Dammann's Lawn, Garden & Landscaping Centers

Featured Bird
The Northern Cardinal

Photos by Ken Thomas

Named after the red robes worn by Roman Catholic cardinals, this brilliant colored songbird is one of the most recognizable in our Indiana landscapes. Males are fiercely territorial, defending their nesting area to the extent of attacking their own reflection, perceiving it to be another male. Females have the same distinctive crest but are paler in color. Pairs typically mate in March and again in May, laying up to 4 eggs per brood.

Food

Seeds, especially oil sunflower
Insects
Fruit and berries
Suet cakes

Feeding

Usually on or near the ground and tray type feeders

Habitat

Dense shrubs, overgrown fields, hedges, Cardinals nest in dense foliage and look for high perches for singing.

Because of their color and song, cardinals were once sold as caged birds until the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 banned their sale.
Life span of the cardinal in the wild is 10 to 15 years with the oldest recorded cardinal 15 years 9 months.
Increase in populations and range has been attributed to humans providing food and areas for nesting.
Indiana is one of seven states claiming the Northern Cardinal as their state bird.

Observe and count the birds at your feeders this winter and participate in Project Feeder Watch or Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. Fun for bird lovers of all ages and a fun family activity. These counts provide data for tracking bird populations and movements. For more information and registration visit www.birds.cornell.edu and www.audubon.org

Audubon BirdCam for Busy Birdwatchers and Families

The Audubon BirdCam is a must for anyone who enjoys the outdoors and wants to learn more about what's happening with backyard wildlife. This motion-activated digital camera takes photos and videos (with sound) of backyard birds. It features a rugged, weatherproof body for extended outdoor use, and easily downloads photos and videos to your computer. Viewing, sharing and printing are easy! Available at Dammann's Southside only.

BirdCam 2.0 Takes Bird Photography to the Next Level

The highest resolution BirdCam, the BirdCam 2.0 includes a flash for nighttime or low-light photography. Added based on requests from avid birdwatchers, the flash enables the BirdCam 2.0 to capture stunning photos and videos of nighthawks, owls and other nocturnal creatures. Available at Dammann's Southside only.

Dear Dammanns,

I was watching my backyard birds the other morning and to my horror a hawk swooped down and flew off with one of the birds that had come to feed! How can I make my birds safer from predators? - JW

If you wanted an episode of Wild Kingdom, you could have just turned on Animal Planet! While it is impossible to guarantee the safety of the birds we try so hard to attract to our yards, there are a few things you can do to minimize the threat of predators.

Believe it or not the number one stalker is the housecat. If your own feline has run of the yard you might try attaching a small bell to its collar so it has a little trouble sneaking up on the birds. Of course that won't help with your neighbors cat so here are some tips for making your feeding stations somewhat safer.

Place birdfeeders in areas that are hard to reach or on an isolated pole in the yard.
Provide trees or shrubs they can fly into for protection but do not place feeders too close to these areas since cats may hide in them.
Use baffles on your feeders to keep predators from climbing up to the feeder.
Place feeders under a roof or pergola so hawks will not be able to look down on your feeder.

And lastly, if predators persist it may be necessary to take feeders down for a few weeks to break the cycle and force the predator to look elsewhere for food.

If you have birding or gardening questions just write us at dammannsgardens@aol.com