Titmice

The Tufted Titmice is our bird of the month this January. We haven't posted that much about them except on our website, so I thought I would show him a little love right here. They are cute little guys but can also have a feisty attitude and are quite brave. I have even witnessed a titmouse plucking fur from an unsuspecting golden retriever to use as nesting material .The Tufted Titmouse is actually one of my favorite birds. They are always so faithful to my feeders and so much fun to watch.  I often see them carefully choose a sunflower seed from the feeder and fly off to a near tree to peck it open and eat it. Sometimes the little Titmouse decides to take the kernel and hide it for later use. They are known for hiding seed kernels in cracks of tree bark or other tight spaces they find to stuff a seed. This practice is called "caching".

The Tufted Titmouse is not that picky about his food. They eat a variety of things and love peanuts & suet. The Titmouse is a regular at my Bark Butter Feeder, pulling off a mouthful then flying away.  They are also one of the smallest birds that enjoy peanuts in the shell and have no problem shelling the peanut for their enjoyment. They can often be seen feeding with other birds like chickadees, cardinals, woodpeckers, and finches. They can also grow quite fond of people and are one of the first birds to show up at window feeders. 

Like our Bluebirds, Titmice nest in cavities but have no way to form their own cavity. They use old woodpecker holes in trees, rotted tree holes, or other natural cavities and artificial nesting boxes. Their natural nesting cavities are hard to come by these days so quite often they turn to man made nesting boxes. Some people find Titmice taking over their Bluebird house or Wren house.

Titmice are fun to watch, social around people and other birds, and eat a variety of things. There really isn't much not to like about this bird. They are always a welcome guest at my feeder!

Danielle Motley
Owner

Wild Birds Unlimited
624 Coleman Blvd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

P:(843)216-8800
F:(843)216-8800
E: wbumtpleasant@yahoo.com

Visit us on the web at www.wbu.com/mtpleasant or "like" us on Facebook!

"We bring people and nature together!"

 

________________________________________________________________ ___________

 

I am also a Community Outreach & Education person for the Charleston Audubon Society!

Contact me if you need a guest speaker at any event or group gathering or if you would like any other information on the Charleston Audubon Society!

 

Learn more about the Charleston Audubon Society online or join the Charleston Audubon Society on Facebook!

New Owners, About Us

Below was copied straight from the Business Kudo's section in the Moultrie News. Here is the link. It was posted January 11th and I missed the print edition. Hopefully I can get a copy from somewhere.

 
 
Wild Birds Unlimited
 
"The Wild Birds Unlimited, located on Coleman Boulevard, recently changed ownership. The new owners, Mark and Danielle Motley, are excited about the opportunity to provide bird feeding and nature products, expert advice, and educational events to Mount Pleasant residents.
Wild Birds Unlimited is a nature shop that specializes in outdoor birding supplies. "Backyard bird feeding is second only in popularity to gardening and is enjoyed by over 53 million Americans," Danielle said. "We are excited to bring people and nature together by offering expert advice and quality supplies for this fun hobby."
Mark and Danielle both grew up in the Charleston area. Danielle has been working in the Wild Birds Unlimited on Coleman for the past two years and before that three years at the Wild Birds Unlimited in West Ashley.
She fell in love with the concept of the store right away and could quickly see herself being a store owner one day.
Shortly after Mark and Danielle married in April of last year the opportunity of ownership presented itself and they felt more than ready.
"The store has such a great atmosphere and our customer base is full of friendly nature oriented people. We were thrilled for the opportunity and believe the store will do great things," says Danielle.
Wild Birds Unlimited is part of the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores with more than 270 locations throughout the United States and Canada.
Wild Birds Unlimited specializes in bringing people and nature together with bird feeding and nature products, expert advice and educational events. Visit our Web site at www.wbu.com/mtpleasant."

We are often sending out press releases to the local media in hopes of keeping everyone informed on what is going on locally with the birds. If you see us in any of the papers, let us know! We try to clip our articles and post them in the store but sometimes we get published and miss it.

Thanks!

Danielle Motley
Owner

Wild Birds Unlimited
624 Coleman Blvd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

P:(843)216-8800
F:(843)216-8800
E: wbumtpleasant@yahoo.com

Visit us on the web at www.wbu.com/mtpleasant or "like" us on Facebook!

"We bring people and nature together!"

________________________________________________________________ ___________

I am also a Community Outreach & Education person for the Charleston Audubon Society!

Contact me if you need a guest speaker at any event or group gathering or if you would like any other information on the Charleston Audubon Society!

Learn more about the Charleston Audubon Society online or join the Charleston Audubon Society on Facebook!



TreeNutty Woodpecker Feeder

If you get our e-mail newsletters or follow us on Facebook then it is no secret how much I love this new feeder. I was so excited when I found out about it and got even more excited when we got it in the store, then, I got even more excited when I was able to get one of my very own. This feeder is so different from any feeder they have come out with in a long time and the birds are loving it.

