Vol. 13 // Could you spend a year birdwatching around the world? 🌍

Who's watching who? (via @audubonsociety / Tiktok)

Found in most of the United States and Canada

Blue Jays may be common in the US, but they’re still always a stunning sight. These songbirds stand out against any winter or spring scene with their aquamarine and royal blue plumage and perky crests. (And they rest their crests when they’re calm and enjoying time in their tight knit family units.) They can be easily identified by their loud “jay jay” calls which can sound like a scream or a jeer, and they can impressively mimic the calls of hawks.

If you’d like more Blue Jays to visit your backyard, try a tray or hopper feeder on a post filled with peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet—Blue Jays love to forage.

Fun fact: Though Blue Jays commonly migrate, the reasoning behind their erratic migration patterns is still a mystery.

Give a Hoot

Birding bits you should know about this week

👁️ I spy
Birders in North Carolina delighted by unusual bird sighting
A mountain bluebird nicknamed Rocky is hanging out in North Carolina, which is “kind of like seeing a penguin show up.” It’s the first one reported seen there in 40 years!

🌎 Spin the globe
365 days of birding around the world
In 2015, Noah Strycker (now the associate editor of Birding magazine) spent a year birding around the world. You can read all of his blog entries, see all of the gear he packed, read about the birds he spotted and much more on his website. Plus he wrote a book about his (truly) Big Year: Birding Without Borders.

🌟 See in the dark
Birding at night: a complete step-by-step starter guide
When most of us humans head to bed, some magnificent birds are just waking up—including owls and nightjars. Here’s everything you need to know about birdwatching under the stars.

👫 You've got a friend in me
8 ways you can help save North American birds
It's true that birds are in decline—but you can lend them a helping hand in your day-to-day decisions. NPR's Lifekit (a podcast we love) breaks down 8 ways to make a difference, including keeping your cat indoors.

A Product We Love

Unique and worthy products from the wide world of birding you might enjoy

Birds of Interest Scratch Off Chart. Keep track of the Swans, Common Barn Owls, and Peregrine Falcons you spot with this fun illustrated poster. Scratch off an icon every time you see or hear every bird on the list. $14.99

Your Shot

An amazing bird photo taken by one of our community members. Submit yours to hello@flyingcolors.co to be considered for an upcoming edition!

No Fillers or Mess, Only the Good Stuff

We now offer Flying Colors premium organic wild bird food in a beautiful three-gallon carton, perfect for easy pouring, storing, and recycling.

Choose from three custom blends — all made with 100% USDA certified organic ingredients and hand-mixed with love in New York's Hudson Valley.

If you subscribe for regular FREE shipments, you receive 10% off. There’s no commitment, and you can cancel at any time. ✨

O jay —

Blue-jay! —

What are you trying to say?

I remember, in the spring

You pretended you could sing;

But your voice is now still queerer,

And as yet you've come no nearer

To a song.

– “O Jay” by George Parsons Lathrop

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Questions? Ideas? Epic bird photos? Reach out at hello@flyingcolors.co

About Us

Flying Colors makes premium organic wild bird food, offering ethically sourced, toxin-free seeds and nuts of the highest quality to nourish wild birds of all types and inspire birders of all ages. Each specialty blend and single origin creation is rigorously sourced & researched, and every jar is produced with love & packaged by hand in small batches in New York's Hudson Valley and tested in our own backyards.