Wild Birds Unlimited

10/14/2026

🍒 Fall is a great time to watch for Cedar Waxwings. These fruit-loving birds can gather in flocks of hundreds, descending on berry-filled trees and shrubs to feast. A tree suddenly full of Cedar Waxwings is quite a sight!

❤️ But, why are they called Cedar Waxwings?

Because they really do have wax on their wings! 😮 Those bright red tips on a Cedar Waxwing’s secondary wing feathers are actually waxy secretions. They get their red color from carotenoid pigments in berries.

Not every Cedar Waxwing has them. The number of red wax tips generally increases as a bird matures, and research suggests they may serve as a status signal used in mate selection. 💞

Want to attract them to your yard? Plant native trees and shrubs that produce small fruits, including dogwood, serviceberry, cedar, juniper, hawthorn and winterberry. 🌳🐦

10/13/2026

Thinking about adding a nest box to your yard? Fall is the PERFECT time! 🍂

❄️ Winter Shelter: Nest boxes aren't just for raising babies! Birds may use them as cozy roosting spots to escape cold winter weather.
🪹 Early House Hunters: Some cavity-nesting birds start scouting potential nesting sites as early as January and February. Get that box up before the competition begins!
🕰️ Time to Settle In: Installing a box now gives your backyard birds plenty of time to discover it and get comfortable before nesting season.

What birds would you like to have nest in your yard next spring? 🏡

10/11/2026

🦉 Whooo’s listening?

Have you listened to our Nature Centered Podcast? Each month, WBU Naturalist Brian Cunningham shares fascinating information about birds, backyard wildlife and enjoying nature right outside your door.

This month’s episode is “Owls in Our Yards.”🌳 Brian is joined by Wild Birds Unlimited Founder Jim Carpenter, who has hosted nesting owls for nearly 30 years, to talk about what it really takes to welcome owls to your yard. Hint: it’s about much more than putting up a nest box!

Learn how native trees, water, brush piles and avoiding rodenticides can create better owl habitat... plus get to know more about their diet, behavior and calls. 🌠

🎧 Tune in here: https://www.wbu.com/podcast/

10/09/2026

🍂 October is here. Time to get cozy with the birds! 🐦
Sweater weather. Crisp mornings. A warm drink. And a backyard full of birds? Yes, please.

While we’re settling into fall, our backyard birds are getting down to business... finding reliable food, caching seeds and building up the energy reserves they’ll need for the colder months ahead.

You can help! Keep feeders filled with high-quality foods, provide fresh water and offer plenty of shelter. Then comes the easy part: get cozy, grab a good viewing spot and enjoy the show. ☕🐦🍁

Need to get your backyard ready? Stop in and see us. We’ll help you find the right foods, feeders and water solutions to keep your birds happy all season long.

10/07/2026

🐿️ FEED ’EM OR DEFEAT ’EM!

Love ’em or lose your mind over ’em 🤯 squirrels aren’t going anywhere. And you have to admit, they’re pretty impressive little problem-solvers.

A squirrel can:
🚀 Jump up to 5 feet straight up
💥 Leap up to 10 feet between trees or structures
🙃 Hang upside down by its back feet while happily helping itself to your bird food
😏 Figure out an alarming number of supposedly “squirrel-proof” situations

So when it comes to your backyard squirrels, you have two choices:

DEFEAT ’EM: We have TRULY squirrel-proof feeders, baffles, hot pepper foods and plenty of tricks to help keep them out of the bird food. 🙅

FEED ’EM: Raise the white flag, give them their own feeder and enjoy the show. 🏳️

🐿️ Feed ’em or defeat ’em. You decide. We're here to help!

10/06/2026

🕸️ This Halloween, skip the fake spider webs!

Those stretchy synthetic webs may look spooky, but they can be dangerous for wildlife, especially since Halloween decorating overlaps with fall migration.

Birds, owls, butterflies, dragonflies, bees and other small animals can become tangled, leading to injury or death.

And because fake webbing isn’t biodegradable, it can blow into trees, shrubs and other areas long after Halloween is over.

🎃 Decorate spooky. Keep it wildlife-friendly. And please spread the word!

10/06/2026

Many backyard birds are clever food hiders, or “cachers,” storing seeds, nuts and even insects in tree crevices, under bark or in the ground to eat later! 🌳🥜 These smart birds use landmarks, the sun and even each other to keep track of their stashes, helping them survive tough winters and busy seasons. ❄️☀️ Watching them work is like seeing a tiny treasure hunt happen in your backyard! 🔍✨

10/04/2026

🥊 Want contenders for FAT BIRD WEEK? Learn how to fatten up your birds!

