Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

Recent articles and news stories have been circulating encouraging people to stop feeding wild birds in summer. There were a number of reasons and assertions given to not feed the birds, especially the young fledglings not learning how to feed for themselves.

With the full disclosure that I own a business that is dedicated to the backyard bird feeding hobby and make my living selling bird seed, lets dig in deep as to what bird feeding is.

Why feed?

Most of my customers feed the birds because they love to connect to Nature. They love to see the many different colored birds in their yards. Spring and summer are great times to feed not only because of the variety of birds that show up, but because of the nutritional health those feeders provide to the birds during the breeding season.

Fun Facts About Young Birds Nutritional Needs

• Young birds need calcium, protein and fat among other nutrients while growing.
• Most dietary calcium in young birds is used for the formation of skeletal (bone) production.
• Birds are able to easily digest and use the calcium from calcium carbonate, limestone, oyster shell and calcium phosphates. The WBU Plus Blends contain calcium carbonate.
• Protein is essential for growing strong feathers.
• Fats are essential for feather coloration.
• Every young bird needs extra proteins to grow strong feathers for proper flight and effective insulation. They need extra fats for energy to grow feathers and provide proper coloration to best attract a mate when they are mature.
• A diet low in proteins and fats may cause feathers to be improperly colored or form defectively such as being frayed or curved. If their colors are duller, birds may have trouble attracting a mate. If the feathers are defective, it could seriously hinder their flying or insulation abilities.
• It takes extra energy to grow feathers and also the right building blocks to grow them. The main ingredients in growing feathers are amino acids (protein) and lipids (fats). Birds will eat more of their daily diet and/or seek out foods high in protein and fat to satisfy both the extra energy requirements and the needed building blocks.
• In many bird species, carotenoids are required for breeding success… poorly colored birds are less likely to breed. Carotenoids help communicate reproductive fitness to prospective mates by providing a vibrant and bright plumage… a sign of being successful at obtaining both a sufficient quality and quantity of food.

Do birds become dependent?

Absolutely not. Birds use feeders as a secondary source of food most of the year. During brutal winter conditions, when natural food is in short supply, wild birds do need those feeders full.

The notion that birds will become dependent on those feeders and not forage for themselves is a proven falsehood. The other Urban legend that has no basis for fact is that Migratory birds will not migrate if you feed them. Most migratory birds eat insects. There is an abundance of insects in warm climates.

You will not see Warblers or Vireos or Thrushes or Flycatchers in the Northern Virginia area in the winter. They migrate to survive. The main trigger for their migration is day length.

The majority of your backyard birds; Cardinals, Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Titmouse — to name a few, who come readily to your feeders, do not migrate.

Read More

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

Bags packed. Tickets in hand. Cooler filled. Kids buckled in. It is a fun time in the summer.

As we plan for those exotic vacations around the country and even overseas, we may forget that the wild birds in our backyards do not take the “Summer Off!” They are actually incredibly active. From dusk to dawn, they are still:

Breeding — the goldfinches are just starting.

Feeding their young — some birds such as hummingbirds and house wrens are having second broods.

Teaching the fledglings how to go it alone. Remember the first-time baby ate spaghetti on their own? Yeah it is like that with the baby birds on suet!

All of this activity takes a lot of energy. That energy burns up food. They need to replenish that food.

You see, bird feeding isn’t just a winter hobby. By continuing to feed your birds in spring and summer, you have the greatest opportunity to attract the widest variety of birds to your yard and feeders.

Access to abundant and healthy food supplies is important to birds… regardless of the season. Bird feeders provide a portion of these important nutritional needs for your backyard birds throughout the year. Birds with access to backyard feeder benefit greatly from their ability to spend less time foraging for food and more time engaging in activities that enhance their health and safety.

Bird feeding isn’t just a winter hobby. Many people stop feeding in late spring and early summer, thinking the birds have plenty of food. That is not true. Your yard, if somewhat untamed, will explode with food in the late summer and early fall. Right now, most gardens are still growing.