It is exclusive to only Wild Birds Unlimited so you won't be able to find it anywhere else. It makes me happy to know that WBU is helping design leading edge, high quality products to keep bird feeding fresh and exciting. This particular feeder is made of recycled milk jugs and features a special "bark panel" to hold the ever so popular Jim's Birdacious Bark Butter. It has plexi glass siding on the opposite side so you can easily view how much seed you have left in the TreeNutty reservoir. For those of you not up to date, TreeNutty is a very high quality seed blend that contains premium black oil sunflower seed, raisins, tree nuts, peanuts, and calcium. I highly recommend it but if you would like, you can also fill your TreeNutty Woodpecker Feeder with peanuts or a blend containing peanuts.  

This side shows off the "bark panel"

So far those that have purchased this feeder have been impressed and seen birds such as titmice, nuthatches, jays, wrens, warblers, the occasional bluebird & obviously woodpeckers of all different kinds. I have not been able to watch my feeders lately but I am having to refill often. As soon as I can get my new Audubon BirdCam mounted then I will be able to see what birds I am attracting while I am here at the store. I will also share all most of those photos with you.

This photo is showing the TreeNutty Blend.

Below is a video of the TreeNutty Feeder in action. The video shows the tree mount version which I opted not to carry in our store here in Mt. Pleasant, SC. We have such a huge squirrel population and my thoughts were that the tree mount one would attract more squirrels than anything. If this version appeals to you, I can order it with no problem.

So, if you are thinking about a new feeder or looking for a way to attract more birds to your yard then I believe this feeder would be the one to try.

Hope you enjoyed!

Danielle Motley
Owner

Wild Birds Unlimited
624 Coleman Blvd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

P:(843)216-8800
F:(843)216-8800
E: wbumtpleasant@yahoo.com

Visit us on the web at www.wbu.com/mtpleasant or "like" us on Facebook!

"We bring people and nature together!"

 

________________________________________________________________ ___________

 

I am also a Community Outreach & Education person for the Charleston Audubon Society!

Contact me if you need a guest speaker at any event or group gathering or if you would like any other information on the Charleston Audubon Society!

 

Learn more about the Charleston Audubon Society online or join the Charleston Audubon Society on Facebook!

Bluebird Bonanza

We are having a suprise one day only sale aka Bluebird Bonanza today! All of our bluebird houses, mealworm feeders, and mealworms are 20% off for one day only! I won't go on about all the details here but check out our e-mail newsletter by clicking here and you can learn everything you need to know about today's special.

I will go on for a minute about why we are bringing attention to bluebirds so early this year. This has been a warm winter and the birding activity has been a bit different than years past. The bluebirds have been in and out of the nesting boxes a lot lately and it has been for more than just to stay warm. Many believe they are looking for their nesting spots early this year and I believe it's better to be safe than sorry. There is not reason not to go ahead and put your nesting box up and the bluebirds will be more than happy to start eating the mealworms now rather than a few months from now.

I will write an entire bluebird series a little later on how to attract them, ways to feed them, how to be bluebird landlord and more! If you have any early questions you can always call me at the store at 843-216-8800 or stop on by.

Thanks!

Danielle Mötley

Store Owner

Squirrel Nesting Season

You read my last post correct, I did end that post saying "happy birding" so why is this squirrel nesting post even on here!? The answer: simply because I KNOW I am not the only one who finds these little guys sort of adorable. They are acrobatic, smart, funny, and destructive resourceful. They are also a part of birdfeeding, for some people a bigger part than they might prefer. For those people I am giving a fair warning that you have more little pesky squirrels to look forward to soon. Or...that you need to come in quickly and get a new squirrel proof feeder. (Like how I snuck that in there, mwahahaha)

Ok, back on subject. Squirrel nesting season is upon us. They actually nest twice a year, once in Jauary and then again in August. Squirrels make their nest, during the winter, completely water proof and use a lining of bark, lichen, moss, fur, and leaves. Their nests are called dreys. During the nesting season they typically have one litter of 3-4 young. The life expectancy of these youngsters is only about one year, though captive ones have been known to live up to 15 years.

 

Do you want to help these little squirrels make it? Their favorite natural foods are pecans, walnuts, and acorns. As your acorns & pecans fall during the fall, I suggest sweeping them into a pile and storing some as future bird or squirrel food if you have no other plans for them. Squirrels enjoy sunflower seeds the most at the feeder but they also LOVE peanuts. Along with all these you might find a squirrel munching on  fruit, insects, eggs, and mushrooms. Squirrels must drink water at least twice per day. If you are feeling generous this squirrel nesting season be sure to keep a bird bath or fountain full of fresh water for them.

Another fun fact: Squirrels eat about 1.5 pounds of seed and nuts a week and their digestive track is 7 feet long! Who would have thought?

Happy....Squirreling??? How about just have a good day!

Danielle Motley

Store Owner

Jumping on the Train

Hello birding friends,

I am jumping on the social media train all the way around. We just started a twitter account, have been on FB and I feel compelled to start a blog. Some fellow WBU owners do a fabulous job and since I am one of the youngest owners of a WBU I think I need to stay on top of all of this. Here I will post about the local birding activity, other birding news, store news, events, and more! I am a busy little bird bee but will try my best to keep you all in the loop!

Thank you and happy birding!

Danielle Motley
Owner