• 1 part sugar
• 4 parts water (filtered or boiled); letting the water sit out for 24 hours ahead of time will help dissipate any chlorine from the tap water
• Make sure sugar in solution is completely dissolved before filling feeder.
• NO coloring is needed, and coloring is discouraged.

See bats at a feeder in this video, https://www.facebook.com/tucsonaudubon/videos/10153771761332233/

Consider making your windows bird-safe by following our recommendations here: tucsonaudubon.org/window-strikes/

Yes: Call a wildlife rehabilitator (see above for contact information). If one is not available, call the state wildlife agency (see below for contact information) or call a vet. If unable to reach any of these, go ahead and attempt to rescue the bird following the steps in the section below titled How to Rescue Baby Birds.

No: See the next question

Is the bird feathered?

Yes: It’s a fledgling and it is normal behavior to be hopping on the ground, parents will feed it. Is it safe from cats, dogs and people? If it is safe, leave the area as the baby is okay. If it is not safe, put the bird in bushes or on a tree limb nearby. Watch it from a distance and look to see if the parents are nearby. If you do not see the parents, call a wildlife rehabilitator. If you do see the parents, leave the area as the baby is okay.

No: It’s a nestling and it needs help, can you find the nest and is it intact? If it is okay, put the baby back in the nest and then observe from a distance to see if the parents are visiting the nest. If not, call a wildlife rehabilitator. If they are visiting the nest, leave the area as the baby is okay. (If you can’t find the nest or it is not intact, make a substitute nest by poking holes in the bottom of a berry basket or margarine tub; line it with dry grass and the old nest parts or pine needles and hang from a nearby tree. Put the baby in the nest and then observe from a distance to see if the parents are visiting the nest. If not, call a wildlife rehabilitator.)

If you find a baby duck, goose, quail or killdeer:

If you know the mother is dead, or if the baby is injured, call a wildlife rehabilitator right away. If the baby is separated from the mother and you know where she is, place the baby close by so she can hear it. Watch from a distance. If mother is not found or does not claim baby within an hour, call a wildlife rehabilitator. If you cannot reach one, rescue the baby using the instructions in How to Rescue Baby Birds.

Is the bird a hummingbird?

Hummingbirds with injuries generally cannot be “rehabilitated.” However, young birds can be successfully “rescued,” raised and released, if you are absolutely sure no parent is taking care of them. As noted above, if you find a young, uninjured hummingbird out of the nest and unable to fend for itself, the best course is to facilitate reuniting it with its parent. Often a parent will find the bird if it’s safe from cats and dogs. Only if you are absolutely sure there is no parent should you try to rescue it. Noreen Geyer of the Tucson Mountain Hummingbird Rescue (no longer operating) says that to make absolutely sure there is no parent, you should find the nest and watch it for 90 minutes. Often an adult will come.

1. 1. Prepare a container: Place a clean, soft cloth with no strings or loops on the bottom of a cardboard box or cat/dog carrier with a lid. If it doesn’t have air holes, make some. For smaller birds, you can use a paper sack with air holes.
   2. Protect yourself: Wear gloves, if possible. Some birds may stab with their beaks, slice with their talons/claws and slap with their wings, to protect themselves, even if sick; birds commonly have parasites (fleas, lice, ticks) and carry diseases.
   3. Cover the bird with a light sheet or towel.
   4. Gently pick up the bird and put it in the prepared container.
   5. Warm the animal if it’s cold or to if the animal is chilled. Put one end of the animal’s container on a heating pad set on low, or, fill a zip-top plastic bag, plastic soft drink container with a screw lid, or a rubber glove with hot water; wrap the warm container with cloth, and put next to the animal. Make sure the container doesn’t leak, or the animal will get wet and chilled.
   6. Tape the box shut or roll the top of the paper bag closed.
   7. Note exactly where you found the bird. This will be very important for release.
   8. Keep the bird in a warm, dark, quiet place. Don’t give the bird food or water. Leave the bird alone; don’t handle or bother it. Keep children and pets away.
   9. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator, state wildlife agency, or wildlife veterinarian as soon as possible. Don’t keep the bird at your home longer than necessary. Keep the bird in a container; don’t let it loose in your house or car.
   10. Wash your hands after contact with the bird. Wash anything the bird was in contact with (towel, jacket, blanket, pet carrier) to prevent the spread of diseases and/or parasites to you or your pets.
   11. Get the bird to a wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.