So, before you hit the pedal to the metal and crank up those tunes, load up your feeders. If only for a few days your birds have their restaurants open, you will be helping them. There is no need to worry that your birds will go away if there is not food. They will try out different sources of food. But I guarantee you that when you turn on the light of your feeder restaurants that you are open for business again, they will be calling to you for reservations.

Something New

Each month, we will be providing “Nature Notes” to you. These notes will give to you some of the highlights of the month as to what nature is doing.   From migration to breeding to singing to shooting stars — we will provide for you a checklist that you can use to explore some of the exciting events that will be occurring. One of my favorite moments of summer is when the fireflies come out. My yard, for the past three weeks, has been exploding with their light show. Now I know summer is on!

Read More

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

For the past 45 days, I have driven over the Chain Bridge to get to work. And for the past 45 days the Potomac River has been roaring like I have rarely seen in my forty years of living in Virginia and Maryland.

The amount of water, the depth of the water, the explosive energy and enormity of the size of the river, at Chain Bridge, has been mesmerizing. And scary when you are stuck on the bridge in rush hour traffic barely moving, as you peer over the river that your non-moving car is sitting fifty feet above! Wishing hard that the light turns GREEN!

This week the river finally calmed down. But you would think that with all the rain we have had, your backyard birds would be doing fine.

All this rain does keep the temperature down. Good for the fledgling birds and us. And all this rain will produce an abundance of insects and beneficial flowers that will later turn to seed.

Good for the birds — but bugs — not so much for us. And the rain is good for the grass which will grow and is good for… yeah we are going to visit this issue in a later blog.

But what happens as the hot sunny, DRY days hit?

Yesterday’s and yesterweek’s storms and water do not help the birds then. Water is vitally important when it is hot. Birds do not sweat. They must remove excess body heat through their respiratory system. A reliable source of water allows birds to bathe regularly, a critical part of feather maintenance and staying in flight top condition.

All birds need water and it does not have to be difficult or expensive.

Attract more birds by offering water in a bird bath. Elevated bird baths will help to keep the birds safe from “natural” predators.

Bird baths with sloped sides permit visitors to move from shallow to deeper water and they accommodate different sized bird that need to drink or bathe. A dripper, attached to the bird bath, will provide cool, clean water all day.

A mister when located near foliage, gives birds the opportunity to “leaf bathe.” Birds exhibiting this type of behavior will flutter against the wet plants or leaves to release droplets onto their feathers.

Whenever I am watering my flower garden or filling my bird bath dishes, I always look for a low leafy tree branch and spray, for a minute, the branch. Often, I will notice many different types of birds coming close to the branch for a chance to take a leaf bathe. It is a fun way to connect a little closer to the birds. Read More

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

Hey, what is that twinkling in the sky? It is not a star because it is daylight. It is not a diamond because it is in the air. It is not fairy dust from a fairy’s wand because… well that does not exist!

But that twinkling, sparkling jewel in the sky is a hummingbird. They have migrated up here from the Gulf coast and Central America and are in our yards. hummingbirds are incredible and here is why…

Hummingbirds are found only in the “New” World — North, Central and South America.

There are over 325 species of hummingbirds, making them the second largest bird family in the world. There are 18 hummingbird species in North America. The east coast generally will only see the ruby-throated hummingbird.

Hummingbirds lay the world’s smallest bird egg. They usually lay two eggs in the nest, each the size of a blueberry. A mother hummingbird only weighs about eight times more than her egg.

The ruby-throated hummingbird will have two broods, each taking 45 days from nest construction to fledging.

Even though the ruby-throated hummingbird has one of the highest success rates of any neotropical migrant, only about 20% of the fledging’s survive their first year. That said, the oldest known wild hummingbird on record was a broad-tailed hummingbird that was over 12 years old.

