Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Weekday special not for the birds!


Special BOGO Midweek Stay

Two nights

$25.00 off Dinner@ Bon Femme

One Day Plated Breakfast

½ off Mani Pedi @ Cinnamon Tree

$25.00 off $50.00 at Lifestyles Gifts

$25.00 off Dinner @ don Quijote

One Day Continental Breakfast

Two night Monday-Tuesday or Wednesday-Thursday night stays only. You will be  wise as an owl when you choose this special! Migrate to Songbird Prairie for a  two-night stay for two all just 50 miles southeast of Chicago.

Flutter past the front door and choose among the Robin, Bluebird, Cardinal, and Purplefinch Suites at the property named one of Midwest Living's favorite B&Bs and "one of the 20 perfect summer getaways" by Travel + Leisure.

All rooms have warming gas fireplaces and spa tubs for two with the relaxing and soothing benefits of Chromotherapy. You'll wake up chirping after your first night on plush beds, and then enjoy a breakfast in the sunroom, listening to the sweet songs of the birds through microphones to the outside. Trade in your bird's-eye view of nature for one that's up close and personal when you plan a visit to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, where Karner Blue butterflies flit, swallows nest, and waves crash along the shores. Shop at the nearby Lifestyles before dining on duck à l'orange at Bon Femme Café or tapas and paella at Restaurante don Quijote.

Trust us—this Escape is not just for the birds.

  • "The lovely Colonial country home with white-trimmed dormers may attract visitors, but it's the grounds' prairie grass, roses, and many trees that lure the namesake songbirds on their way to and from the Indiana Dunes."

-- Travel + Leisure

see news and specials page on our web site!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011



A baby owl was drinking out of the birdbath. He is as wide as he is tall! Having these beautiful birds is really a Hoot! pun intended! We have another one which is larger and we call him big brother. Come to spend some time here at Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast, and you may see  a part of nature that you have never witnessed before. 877-766-4273 songbirdprairie.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tall Ships in Chicago stay @ Songbird Prairie just 45 minutes from NavyPier Plan your stay today!

Tall Ships in Chicago






Tall Ships on Parade at Chicago’s Navy Pier
 
Navy Pier is launching their latest exhibit, Tall Ships. The ships are moving in on Thursday, Aug.11-14,2011. They will parade along Chicago’s lakefront with as many as 20 ships will dock at Navy Pier. Once at Navy Pier, the ships can be viewed, boarded and explored. It’s $15 to view, $20 to board and excursions start at $44. The ships are from around the world Canada, Germany, Netherlands, to name a few. Hollywood has dropped its anchor here. The “Bounty” will be there which once hosted such famous people at the helm as Cary Grant. Then it was taken off of the ship and put in a sound stage and used in every nautical movie from 1935-1962. John Wayne stood in front of it in Sea of the Red Witch. Marland Brando used it in Mutiny on the Bounty, Charlton Heston in Treasure Island, Monty Python in Yellowbeard and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. And let’s not forget Spongebob Square pants either.

The cost is $15 for a viewing $20 for ship crawl and to board and sail to fulfill a pirates fantasy, a sailaway excursion starts at $44. Exit the hustle and bustle and come to the country to relax and reminisce from your adventure. Guestrooms start at $179.00 whirlpool and 3 course plated breakfast served here: no chance of scurvy! www.songbirdprairie.com 877.766.4274

In addition to the parade there will be a festival lasting six days. Fireworks are planned for each night.

For more information visit www.navypier.com .
Chicago Fireworks, Chicago Lakefront, Chicago Romantic Getaway, Indiana Dunes Hotel, Indianapolis Getaway, Indianapolis Romantic Getaway, Luxury Bed & Breakfast, Metro Indy Girls, Navy Pier, Northern Illinois Getaway, Romantic Bed & Breakfast Songbird Prairie in Northwest Indiana Online Reservations 877-766-4273, Southern Michigan Getaway, Tall Ships, The Bounty

Thursday, May 12, 2011



Songbird Prairie received two awards yesterday at the R.O.S.E. Awards Banquet held at the Allure Banquet Center in Laporte. The first was "Hotel of the Year", which is recognition of service excellence. Songbird Prairie has won this prestigious award 3 times in the last 12 years since they first started the yearly R.O.S.E. Awards. We at Songbird Prairie strive to give every guest the personal service they deserve, while respecting their privacy during their stay as guests in our home. Fireplaces, Whirlpools, fine linen, and our three course hot breakfast are sure to please even the most discriminating guest. As on site Innkeepers we offer personal concierge service by providing maps and local information to restaurants and attractions. Our 6 1/2 acres backs up to 450 acres of woodland, meadow and farmland. You can hear the moo of an occasional cow through our microphones in the sunroom. One guest wrote in the journal, I think I heard a cow bird? No that was a real cow!