High-fat, high-energy foods provide the fuel birds need to stay warm, active and ready for the colder months ahead. So what should you put on the menu?

🥜 Bark Butter — Packed with fat and protein and known to attract more than 160 species of birds.

🐦 Bark Butter Bits — Soft, easy-to-eat nuggets of high-energy goodness. Serve them alone or mix them right into your seed. Available in Hot Pepper, too!

🔥 Suet Stackables — High-fat suet cakes that can be stacked with Seed Cylinders to offer more variety from one feeder. Also available in Hot Pepper.

🪶 Suet & No-Melt Dough — A favorite of woodpeckers and other clinging birds and an easy way to add extra calories to your feeding station. Yep... there are Hot Pepper varieties here, too!

Fall is no time for dieting. Keep those feeders filled with high-energy foods and help your backyard birds put on the fuel they need for the season ahead. Fat birds are ready birds. 💪🐦

10/02/2026

Bears have ... let's have . We searched long and hard, and we have 4 top contenders for the best of the best fat birds!

Mighty the Hummer: This female Ruby-throated Hummingbird has been sipping nectar and eating insects nonstop - hummingbirds will double their weight before flying over 1,000 miles south. She looks ready. ✈️

Puffy the Warbler: Warblers can double their weight before migration. 🐦

Chunky the Mallard: All that good food this summer has plumped up this duck. 🦆

Round the Robin: Berries, seeds and lots of worms ensure this robin is ready for colder weather. 🐛 🍒

Which bird gets your vote?! ✅

09/30/2026

Why leave the leaves? 🍂 Let this robin show you!

Instead of just pecking the dirt, robins hop across the ground and forcefully toss leaves aside with their beaks. Decaying leaves and damp soil provide a safe home for overwintering bugs, beetles and worms... and essential food for our insect-eating birds. 🕷️🐛

09/29/2026

The windows in our homes and offices can be hazardous for birds. Birds cannot readily distinguish the presence of a pane of transparent glass from an unobstructed space or passageway and often fly into window panes causing injury or death. Click here to learn more: www.wbu.com/window-strikes

09/23/2026

09/22/2026

In the Northern Hemisphere, the First Day of Autumn is Tuesday, September 22. That's when the length of day and night are almost the same. Be sure your feeders are ready for some hungry birds that are either preparing or recharging for the longer nights.

The Blue Jay shown is an example of a North American bird working hard to find the additional calories needed to make it through autumn's longer hours of darkness. Which birds are visiting your backyard this season? Share in the comments.

09/21/2026

What kind of corvids do you have in your yard? Are you seeing crows, jays, or maybe even ravens?

If you haven't listened to the most recent episode of the Podcast, tune in today! You won't want to miss this very interesting topic! Listen here: https://www.wbu.com/podcast/episode-113-jays-crows-other-corvids/

09/16/2026

Kathy and John Haigh have recently purchased the WBU store in Spokane, WA! John and Kathy also own the WBU stores in Billings and Bozeman, MT. We’re so excited to see their WBU journey continue to grow and can’t wait to see all the wonderful things they’ll bring to the Spokane community!
To learn more about how you can own your own WBU store, please visit us at https://franchise.wbu.com. To find a local WBU store near you, please visit https://www.wbu.com.

09/13/2026

It's National Peanut Day! 🥜 To celebrate, let's fill up our peanut feeders for our friends that love peanuts like Jays, Nuthatches, Titmice, Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and...love them or hate them...squirrels!

Featured Bird: Downy Woodpecker
Feeder and WBU Food: EcoClean Peanut Feeder with Peanuts, Out of the Shell

09/10/2026

What if jays or crows could save your life, help replant forests after fires, or learn to communicate with you? Brian is joined by WBU store owners Kurtis Huston of Kamloops, BC and Laura Fleming of Medford, OR to explore the fascinating world of jays, crows and other corvids. Discover just how intelligent these birds can be, the surprising ways they interact with people, and the important roles they play in the natural world. Plus, learn how to attract or deter them. Listen here: https://www.wbu.com/podcast/episode-113-jays-crows-other-corvids/

09/07/2026

This Labor Day, take a moment to rest, recharge, and listen to the birds. You work hard—you’ve earned a little R&R. Here’s to long weekends, lazy mornings, and soaking up the simple things. 😌

The Red-headed Woodpecker shown is a beautiful sight at feeders across many regions of the US. Let us know which birds are stopping by your feeders this holiday weekend. Share in the comments.