on -- start feeling less important, take a breath. What's that quote? "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may find they were the big things."

4.  It helps the birds. This time of year when plants are dormant and the weather is harsh, birds can use a little leg up on finding food. What the heck, buy 'em dinner this month.

5.  It puts people to work. Seriously, do you think those great Mr Canary® bird feeders build themselves? So, you get wellness benefits AND stoke the fires of economic recovery when you feed birds. Win/win, right?

Pancakes, bird feeding, presidents -- February is a month chock full of reasons to celebrate, so don't miss any. In fact if you're thinking of taking my advice to heart, don't miss any chance to celebrate. Ever.

Like any good American, come Monday I'll be enjoying a day off and reflecting a little on the blessings we have to celebrate: TempurPedic, Sleep Number, pillow-top, innerspring...the list is long.  I suppose it's why we designate the holiday, the third Monday of every February, National Mattress Sale Weekend. While I was pondering that a thought struck:  is it just me or has anyone else noticed that every year as people across the U.S. are joyously strapping mattresses atop their cars, everywhere you turn you hear about American presidents?  Weird.  Anyway, that got me thinking as I was watching the Goldfinch swinging on the green bird feeder sock in my backyard, do you think any of our Presidents enjoyed feeding birds? 

After some Googling I found this article from the New York State Library.There's a photo of a list of birds seen on the White House grounds as evidence that at least one of our presidents was a bird aficionado. Thank you, Teddy Roosevelt, for exhibiting and encouraging an appreciative respect for our environment. I don't know if you owned any garden bird feeders or if wild bird seed was a constant on your shopping list, but clearly you understood the profound connection to nature we all share. It strikes me as a reasonable expectation to have of all leaders.

Happy Mattress Sale Weekend, President Roosevelt.

President Theodore Roosevelt (L) and John Muir

Page 1, of 3, of Roosevelt's bird list (see article)

I wanted this blog to be about the connection between bird feeders and love, though, so here's my Bird Love Story for you:

Happy Valentine's Day, bird lovers.

I love me some good tips, especially when they make things easier and/or cheaper. So today when I found this article in my search on bird feeder cleaning, I couldn't wait to read it. Not because I love to clean my thistle feeders, exactly the opposite reason, I HATE to clean them. So I'm thinking I'll get some tips to make the job quicker and easier, right? Check out this helpful article I found today about cleaning bird feeders and how you can prevent mold and bacteria nastiness with a "simple cleaning." So pull your HazMat suit out of the closet, get that wheelbarrow full of supplies, and let's get cleaning!
 

You Will Need:

• Rubber gloves
• Stiff brush
• Bleach
• Water
• Bucket or sink
• Soft towel or cloth

Steps to Clean and Sanitize the Bird Feeder:

1. Wear rubber gloves for protection from the bleach as well as any germs that may be present on the feeder.
2. Fill a bucket or sink with one part bleach and nine parts hot water. 
3. Remove any remaining birdseed from the feeder and disassemble as needed to fit all of the parts into the water.
4. Once submerged, use a stiff brush to scrub away any debris that may be present both inside and outside of the feeder. Smaller brushes will be needed for smaller feeders. Old toothbrushes work well for these. (Be sure to sterilize the toothbrush afterward, before you recycle it to your house guests).
5. Clean the perches, lids, feeding ports, platforms, etc. All areas should be disinfected and any bird droppings washed away. (Eeeuuw)
6. Once all parts of the feeder have been cleaned, rinse each piece thoroughly.
7. For the best rinse, hold each piece under clean, running water for at least 10 seconds.
8. Dry each piece completely with a soft cloth.
9. Allow them to air dry until all moisture is gone.
10. Reassemble and refill the bird feeder for use.

Additional Tips and Advice

• The frequency of the cleanings will depend on the use of the feeder. Most feeders should be cleaned at least monthly. Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned each time the nectar is changed.
• There are commercial bird feeder cleaners and disinfectants as well. These can be found at pet supply stores.
• If using dish detergent to clean the bird feeder, use a small amount of unscented detergent. Be sure to rinse the feeder completely.
• In addition to cleaning the feeder, check the surrounding areas. Remove any rotten fruit from trees, and consider covering the areas below with mulch. (Hold on, I just signed on to clean the feeder, not reclaim the environment).

O..M...G.  Really?  Every month? Right. So let's see, by my Easier/Cheaper measurement I would say these tips are what, neither?  They clearly don't make cleaning easier and I'm not very 'mathy' but even I can understand that 'time is money' which puts this assignment into a negative cash flow situation right away. 

Still, I guess it's a way to keep the Audubon caseworker off your doorstep. Or...you can use MY cleaning tip: buy a Mr. Canary® feeder. Keep refilling it until it needs cleaned, then deposit it in the Recycling Bin...and get another. Win/win.

I won't to lie to you, the NFL has NOT declared the Mr. Canary® Finch Feeder to be the Official Bird Feeder of the 2012 Super Bowl. But they should. 

The Superbowl this year is in my city, Indianapolis. In a few weeks we're expecting about 150,000 people in our backyard celebrating the greatest football team of the year.  As Hoosiers, we're no strangers to having a bunch of people hanging around town celebrating sports of one kind or another (Indy 500, The Brickyard, NCAA, Swimming Nationals etc.) so, we're pretty excited to be hosting this party for a different bunch of fan-atics. A gathering of this size, though, needs a lot of volunteers, in this case over 8000; and I'm one of them. Through volunteer training, I've learned that as big as it is, the The Big Game is just one thing the Superbowl brings to its host city.