There are over 18 different hummingbird species in North America. Here are some more facts that are incredible to think about:

1. Their wing beat moves at 20-80 times per second.
2. They can hover and are the only bird that can fly backwards and upside down.
3. Hummingbirds can fly up to 60 miles per hour. Their cruising speed is roughly 30-45 miles per hour.
4. One research study recorded an Anna’s hummingbird visiting over 1000 flower blossoms a day. Right now, most hummingbird gardens are still coming out of the ground and have not yet bloomed with flowers for the birds. This is where hummingbird feeders come in. By mimicking the nectar these birds find in flowers in the feeders, you can provide these very active birds with the fuel they need. This is important because hummingbirds eat about every ten minutes.
5. Hummingbirds learn to associate flower colors, like red, with food. They do not have an innate preference to red.
6. Hummingbirds can drink up to twice their body weight every day (most birds only eat ¼-1/2 their body weight).

The ruby-throated hummingbird migrates up here every Spring. It is not the warmth of the day but the length of the day that gets them moving. You can set your calendar to April 1st for the first sightings in this area.

Many of those first birds will stop to refuel and then get going back up north. Many will settle into the lower Canadian provinces. Read More

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

Well it is that time of year. Warm sunny days. Mild breezes. Finishing up one part of life and moving on to new adventures. New experiences. Learning how to live on your own and make your own life.

What? You think I was talking about your high school kids going to the ocean?

It is fledging time when your yards and parks are full of baby birds. They are now out of the nests or will soon be. So yeah, maybe a lot of us are empty nesters, also.

They are fully grown and ready to move on. But for a day or two they will bounce around the ground. They have been in the nest and their wings are not fully strong enough to get them air born.

It is also a very dangerous time for these vulnerable birds to survive. And just like your empty nesters who may be headed to the beach — with 4 or 5 thousand dos or don’ts from the bill payers of the house — there are a few things you can do to help these young birds.

• Do not let your cats outdoors. Most cats prefer to stay indoors and watch reruns of the Royal Wedding anyway. It is healthier for the cats and safer for the birds.
• If you need to cut your lawn, take a quick walk around and look or listen for the little fledging’s. They will chirp and the parents are usually in the trees above calling out to them.
• Walk thorough your property to locate any nests. With a little detective work, you can spot them, especially if they are in medium height shrubs and bushes and low trees, i.e. Dogwoods. Look to see if there are any young hatchlings or if the nest is abandoned. But do not get fooled by the empty nest. Some birds such as House Wrens can have additional broods in early summer so you may have that opera singer taking up residence again.
• When you spot a bird on the ground, do not be alarmed. If it looks like a teenager with unclean clothes but is bouncing around and chirping, it most likely is fine. If it is your teenager, make him do the laundry.
• If the bird is without feathers and on the ground and moving, try to find the nest and put it back into it. The urban legend of birds abandoning their offspring because you touched it is not true. Birds have very little sense of smell. Adult birds are the best solution for feeding the young chicks until they are ready to fledge.
• Watch for accidental bumps into reflective windows. These can be painful but many times not fatal to the birds. If you notice or hear of constant window collisions, there are many types of decals to attach to the glass to help cut way down on this problem.
• If you find a bird on the ground that looks to be injured, you can call a local rehabilitator. The Wildlife Rescue League  of Northern Virginia (703-840-0800) is a great resource to help with the recovery and rehabilitation of the injured bird. Be aware that most rehabilitators will not take in a non-native injured bird such as an English Sparrow or European Starling.

Read More

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

There are 365 days in the year. My mom worked 376 days in the year raising me and my brothers and sisters. So how is it we only celebrate one lousy measly day for MOM? Seems a little unfair to me. We should celebrate every day — because Moms do a lot and are always out there for us.

Guess what? The Bird Moms of your backyards also do a lot. They are ever active this time of Spring with laying eggs, hatching chicks, feeding them and then getting them fledged and out of the nest. It is fascinating to be able to observe all this behavior right in your back and front yards.

We are very lucky because Bird moms come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Here are some of the most fascinating behaviors from around the world of mother birds.