Porter County offers travelers many unique attractions. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is on the coast of the fifth largest freshwater lake in the world! Beyond the Beach you will discover sites where the rare Karner blue butterflies floats among wild lupine blossoms to ten thousand sandhill cranes gathered during fall migration. From quaint chef owned restaurants to Arboretums and wildlife sanctuaries, Beyond the beach trail is designed for several days of adventure. Come to visit Nature's Masterpiece at the Indiana Dunes and stay at Songbird Prairie where you will "fall in love with nature"

www.songbirdpraire.com 877-766-4273

Friday, May 6, 2011

Indigo Buntings here at Songbird Prairie



May 6, 2011 by songbirdprairie | Edit




http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/Indigo_Bunting



Come out to see a fireball of citrus orange and black, the Baltimore oriole next to the breathtaking tropical blue of the male Indigo Bunting? Look no further, come to northwest Indiana to Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast and as you enjoy your three course hot breakfast, you will see the colorful birds serenade and entertain you. Here's what a guest had to say about breakfast!


We are so proud to receive such favorable reviews as these:
 
 The Perfect Birthday Gift ! 5/2/2011

It was my sister's birthday and I wanted to do something special for her. She is not a person who likes to spend the night away so this was the perfect fit for her. Barbara and Efrain could not have been more gracious!!! Barbara even remembered her birthday!! We were absolutely delighted with the breakfast and how the presentation was so beautiful not to mention that the food was excellent!!! The four season room that we dined in was overwhelming! The wooded scenery and songbirds fantastic!! Then we were given a room with fireplace and wonderful bath to change into for our massage. The robes were plush and Sharon the therapist was great!! While we waited our turns for our massage, we were graciously invited to relax in the awesome fourseason room. (other patrons were gone by then) It was like being in tree house!!! We loved it!! I will certainly return as a guest and I have told everyone I know how great it is to have this treasure in our own backyard. Do not hesitate to visit this bed and breakfast!! You will be just as delighted as we were!! Sincerely, Mary Ann A



Appearing all black against the light, the male indigo bunting properly lit is an unforgettable sight. A persistent late-season singer, he sings a jingly song comprised of paired notes that are often described as: Fire! Fire! Where! Where! Here! Here! Put it out! Put it out! Much of what we know about celestial navigation in songbirds derives from work with captive buntings at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, but you don’t have travel far from downtown Chicago to see the Indigo. Just 45 minutes southeast to the country of Valparaiso, IN home of Valparaiso University.

The male indigo bunting is so breathtaking with its tropical blue and silvery bill. The females and immatures are a warm cocoa brown overall. This bunting has a habit of twitching its tail to the side, and its spit note is characteristic. Males change their blue feathers for brown in autumn, which makes for some interestingly mottled specimens. They molt again on the wintering grounds in Central and northern South America and return in spring, blue once more. This species is common on roadsides and disturbed areas there “trashy” vegetation flourishes. Power lines cuts, old fields, landfills, railroads, and hedgerows ring with the songs of indigo buntings, especially as summer reaches its fullest. That is where you will find them right here at Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast.The indigo bunting takes insects when they are available, especially to feed its nestlings. Weed seeds are its mainstay, and thistle from the feeders, supplemented by berries and small fruits. It forages on or near the ground, as well as in low shrubs and trees. Watch for them in autumn, bending grass stems and flickering their tails side to side as they forage in weedy patches here at Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast. Indigo buntings have a rather loose definition of monogamy, with extra pair copulations being frequent. Males visit females in neighboring territories, and females visit males. Males vary in their tendency to feed young. Some are attentive parents where as other leave most of the chick rearing to their mates. The nest is bulky but compact, cup-shaped and constructed of bark strips, grasses and weed stems and skeletonized leaves, all bound with spider webs. It’s often low in blackberry, sumac or other brushy vegetation. These birds nest quite late in the season, reflecting their dependence on late maturing weed seeds. Three to four eggs are incubated by the female for about 12 days, and the young leave the nest 8-14 days later. Early in the spring you may see them feasting on dandelion seeds. Later, black oil sunflower seeds and millet mixed prove attractive. They love coneflower, Mexican hat, cosmos, coreopsis and especially foxtail grasses. Come and enjoy the beauty of the indigo bunting here at Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Orioles have returned to Songbird Prairie

http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/Baltimore_Oriole

Visit Songbird Prairie and have breakfast watching the orioles drink nectar from oranges and eat grape jelly!
[Bright orange bird with black head]© Gerhard Hofmann