For example, the NFL partners with Rebuilding Together® to bring their mission of "preserving home ownership and revitalizing low‐income communities to Super Bowl cities." In Indianapolis it means that on the Friday before Superbowl Sunday, volunteers and celebrities will  finish some renovations begun last Fall on the city's east side. It's an environmental spruce-up that shows some love to a run-down area and benefits us all. And that little thread is what I think perfectly ties the Superbowl to feeding birds.

Say what?

See, respect for the environment begins with noticing our surroundings and how it affects us, like the Superbowl organizers noticed the need on Indy's east side. Tens of thousands of people who feed/watch Goldfinches and other birds everyday are, by their very natures, big notice-ers of those kind of things that so profoundly impact our quality of life. And I'll tell you, if there's a more passionate or numerous collective than sports nuts, it's bird nuts.  Imagine the environmental magic they could make together.










 

Bird people like bird stuff, we're quirky that way. For those of you likewise inclined, here is my First Ever 'Five Cool Bird Gifts for Christmas' List..

My daughter, Laura, told me about Etsy.com and now I'm a big fan. It's an e-commerce site that's sort of a crafter's and artisan's answer to ebay. Etsy is where I found my first cool gift: a bird band sterling silver ring. Inspired by the bands used for counting and tracking wild birds, this simple, flat band is sublime. It features the inscription 'Banded by (insert name)', below that a location and beneath that, a date.  What a great wedding ring or anniversary gift; totally unique, kinda 'artsy,' and very personal.










Here's another Etsy.com item, a cute little bird/love Christmas ornament (and seriously, what is cuter than bird/love?). It's simple and precious, handmade and totally affordable.  Love it. 




Literally, there are hundreds of great stationary/card/notepad options on Etsy.com for bird lovers. Here's a cute Christmas card I love because it's customizable for the number of 'birds' in your family and their names.

And what's better than a good book for Christmas?



Here's one the child in your life will like (ages 4 & up) and you'll like reading to them. Check out this Mo Willems book, There Is a Bird on Your Head! Mo Willems is a NY Times best selling author/illustrator of children's books. He won a Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal for this book, and if anyone knows about kids books, it's Dr. Suess. 

Finally, and without a scintilla of braggadocio or false modesty, I recommend the Mr. Canary® Finch Feeder.  That's right, MY product.  It might, in fact, be the PERFECT 'everyman' gift. No kidding, it works for parents, little kids, neighbors, teachers, bus drivers, delivery people -- just about anyone..except maybe teenagers.  And that's too bad because teenagers might benefit the most if they disconnected from technology and reconnected with nature a little more often. But that, is a whole 'nother blog.  My point is, there is something so innately gratifying about touching nature and our small bird feeders offer an easy way to do it. Feeding birds not only brings us closer to nature, but causes us to slow down a little and notice a little more. I never saw squirrels until I started feeding birds. Do you think there weren't any...or I just didn't notice them? And ease? With our thistle feeder you don't have to decide which seed goes in what feeder because the Mr. Canary® feeder comes filled with Nyjer® seed. So simple. 

But if all those reasons aren't compelling enough, consider this: when you purchase this little $5 tube bird feeder, you keep people working who have an extraordinarily difficult time finding any work, let alone decent work. As high as unemployment has ever been in our country, it hasn't come close to the unemployment/underemployment numbers for folks with disabilities.  They need our support; so do their families. Be clear about this, though, my company is for-profit. And while it isn't making me rich, yet, I intend for it to. Because when it does, it'll mean a bunch of us are getting more chances, by working -- not charity, to contribute something...as anyone who is able would want to.

And that'll be the coolest 'bird gift' of all.
 

I'm Jan Long, one half of the Mitchell Sisters and, accordingly, one half owner of the Mr. Canary Company. This is my blog space which I'll update regularly with all sorts of marginally useful and somewhat newsy items about various bird-y things like the difference between Niger seed and Nyjer seed (hint: spelling) and the REAL reason Thistle Seed won't grow thistles in your yard (spoiler: they're sterile). PLUS, I'll reveal all kinds of secret insider information about the fast-lane lifestyle of a bird feeder mogul. Only here you'll get the glamour, the drama and all the dirty details of garden bird feeders with no holds barred!

Add this page to your news feed and baby, I'll show you who's putting the 'wild' in the wild bird seed world!

Bird Feeder Boss Lady aboard her yacht, 
The Yellow Splash  

In our family, talk about feeding birds or Nyjer seed is about as common as daily meals. From the day our Dad, Ray Mitchell, put together the first Mr. Canary Finch Feeder through today, birds in general, and goldfinches in particular, have been a constant family topic. That's why my 'Mother's Day' blogpost was going to be about my Mom and her contribution to our company. And then quite suddenly, a few hours after Mother's Day, my beautiful, funny, smart heroic Mom, Georgia, died. The person who has shown our family every kind of courage and determination and taught us to play the cards we're dealt, is gone. Suddenly, it feels like my life has frozen and I'm waiting. Just like baby birds who have outgrown the nest, I'm waiting for my Mom to return with nurturing and comfort; but she doesn't come and it feels like the cruelest misery. Somehow, after awhile, the babies and I will take the lessons we've learned and move forward again like nature demands, but not today.

Our family business operates in exactly that order of emphasis: FAMILY business. If our emails are returned a little tardily or a return call is delayed, I wanted our wonderful and loyal customers to know why.  In the way my sister and I were taught to live, by our extraordinarily resilient Mom, we'll be back to work again with an optimistic eye on what's ahead. Somehow. After awhile. In the meantime, though, thank you so much for your kind words of support and encouragement, it's impossible to overstate how much they mean.