• Most Talented Mom — It takes as many as 12 days for a female Oriole to weave her nest. One Baltimore Oriole was observed spending 40 hours interlacing her basket-like nest. It included over 10,000 stitches and thousands of knots, all done by mom’s talented beak.
• Most Loyal Mom — A pair bond may form between a male and a female Carolina Wren at any time of the year. She will stay with him for life, always foraging and moving around within sight of her mate.
• Quickest Mom — Black-capped Chickadees have one of the shortest incubation periods of all birds. Their eggs can hatch in as little as 11 days.
• Trickiest Mom — By singing a “male” song, the female Black-headed Grosbeak can trick her mate into thinking a rival male is nearby, forcing him to stay close to the nest.
• Supersized Mom — Sharp-shinned Hawk females average over 40% larger than their male counterparts. This size difference is the largest of all of North American birds of prey.
• Mini-Mom — A mother hummingbird weighs only about eight times more than the eggs she lays.
• Most Overworked Mom — Mourning Dove moms may raise up to six broods per year, more than any other native North American bird.
• Most Laid-back Mom — Unlike most other bird moms, robins do not lay their eggs at sunrise. They lay their eggs several hours later during the mid-morning. Since earthworms are easier to find during early morning, they feed first and then return to the nest to lay their eggs.
• Most Devoted to Mom — Young Tufted Titmice often remain with their parents throughout their first winter. They have been known stay with mom into the next nesting season and help her to raise the next brood.
• One Cold & Small Mom — The Rufous Hummingbird nests in Alaska
• The Last Mom — American Goldfinch moms are one of the last songbirds to nest each year, waiting until mid-to-late summer when thistle seeds and down are readily available

So why not help out the moms of this world? Stop in and grab your mom a fancy new feeder, a pair of earrings or chimes. If you grab mom a feeder she can enjoy a relaxing morning watching the birds feed their babies. It’s a win-win mom moment!

Moms also need water — we have some beautiful new birdbaths in stock, you can add a dripper or a mister and watch those little babies learn to bathe. Whatever you do this Mother’s Day, make sure to remember to get mom something special!

If you’re a mom who is reading this, stop on in and treat yourself to whatever you want! 😉 Or leave your kids a giant photo of a feeder and we will help them out!

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

So, there is a knock on the door. There is a knock on your window. There is a knock on your metal exhaust vent in your roof. What gives?

This is spring and a bird’s mind turns to love! And if there is one thing a bird does not want — it is competition. So, birds will knock on a hard surface such as a tree or deck post or even wood trim to make its own distinctive territory call.

You have heard it in your neighborhood. The rat a tat tat on the trees or even telephone poles. That is the bird telling other birds of its same species that this his home turf so don’t come calling around.

Most often this is done by the woodpeckers. We have five different types of woodpeckers in our area; Downy, Hairy, Red Bellied, Northern Flicker and Pileated. It is really a fun sound to hear when they are hitting the trees and poles.

But it is not a very nice sound when they are banging away on your siding. Worst than that is when they are banging away on your metal roof exhaust vents! When that happens — the noise can be very loud as it vibrates throughout your house. Especially at 5:30 in the morning. But as loud as it seems, more often than not there is a minimum of damage. When there is damage to a home, the woodpeckers are usually looking for bugs they sense in the siding. Rarely do they try and build a nest cavity in your home.

So then why are they banging on my glass window or sliding glass doors. Because again during mating season, the birds are not keen for competition. When they approach the windows, they see their reflection. Most windows in the last 20 years have a reflective coating that makes the birds reflection so clear it looks real to them. So, the bird will attack the window.

This is very stressful to the birds and usually a large amount of bird waste gets deposited on the window or sill. The birds rarely hurt themselves.

But you want to eliminate the stress for the bird. One thing you could do is close a shade on that window to take away some of the windows reflective quality. You could also break up the reflection with stain glass figures in the window.