The Baltimore oriole is perhaps the most famous neotropical migratory bird. Its brilliant orange and black plumage is reminiscent of the crest of Lord Baltimore, an important figure in Maryland's history, and the bird has become the mascot of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

Oroile's journey begins in the tropics, from Mexico to northern South America, where Baltimore orioles spend most of the year. Here they inhabit lush, tropical forests and feed on nectar, pollen, fruit, and insects. They especially favor coffee and cacao (the plant that chocolate comes from) plantations where these crops are grown in the traditional manner, the coffee and cacao shrubs flourishing under a shady canopy of natural forest trees.

Pairs of males and females form flocks of about 10 individuals, although sometimes as many as 30 or 40 are in a single flock.  Baltimore orioles are often the most common migratory bird in these agricultural forests except for maybe the warbler family. The birds favor the tops of trees, especially those in the genus Inga, where they forage among the numerous blossoms for nectar and pollen. Orioles have a special tongue, which resembles a brush, for lapping up nectar.

Shade grown coffee plantation, winter habitat of the Baltimore oriole.

By April, most Baltimore orioles have begun the journey north to their breeding grounds in North America, which span most of the eastern United States and into southern Canada. Here they eschew the dense forests that so many other migratory birds favor, instead preferring open forests such as those along rivers and even in city parks.

Their nests are unmistakeable in that females build an unusual grassy hanging nest that is suspended like a sack from the end of a branch. The shape of the nest may help deter predators from eating the eggs or young because the eggs and young are hidden from view and the entrance to the nest is difficult to access. The nest is often built in an elm, sycamore, or cottonwood tree. In the video clip below you can see a nest.

Because these orioles spend much of their time in the tops of trees, they are often heard before they are seen. The male has a lovely warbling song and both males and females utter a variety of chatters and short call notes.

  • The female lays 4 to 5 eggs in late spring or early summer and incubates them alone. Then, both the male and the female feed the young. Pairs make only one nesting attempt per year. And by August or early September, most orioles are on their way back to the neotropics.

Sometimes orioles can be enticed to visit our backyards.

[Bright orange bird with black head at hummingbird feeder] [Bright orange bird with black head feeding on a cut banana]

Oriole at hummingbird feeder (left), and halved banana (right)

Orioles sometimes visit feeders put out for hummingbirds, and are also attracted to fruit such as bananas and oranges. Visit Songbird Prairie to view these beauties!

www.songbirdprairie.com 877-766-4273 219-759-4274

Monday, April 18, 2011

Is your mom a Red Hatter or a tool belt Diva?

Moms are special
Whether she’s a “Red Hatter” or a “Tool Belt Diva”, Plan a night reminiscing with Mom at Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast. Remember those breakfasts in bed where you served her burnt toast and cold tea? Let us serve you both our Three Course Hot Breakfast in our sunroom where songbirds serenade and entertain.

Stay at Songbird Prairie with your mom during the month of May and make her a bracelet of hand-blown glass beads and silver-plated metal beads which are topped off with a touch of rhinestone bling. Bracelet is included in package with beads of your choice up to $50.00 retail value

Starts @ $219.00. Children 12 and over welcome. Can’t make an overnight? Come just for Breakfast or Afternoon tea (4 person minimum) Call for reservations. Special for the Month of May.

Choose a bracelet for your mom during the month of May!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Vist the quilt gardens and stay at Songbird Prairie

 
Make your reservation now for your guest room and plan your trip to visit the quilt gardens. 18 super-sized quilt inspired gardens from May 30 to Oct 1 Songbird Prairie is just a short 45 minute day trip away to Amish country. Take along a picnic lunch to enjoy as you stroll the gardens.

The quilt gardens tour is a free, self-guide...d tour that takes visitors to 16 locations throughout Elkhart County. Gardens range in size from about 80′ by 80′ and can include more than 80,000 blooms. Along the way you will find 16 large-format murals painted in patch-work quilt designs on the sides of buildings. Get more information on the Quilt Gardens Tour, including directions and maps at quiltgardenstour.com

When you return back to the Inn, you may relax in a whirlpool with chromotherapy after your day visiting the quilt gardens. This northern Indiana getaway will charm you with their gardens and native prairie also. 

Bring your glass of lemonade and relax while watching and hearing many species of birds and small animals. We provide the binoculars and guide-book. You can just sit back, relax and watch the sun set. www.songbirdprairie.com 877-766-4273

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Plan a getaway this spring at Songbird Prairie

As I walk our 6 1/2 acre property I am always so joyous to see the first snowdrop breaking through the remaining bits of snow.

