Wildlife

We have many animals here in Selby from Red Fox to Woodpeckers. Unfortunately, much of their homes are being cut down to make room for houses. Here are some of our animal friends that you may see in our neighborhood.

Red Winged Black Bird

(Click on photo to enlarge)
The male Red-winged Blackbird is pure black with patch of red on each wing that show when the bird flies or displays his color. The female is smaller and brownish. They are found mostly in North America and much of Central America. The young birds resemble the female. The Red-winged Blackbird migrates in single sex flocks. The males generally arrive before the females. They defend their territories aggressively against other Blackbirds, crows, Osprey, hawks and even people. They inhabit open grassy areas, but prefer wetlands and inhabit both freshwater and saltwater marshes. The Red-winged Blackbird eats seeds from weeds and insects. They nest in the cattails, rushes, grasses, sedge or in willow or alder bushes. They build basket-like nest made from grasses and mud located 3" to 14' above water.

For more information on the Red-winged Blackbird follow this link.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

These little fellows are all over Selby! The female has a shimmering green back and the male has red under his chin. Hummingbirds are fun to watch and easy to care for. You can find a feeder at Kmart for about $5 and making your own sugar water is easy and inexpensive. Simply heat 4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar until the sugar is dissolved. There's no need to use red food coloring. The birds will find it and the artificial coloring isn't all that great for them. Let the sugar water become room temp before filling the feeder. The remaining sugar water can be kept in the fridge for 2 weeks. Change the sugar water every 2-3 days and remember to rinse out the feeder really well in between changes. Sometimes it takes a while for the hummingbirds to find the feeder, but once they do they go crazy! Once you start feeding hummingbirds, be sure to continue. They will rely on the energy source. Hummingbirds are common in our area from April through October.