There are also window decals which when applied to the window break up the reflection. You can also put soap suds on the outside of the window, black paper or black hawks. A last resort would be a small chime hung outside, most birds try to avoid unusual movement and or sound.

Spring is a special time with the birth of wild birds. Setting up a few bird houses will give you a unique opportunity to witness the whole process from egg laying to hatching to the fledging of the baby chicks. Read More

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

The maestro is ready. Resplendent in his red garment, he mounts the stage. The arena is respectfully still and quiet. The maestro sings his 8 note song to get the attention of the musicians.

Slowly, the musicians awaken and test out their vocal instruments. There are long, slow base notes. There are high pitched notes. There are repetitive notes. There are melodic notes.

The musicians begin to interact and the notes and songs begin to intertwine to become a symphony of grand proportions. When you think another layer could not be offered, the percussion comes in and anchors the performance.

You have been to this performance. It is FREE!

You know the orchestra. It is right in your neighborhood. The performances are every day. Right at the break of dawn.

The magic of Spring (when and if the darn wind would ever stop) is the magnificent orchestra of the wild bird’s dawn symphony. Any small patch of woods, shrubs and landscaping will give you a performance of 15-20 different songbirds each calling out their signatures notes.

The cardinal is the maestro, always seemingly the first to awaken the day. Its two to three second call — birdie, birdie, birdie or cheer, cheer, cheer is very easily distinguishable.

The American Robin cheer-up, cherrio is also fast and repetitive. The Carolina Wren tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea has a fast and distinctive rhythm. Listen for the Carolina Chickadee asking for a cheeseburger. But don’t give him one! They prefer seeds, nuts and bugs.

Most yards can easily contain an orchestra of 20-30 different bird species, all with the unique calls. Add to that the percussion of Five woodpecker species banging on trees, telephone poles and metal exhaust vents on your house, and your rock and roll band is grooving.

What makes this even more exciting is that every Spring, guest artists migrate up from the south to join the band. These are Neo-Tropical birds migrating north from their Winter home in the tropics. Many Warbler species, Thrushes, Vireos and other singers can visit your yard.

Being mostly insect eaters, the best way to see them is to offer water. Dripping or misting water is always the best option to attract birds to a bird bath.

Their visit may be short; but their songs and distinct colors are breathtaking. Offering bark butter bits, fruit or dishes of mealworms is another sure way to get these migrating beauties in your yard singing a happy tune.

Customers have been coming in praising the songs of Grosbeaks, Cedar Waxwings and Chipping Sparrows. Stop in and fill up on these specialty foods and tell us about the amazing birds you are seeing this Spring.

Northern Virginia-check out these great birding spots for Spring. Read More

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

We walk straight up. Looking straight ahead to insure we do not walk into buildings, fast moving trains and dinosaurs. Or, at least we did. These days, some of us would never know the dinosaur was on us until it was too late.

Yet, this is a great time to look Up, Down and All Around. Because Spring is finally here! And with it, an abundance of exciting things Up, Down and All Around. Not only in our backyards but in our parks, on the lakes, in the rivers and in the sky.

Many birds are coming up into this area with their normal migration. Many can be seen in our yards. Many can be seen in state and local parks. Many birds can be seen just walking along the Georgetown waterfront.

With the southerly flow of warm air, many migrant birds such as warblers, thrushes and other insect eating birds will be moving into our area. Many are small and hard to see. But you can begin to hear their many songs, especially in the quiet of the morning.

Experiment with different foods in your feeders, especially insect — live or dried — to attract some of these birds.

Also, start to clean your birdbaths and if you have a dripper or mister, set that up. Running water is a fantastic way to attract the insect eating birds. And every other bird in your yard.

So, shed some of the layers you have been dragging around for the last 4 months and flex your muscles as the weather warms. Put your phones in your pockets. Take to the woods, parks and fields.

Look Up, Down and All Around!

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

Two weeks ago, I talked about how more and more of Nature’s natural wardrobe is being removed by human actions. I discussed the impact it had on the birds and their challenge to find food and shelter.

