Quiz

Did I mention there was going to be a quiz?

100% - Grandmaster, I’d like to shake your hand.

85-99% - You should consider making this a career.

60-84% - You should send me your resume.

Under 25% - Maybe a career as a weather person where this would be considered a high score.

True or False:

1. If you want to attract small birds you should feed small seed. _____

2. It takes 36 hours in your birdbath for mosquito eggs can hatch into adults. _____

3. Great-crested Flycatchers, Blue Jays, and Hairy Woodpeckers all use the same size bird house. _____

4. 7x50 binoculars are 15 times more powerful than 7x35. _____

5. Chickadee, nuthatch, jays, woodpeckers and blackbirds are attracted to peanuts. ____

6. A Bald Eagle is bigger than a Golden Eagle. ____

7. It’s impossible to keep squirrels off your feeders. _____

8. A nesting colony of Chimney Swifts may have 20 nests or more per chimney. _____

9. To save money, mix white millet in with the nyjer seed, finch love it and it won’t attract pigeons. _____

10. Hummingbird nectar has to be dyed red. _____

11. When it’s time for hummingbirds to migrate south, they pick a day when conditions are right and fly nonstop to South America._____

12. Plastic owls will scare pigeons away from feeders but the more desirable birds are unaffected.

13. Mesh feeders work well for black oil sunflower and peanuts but aren’t a great choice for nyjer. ____

14. New Brunswick eagles migrate south before our rivers freeze over. _____

15. Pigeons aren’t able to eat nyjer from the proper feeder if you don’t use a tray. (so at least you can feed finch) ____

Multiple Choice:

1. Woodpeckers drum on your stove pipe at dawn because

a. they want you to fill the suet feeder.

b. they think you should be awake too.

c. they’re trying to attract a girlfriend.

2. The best thing you can do to attract waxwings is

a. feed nyjer seed.

b. feed sunflower seed.

c. feed suet.

d. plant native fruit trees.

3. Platform feeders attract

a. doves and jays.

b. goldfinch and chickadees.

c. cardinals and grosbeaks.

d. all the above.

4. In New Brunswick, American Goldfinch

a. hibernate.

b. migrate.

c. stay all winter in a duller winter plumage.

d. both b and c.

5. All the experts say hummingbird nectar should be

a. 1 part sugar: 2 parts water.

b. 1 part sugar: 1 part water.

c. 1 part sugar: 4 parts water.

6. Tree Swallows require houses

a. with at least 4 compartments.

b. placed 2 per pole.

c. placed about 100 feet apart.

7. A good way to attract more birds to your yard is to

a. use mixed seed.

b. use a variety of feeders with the proper seed in each feeder.

c. add a feature with moving water, like a fountain or dripper.

d. both b and c.

8. A Blue Jays all time favourite food is

a. sunflower seeds. (they’ll do anything to get them)

b. millet. (they’ll do anything to get it)

c. corn. (they’ll do anything to get it)

d. peanuts in the shell. (they’ll do anything to get them)

9. In the spring, birds repeatedly fly against your windows because

a. they want in your house.

b. they see their reflection and think it’s a competing bird.

c. Oprah’s on.

10. Suet can be fed year round if

a. the temperature stays below 10 degrees Celsius.

b. you don’t have any starlings at your feeders.

c. it’s double rendered.

d. both a and c.

11. Suet could attract

a. woodpeckers

b. chickadee and jays.

c. warblers and orioles.

d. a and b.

e. all the above.

12. Unless you are going to feed continuously throughout the winter you should

a. take your feeders in so the birds will migrate.

b. hire a service to come by daily to fill your feeders.

c. feed when you can, in nature, when a source (i.e. flower or weed seeds) runs out, birds move around and find another.

13. If you want to get started birding you should have

a. expensive binoculars, a spotting scope with tripod, digital camera, several field guides and bird songs recordings.

b. a reasonable pair of binoculars and a good field guide.

c. a spouse who is into birding or doesn’t care if you’re never home.

d. both b and c.

14. A good field guide should

a. fit in your pocket.

b. list similar species together.

c. have arrows to quickly point out the differences between species.

d. all the above.

15. To attract more hummingbirds you should

a. place several feeders that are not in sight of each other.

b. buy really big feeders with enough ports so everyone can feed together.

c. choose a variety of plants so you will have blooms throughout the season.

d. both a and c.

e. both b and c.

You can find me on Twitter, each Saturday I tweet the link to the Birdman column in the Times and Transcript online. Go to twitter.com/thebirdgarden for all things birdy.