I enjoy breathing in the freshness of the spring air. I can feel the sunshine on my face and it makes me smile. The breezes are starting to feel warm and the birds are singing their treetop operas for the wooing of their mates.  I walk by the water and I smell the earth, mossy and humid as the water ripples over the rocks. Oops I stepped to close to the water and my boot is filled in the goo of mud. The suctions keeps it tight. What an adventure! The first few wildflowers are popping through the grass. I call them belly flowers because you have to get down low to see the tiny seedlings. Spring is just a "feel good" time!  

                                         

 I await the daffodils and the apple and plum trees that blossom in the middle to late April. Oh hurry spring. Plan your stay now, the birds will be nesting soon in the boxes and building their nests in the woodlands. Migration brings so many species to the Dunes National Lakeshore. Our property is right in their path. Our property has many Bur, white and Black oaks over 300 years old. Many woodpeckers make them their home. Pileated, Red-bellied, Hairy, Downy, Red-headed, Ladderback, Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are a few that call Songbird Prairie home. Now speaking of prairie, we have many meadow birds which sing as you hike the winding trails of the oak savannah grassland. Don't forget the butterflies fluttering from flower to flower in the garden. They seem to dance in mid-air! It is magical to see them in their natural habitat, which Songbird Prairie is a certified natural habitat. Come and enjoy your time away. 877-766-4273

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Visit the Quilt Gardens and stay at Songbird Prairie



Make your reservation now for your stay and plan your trip to visit the quilt gardens. 18 super-sized quilt inspired gardens from May 30 to Oct 1. Songbird Prairie is just a short 45 minute day trip away to Amish country. Why not take along a picnic lunch to enjoy as you stroll the gardens. You won't want to miss even one!

The quilt gardens tour is a free, self-guided tour that takes visitors to 16 locations throughout Elkhart County. Gardens range in size from about 80′ by 80′ and can include more than 80,000 blooms. Along the way you will find 16 large-format murals painted in patch-work quilt designs on the sides of buildings. Get more information on the Quilt Gardens Tour, including directions and maps at quiltgardenstour.com

When you return back to the Inn, you may relax in a Ultra Bain whirlpool with chromotherapy after your day visiting the quilt gardens. This northern Indiana getaway will charm you with their gardens and native prairie also. 



Bring your glass of lemonade and relax while watching and hearing many species of birds and small animals. We provide the binoculars and guide-book. You can just sit back, relax and watch the sun set. www.songbirdprairie.com 877-766-4273

Friday, February 25, 2011

Deer sleep in the woods at Songbird Prairie



We enjoy seeing the animals in their natural habitat. These two spent the night and most of the day here resting. We feed them apples and bread. It was so comical first thing in the morning the squirrels were running around and the doe raised up her head as if to say "really you two, I'm trying to sleep here" then she put her head back down.  Come to see them. We would love to have you!

www.songbirdprairie.com 877-766-4273

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mother Daughter Special @ Songbird Prairie



Mother Daughter Special

Moms are special
Whether she’s a “Red Hatter” or a “Tool Belt Diva”, Plan a night reminiscing with Mom at Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast. Remember those breakfasts in bed where you served her burnt toast and cold tea? Let us serve you both our Three Course Hot Breakfast in our sunroom where songbirds serenade and entertain.

Stay at Songbird Prairie with your mom during the month of May and make her a bracelet of hand-blown glass beads and silver-plated metal beads which are topped off with a touch of rhinestone bling. Bracelet is included  in package with beads of your choice up to $50.00 retail value

 

Starts @ $219.00. Children 12 and over welcome. Can’t make an overnight? Come just for Breakfast or Afternoon tea (4 person minimum) Call for reservations.  Special for the Month of May.

www.songbirdprairie.com 877/766/4273

Memorial Day Special

Make an  reservation for Memorial Day Weekend and get a hot deal!! At Songbird Prairie the early bird gets the worm ! must book by April 1st.

Stay 2 nights in a luxurious whirlpool/fireplace suite and get the 3rd night 1/2 price or a certificate for a future free night’s stay call 877.766.4273 www.songbirdprairie.com

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Songbird Prairie is participating in the Backyard Bird Count Feb 18th-21st

Feb 13, 2011

Take a picture of the birds in your back yard for 15 minutes then you can count them better!

You may find it helpful to print a regional tally sheet so you have a list of birds you’re likely to see in your area in February.

Get your check list at this link

http://gbbc.birdsource.org/gbbcApps/checklist

COUNT THE BIRDS:

  • · Count birds at any location for at LEAST 15 minutes—or more if you wish. Later you’ll be asked to record the amount of time you spent watching.

