Make Mom's Backyard Bloom with Joy (and Birds)
This Mother's Day, give Mom the perfect blend of nature and beauty. Our Blossom Collection features the Spring Blossom Seed Wreath Feeder and Chirp Blossom™ Seed Wreath, designed to attract a variety of birds. Turn her backyard into a living bouquet filled with activity, song and joy. Shop now.
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$10 OFF Purchase of $60 or More*
*Valid in-store at the participating store(s) listed or by shopping online. One discount per purchase. Offer not valid on previous purchases, gift cards, optics, DSC memberships or sale items. May not be applied towards the purchase of electronic feeders, houses or accessories. Offer valid thru 5/11/2026. Promo Code: MOM10
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$20 OFF Purchase of $100 or More*
*Valid in-store at the participating store(s) listed or by shopping online. One discount per purchase. Offer not valid on previous purchases, gift cards, optics, DSC memberships or sale items. May not be applied towards the purchase of electronic feeders, houses or accessories. Offer valid thru 5/11/2026. Promo Code: MOM20
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$40 OFF Purchase of $200 or More*
*Valid in-store at the participating store(s) listed or by shopping online. One discount per purchase. Offer not valid on previous purchases, gift cards, optics, DSC memberships or sale items. May not be applied towards the purchase of electronic feeders, houses or accessories. Offer valid thru 5/11/2026. Promo Code: MOM40
Prepare for the Season (and a lot of Bird Activity)
Spring is one of the most exciting seasons for bird enthusiasts. As winter gives way to warmer days, birds become more active, showy and vocal. By being seasonally savvy, you can create the perfect environment to help them thrive. With just a few thoughtful choices, your backyard can become an important stopover for migrating flocks and a safe haven for year-round residents.
As spring progresses, many migrant species will arrive, while winter visitors prepare to leave the area. To support both groups, provide foods high in fat and energy, which are essential fuel for long journeys. Suet, high-fat seed blends, and Bark Butter® are excellent options to keep them energized and healthy as they travel.
At the same time, courtship and nesting activities shift into high gear. Soon, young birds will appear at your feeders, eager for a reliable food source. Offering high-protein, calcium-enriched foods helps busy parents and their young. Spring is also the ideal season to enhance your yard by adding new feeders and planting native trees, shrubs and flowers that provide food and shelter for birds.
Visit us soon to learn more about getting your yard ready for spring and the birds that follow.
Birds pictured are representative of the many North American species that migrate. Ask us which birds are migrating in our area.
Plant a Tree, Save the Song Birds
Birds and trees go hand in hand. Trees aren’t just part of the landscape, they’re lifelines for birds. They provide shelter in every season, safe nesting sites in spring and an endless buffet of insects that nourish adults and their hungry offspring. Simply put: more trees = more birds.
Habitat loss is the biggest factor for the decline in bird populations. That's why Wild Birds Unlimited has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to restore critical forest habitats across the US and Canada. Together, we’re planting thousands of native trees that will benefit not only today’s birds, but generations to come.
You can be part of the solution right in your own backyard. Planting a single native tree creates food, cover and nesting opportunities for local birds, while also making your environment healthier and more vibrant. Join our mission to #SaveTheSongBirds and help nature thrive, one tree at a time. Learn more at www.wbu.com/plant-trees.
Prevent Window Strikes and Help Save the Song Birds
Here’s a harsh truth: colliding with windows can be fatal for birds. Even if they manage to fly away, they're not just “stunned,” birds are often seriously injured. Windows reflecting sky or greenery trick birds into thinking there’s a clear flight path, and juvenile birds (who are just figuring things out) are especially at risk.
Preventing window strikes is one way you can help Save the Song Birds. With a few thoughtful adjustments, you can help birds recognize your windows as barriers, not passage ways.
- Feeder Placement: Place bird feeding stations within three feet (1 meter) of the window or beyond ten feet (3 meters). Within three feet, birds ‘fleeing’ the feeder area will not have built up enough speed to injure themselves if they strike the window. Beyond ten feet, birds will have enough time to spot and avoid the window.
- Visual Cues: Apply deterrents to your windows (such as screens or decals) to help birds see the barrier and give them a chance to take action before any harm is done.
- Install a Window Feeder: Use a window feeder to make birds more aware of the glass and so you have a front-row seat to watch your feathered visitors.
Go here to learn more, or stop by the store and we’ll walk you through the best ways to wipe out window strikes.
Go here to purchase window decals online
Wild Birds Unlimited in Winchester is your source for high quality Zeis Optics. With exceptional optical performance, these are perfect for bird watchers and all nature lovers.
Check out our range of optics here
MAY NATURE HAPPENINGS
• Orioles return this month and begin nesting. Get feeders, nectar, jelly and fruit out early.
• Get up early one morning and listen to male birds sing proclaiming their territory as well and announcing their presence to females. This is the “Dawn Chorus”.
• Check out nesting boxes to see what songbirds are building nests or laying their eggs ~ Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Bluebirds, House Wrens or Tree Swallows. There is still time to put up a nesting box for nesting season.
• Keep a watchful eye for the English sparrow (House Sparrow) aggressively taking over Bluebird and Tree Swallow nesting boxes.
• Broad-winged and Sharp-shinned Hawk migration at its peak early in month. Take a road trip to Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania.
• Northern Mockingbirds can be heard singing through the night into early summer.
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are back building strength from their arduous migration from Central America. Keep the nectar feeders filled!
• Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Wood Thrushes, Indigo Buntings, and Chimney Swifts return, plus the mimic thrushes ~ Grey Catbirds and Brown Thrashers.
• Sub-adult Purple Martins return to establish new colonies early in month. There is still time to put up Purple Martin houses.
• Nesting materials are being collected, put out some cotton batting, dog hair or nesting balls.
• Look for Cedar Waxwing pairs passing a flower petal, berry, or insect back and forth as a courtship behavior.
• Watch for the male Cardinal to feed the female as part of their courtship behavior.
• Chickadees and titmice become scarce at feeders as they nest and raise their young.
• Pink Lady Slippers, Painted Trillium, and Bunchberry are in bloom.
• Poison Ivy is blooming. Watch for it in flower gardens.
• Monarch Butterflies have arrived and are laying eggs on milkweed plants.
• Yearling Black Bears leave their mothers to find a new home now through July, becoming major nuisances in neighborhoods.
• Before mowing the lawn, walk around your yard to see if there are any rabbit nesting spots. They are usually evident by dead patches of grass.
• Check dead trees before cutting them down for squirrel nests.
• Painted and Snapping Turtles are moving to dry land to lay their eggs; look for them while driving as they cross highways and back roads. If possible give them an assist ~ but only in the direction they are traveling.