Contacts:

• • • Tucson Wildlife Center: (520) 290-9453 or (520) 903-1104
    • Wildlife Rehabilitation in Northwest Tucson: (520) 743-0217

• Bird Banding Lab: 1-800-327-2263 pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/
• Domestic Pigeons: 1-800-755-2778
• Univ. of Arizona Cooper’s Hawk study

• Univ. of Arizona Lab, George Bradley: (520) 621-3187
• Pima County Health Dept: (520) 740-3191
• Electrocuted birds – see next question

• Email TEP (Tucson Electric Power) Raptor Protection Program: nestsentry@yahoo.com
• Arizona Game and Fish: (520) 628-5276, ext 4446
• www.tep.com/news/features/raptor/

NOTE: Birds of prey look bigger than they really are. Harris’ Hawks weigh about 2 lbs, give or take an ounce or so. A Great Horned Owl can weigh just over 5 lbs (but that’s a big one–many are only 3 lbs!) Eagles are pretty rare around here, and Bald Eagles prefer ducks and fish. Golden Eagles prey on rabbits, and are shy around humans only vary rarely seen in the metro area.

New feeding area:
If you’re just now starting to feed birds, it may take a while for them to find your feeder. Location and time of year both play a factor. Every situation is different, so be patient and you will hopefully be rewarded when your neighborhood birds begin including your feeders in their routines.

Predators:
Predators can also affect your population of feeder birds. Cooper’s hawks, which are numerous in Tucson, are the most common feathered backyard predator. There are other diurnal raptors that can prey on your feeder birds as well. Keep in mind that by creating a feeding station for birds, you are also creating a very tempting place for predatory birds to feed. You’ll have to accept this as part of the enjoyment of watching the birds at your feeder.

On the flipside, domestic cats pose a huge threat to wild birds. Cats are also attracted by gatherings of feeding birds, and can impact the presence of birds in your yard. Many cat owners have a hard time believing that their cat kills birds and other small animals. If you know the owner of the cat, try to convince them to place a collar and tiny bell on it (or better yet, keep it inside). If the cat is suspected to be feral, call animal control.

Avoid attracting pigeons:

• Architectural elements: for example, eliminating ledges and perching places with netting, mesh, or spikes.
• Don’t spread seed (or other food) on the ground (this is also important for preventing the spread of disease)
• If you feed birds with seed feeders,
  • reduce the number of feeders and use feeders that are less likely to drop seed on the ground.
  • avoid using quail blocks
  • use more black oil sunflower seed and less of the grains
  • pigeons and blackbirds like grains, so if you usually feed grain, consider switching to black oil sunflower seed for a while
  • try other feeders like hummingbird feeders and suet cakes (pigeons don’t use these)
• Elevate your water dish off the ground and keep it small so that not a lot of pigeons can get at it at once
• Pigeons like open areas where they can look for food on the ground, so plant your yard with as much dense native vegetation—trees and shrubs—as possible. This will make the area less inviting to pigeons and more inviting to native birds.

Discourage unwanted birds if they have already taken hold:

• Owl or raptor decoys may work for a while, but don’t be surprised if you see a pigeon sitting on the head of your plastic owl a few months after installing it.
• Noise and movement: for years, gardeners have hung aluminum pie pans, CDs, or the like from strings in trees or rafters to scare away pesky birds. Variations of this might work for you, too.
• Recorded noises that might simulate a handclap or other startling noise can also do the trick.
• Gadgets are available such as sticky fly-paper sheets, sonic deterrents, and arrays of spikes to put on ledges to keep unwanted birds from perching.
• Don’t be afraid to be creative, just remember whatever you do may impact the other birds that visit your yard.

Some bird species are more territorial than others. During the breeding season (which in Southeast Arizona can be most any time of year, depending on the species), many birds become more aggressive with other individuals of their own species. It may appear that they are admiring themselves in the window, but in fact they recognize the image reflected in the glass as a rival of their own species. Their instinct is to chase away the competition by fluttering at the window, pecking at the reflection, or otherwise acting strangely. Birds should be discouraged from doing this as they expend a lot of precious energy doing this when they should be foraging and interacting with real birds. They can even hurt themselves doing this.

The most effective way to stop this is to temporarily cover the offending window area until the bird is satisfied he has emerged victorious. This is usually along the base of the window where the bird can perch on the sill.

Consider making your windows bird-safe by following our recommendations here: tucsonaudubon.org/window-strikes/

Ponds and other large water features are not necessary and may waste scarce water to evaporation. A good option is a small dish with a recirculating drip, which helps attract birds.