Well, just after that, Mother Nature showed us how to really shake things up and walloped us with a WIND storm for the ages. I hope that everyone is safe and no one sustained any injuries. That was scary.

But what of the birds?  Where did they go? How did they survive? How many lost homes or potential homes with so many downed trees and broken limbs?  They did survive. Although my instincts tell me some did perish during the storm. But these tiny birds are very resilient.

Before the storm, every morning at 5:45, a Cardinal sang an eight–note song near my bedroom window. “Siri” did not have to wake me up for work! Then the yard would be silent until six o clock when the bird would start to sing.

So you can imagine my surprise when at 5:45 in the morning, when the winds were howling at 60 miles per hour, the eight-note song came on at exactly 5:45.  How, I wondered, could it survive out there when I was up all night scared to death in my house? And what of the simple wakeup call? How and why would that bird do that in the storm?

My answer would be that it needs to keep to its internal rhythm to make it through the day. The bird made it through Spring hatching and fledging.  It made it through the heat and drought of Summer. It made it through the cold and dark of Winter. Now it was time to herald in the light and love of Spring and the bird needed to test its songs.

I was up all night; but I gladly welcomed my familiar song; even if it was only for eight notes. I will have to research why this bird only sang eight notes and then did not sing another note for 15 minutes.

Nature does not take any rest. The world keeps spinning around, the sun and moon define the seasons with their visit every day. So too bird’s cycles go on. Weather patterns do not slow that down. Sure, a late Winter Nor-Easter can cause undue stress on all species. But migration, breeding and raising young must continue. All the birds are continuing to look for homes to raise their young.

You can be a vital key to their survival by keeping out those bird feeders filled with seed. Having a birdbath ready to bathe and drink from. Putting up nest boxes to watch them feed and raise their young. Chickadees, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, Titmouse and Bluebirds are some of the more common cavity nesting birds. Robins, Cardinals and Mourning Doves do not used this type of box. Robins and Doves will make nests on Nesting perch boxes.

If you already own a nest box, GREAT! If it’s looking a bit shabby it might be time for a new one. There are a few things to look for in a nest box, not all are the same. Read More

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

Three hundred miles north of Chicago is a town called Tomahawk, Wisconsin. When I was a little boy, I am 66 now, my family would go up there and camp and swim and fish and enjoy the great Northwoods.

Back in those days, there were 3,345 people living in Tomahawk. Today, there are 3,346 people living in Tomahawk.( +/- ). Very little has changed, especially the environmental footprint of the area. The Wisconsin river still runs through the town. The old growth pine and cedar and fir still reach to the sky. And the wild birds still have abundant fields and food to forage.

Forty years ago, I moved to Arlington. It was a cute little bedroom community, ten minutes from my favorite pizza restaurant in Washington. But in those forty years since, there has been an incredible amount of construction and destruction to the environmental footprint. The Metro corridor has exploded with high rise buildings blocking out the sun and sky.

Where once stood two story garden style apartment complexes, with green space and trees and gardens, “GIANT” steel and concrete structures live. Where fifteen acres of old growth trees and dense vegetation existed- Lee Highway between Harrison and George Mason Dr.- 1.5 million dollars homes now crowd the site. Gone is the green, except for patchy grass.

Five acres of beautiful trees and wildlife habitat on 16th St and George Mason Dr. are now removed and replaced with two million dollar homes, crushed together in tight formation. Gone is the homes for birds and foxes and butterflies and bees.

Patchy grass now exists. All throughout every neighborhood in Arlington, whether rich, middle class or relatively poor, small homes are being wiped away; along with 100 years of natural habitat. In their place are massive homes of every shape and size; in the same footprint. With patchy grass added.

Here is my point. I do not suggest that anyone not build their dream home wherever they want. But when Spring rolls around and people come into my store and say we do not need to feed the birds because they have plenty of food, I just cringe. Because if you look outside, you will clearly see that the birds have less and less food every year. In the same footprint of Arlington, Virginia. Read More