Do we get Cardinals in Alberta?

These beautiful birds are originally natives of the American South but are now present in most areas of Eastern Canada with the occasional rare sighting in Alberta. The hotspot for Central Alberta is Sherwood Park where there have been at least one, and perhaps as many as three, breeding pairs of Northern Cardinals. A Sherwood Park couple who are long time bird feeders had a male show up at their feeder starting in 2006. He persisted until a female arrived in 2008. Magic happened and a chick from the union was feeding from their bird feeder in 2009. Since then the frequency of sightings has increased slowly. At the store, we've had reports of Cardinal sightings by customers in Redwater, Gibbons, Fort Saskatchewan, Strathcona County, and Sherwood Park confirming that area as the one to watch for growth in the breeding population. There have been occasional sightings in the City of Edmonton and just west of Devon. If you have seen a Northern Cardinal, we'd love to hear from you. Have a look at the Edmonton Journal YouTube video showing the establishment of a family of Cardinals in Sherwood Park.

A Hummer in Every Yard

Not a Hum V but a Hum B, that is - Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in as many back yards as possible, to be more specific.

Attracting hummingbirds to your yard is the goal of a new initiative being taken by us at Wild Birds Unlimited this Spring and Summer. The project aims to encourage people with yards, gardens, flower boxes and hanging baskets to use their garden space to plant flowers, put out feeders, and decorations that will attract hummingbirds.

Anyone who has seen hummingbirds up close knows their unique and captivating magic. We are often asked the question, “Do we get hummingbirds in the Edmonton area?” The answer is “yes” and you may have seen some. But regrettably we don’t get as many as we could. Many people in rural areas have lots of hummingbirds and you can too. The Hummer Summer Project encourages people to do the things required to make your yard attractive to hummingbirds.

Edmonton’s Michael Wiens knows a lot about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, the variety we see in Central and Northern Alberta. He published a book called Jewel of the North summarizing his techniques for attracting hummers and his careful observations of them in his yards in and outside of the city over seven years. You might call him a Hummingbird Whisperer as he has been able to attract large numbers to his yard year after year. In fact last summer saw an unprecedented number of hummers both in and outside of the city.

The first hummingbirds arrive in the Edmonton area every year between May 10 and May 20. Thousands fly over our yards as they either return to their old nesting areas, or the young, who don’t yet have a territory, search for their own space. It’s these young hummers we are aiming to attract by providing them with a territory that they and their future family members will return to year after year – in your garden.

“By planning your backyard garden in advance you can greatly increase the chances of attracting hummers to your yard,” according to Wiens. This involves using types of annuals and perennials that hummingbirds can get nectar from, knowing where to place plants in your yard, and the types of feeders to use and where to position them. At the store we will be offering advice on flower seeds so you can start your own flowers for attracting hummingbirds. Michael Wiens will be in the store in March on two Saturdays, the 14th and 28th from 1 to 3 pm, to answer your questions. L
ater in the Spring we will be emphasizing bedding plants and flowering baskets. We also will have a large selection of hummingbird feeders in a wide range of prices. No purchase necessary for our advice.

Come in to the store to find flower seeds for hummingbirds, information on hummingbird feeders, plus tips on gardening for hummers and hummingbird feeding. Let’s all have “a Hummer Summer!”