  • · Write down only the


highest number of each species you see together at any one time to avoid counting the same birds more than once. For example, if you see 8 cardinals as you start your count period, then later you see 12, and later still you see 3, you’ll only report 12–the highest number you saw together at once. Please do not add the numbers together.

  • · You’ll submit your data on a new checklist for each day you participate in the count. It’s OK if you count at the same location each day—submit a new list for each day.

  • · You’ll submit a new checklist for each


new location.

You can submit more than one checklist on a given day if you count at more than one site.

ENTER YOUR CHECKLIST(S):

When you’re ready to enter your checklist(s), go to the GBBC website at www.BirdCount.org and click on the big “Submit your checklists” button at the top. You won’t see this button until 7:00 AM the Friday the GBBC begins. Everything you need to know will be clear on the web page as you enter your information. If you’d like a preview of what you’ll see, keep reading.

http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/Eastern_Bluebird

Happy Birding!

Songbird Prairie 877-766-4273 find us on facebook and twitter

Songbirds and Spas

Jan 28, 2011

Catch up on the latest girlie news in a luxury bed and breakfast with your feet up, wrapped in fluffy robes and slippers, swapping surprising stories as professional therapists transform you into glorious goddesses before hitting the town. Sounds good doesn’t it?

Spa pampering packages allow you to get away with the girls in a more relaxing and indulgent setting than a busy restaurant – or combine the two for a girlie weekend of pure fun and pure relaxation.

Pampering spa treatments allow fun-loving chicks to unwind, leaving refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to slip into heels for a glamorous evening. The option of a soothing massage is also on the cards when heads aren’t so fab the next morning and tired chicks can indulge themselves once more – because you’re worth it!



Girls prefer our tranquil location to accommodate smaller groups of ladies for a more relaxed spa getaway. 877.766.4273 www.songbirdprairie.com Girlfriend Package

Valparaiso IN Bed and Breakfast for Winter Cuddling



We welcome you to our Inn                                  
Valparaiso IN Bed and Breakfast             
Jan 11, 2011




Where Luxury and Nature converse

Plan a mid-week or weekend getaway and snuggle in front of a warming fireplace or unwind in a bubbly whirlpool for two. Enjoy your chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling beverage while listening to your favorite music and reminiscing about your love. Awaken to our three course hot breakfast and be entertained by birds as they perform their antics in the woods outside the breakfast room windows.

877-766-4273 www.songbirdprairie.com

Barred Owl Looking for breakfast @ Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast

November 3, 2010

This morning I heard a different bird sound and it was a barred owl! He moved his head up down and all around looking for mice and chipmunks in the woods. He stayed on the branch for several minutes as if he was at a photo shoot. What a hoot! I enjoyed watching his beautiful feathers blow in the wind. www.songbirdprairie.com

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A Better Way to Stay Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast



Oct 28, 2010

A Better Way to Stay
A Grassroots Campaign for the B&B Industry

September-October Updates
PAII has coined the phrase “The Better Way to Stay”. This campaign is phenomenal and it is poised to launch with a website dedicated to showing the industry all the components of the campaign.  This temporary site will soon be taken down and BetterWaytoStay.com will become a resource room for innkeepers to learn about the campaign, its supporters and its tools.  Look forward to learning about the launch of this site any day now.  

Many travelers are finding out that B&B’s give such personal service that even the finest hotels are not able to accommodate! The relaxation that comes from staying two or more days at a B&B cannot be matched at a hotel.  Owners of B&B’s care for you like friends, yet give you privacy at the same time.  Many have acreage with places to walk, talk and reconnect. Find your perfect place and make a reservation today. www.songbirdprairie.com 877.766.4273 Read our reviews and find a Better Way to Stay!

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Sandhill Cranes migration and stay at Songbird Prairie




Explore the Jasper Pulaski sandhill preserve where you will see and hear thousands of sandhill cranes. Then return from your adventure to a Whirlpool/Fireplace guestroom where you can review your pictures and videos and upload to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare! Then awaken to your plated three course hot breakfast in the sunroom where you will hear and see songbirds as they entertain and serenade through our outdoor microphones.. Stay two days and visit the nature center at the Dunes National Lakeshore.
 Beyond the Beach Discovery Trail Now is the time! The first official count for the fall sandhill crane migration from DNR is 5,846! Cranes began arriving in September. They will continue to arrive and build to a peak population in late November of 20,000 or more. http://www.beyondthebeachdiscoverytrail.com/BeyondBeach_searchdetail.asp?SiteNumber=50



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