 |
|
The Backyard Birder, Part I The Backyard Birder, Part I Editor's Note: This is the first article in a four-part series on the basics of attracting, feeding, and sheltering birds. A resource provided by the National Wildlife Federation. Millions of Americans and Canadians list bird-watching as their chief hobby. And while many of these birders regularly travel great distances in search of certain species, the vast majority pursue their hobby closer to home. It's more convenient, for one thing, and more consistently satisfying. Even a modest-sized backyard, with a little effort, can attract a wide variety of birds throughout the year.
Probably the most important element for making your yard attractive to birds is its physical makeup. Are there trees, shrubs, and vines to provide protective nesting and resting places for birds? Will these plants also provide food year-round for the birds (to supplement your feeding)? Whether you live in the Southwestern deserts or the Midwestern plains, your yard will draw many more birds with a good mixture of vegetative types. Variety is the spice of life for birds, too. Here are a few things to consider if you want to enhance your property for birds.
Even before you've transformed your property into the perfect environment for birds to rest, feed, and nest, you'll want to start feeding them. Which means you'll have to make some important decisions about bird food and bird feeders. Let's start with what's most important to the birds themselves: food. One reason birds occur in such variety and numbers today is due to the fact that their feeding strategies have evolved over time to help them survive. But just because the different species of birds now have different diets doesn't mean that it's your job to feed them all. Rather than trying to provide every exotic seed or feed available, keep your selection to a few basics that will attract a wide variety of birds into your yard no matter where you live North America. Sunflower seeds are perhaps the most popular bird food on the market. Nuthatches, titmice, chickadees, woodpeckers, jays, and finches all find these seeds irresistible. Of course, you can grow your own sunflowers, for which the finches and jays in your neighborhood will love you, but before autumn arrives your sunflowers will be bare. Better to purchase a large bag of sunflower seeds. And if you really bring in the birds, you'll need several bags. Store the sunflower seeds — and all seed for that matter — in a covered metal or plastic container and, if possible, out of the weather and away from areas where raccoons, squirrels, and other animals will find them. Second to sunflower seed is mixed small seed, which attracts the above-mentioned birds as well as many species of blackbirds, sparrows, and game birds. Bird seed companies and certain stores offer their own seed mixes in all sorts of package sizes. Look for a mix that contains lots of white millet (small round white seeds). Experience will tell you before long which brands the birds in your neighborhood prefer. Another very popular seed, especially for ground-feeding birds, is cracked corn. Grouse, pheasants, doves, blackbirds, cardinals, and sparrows love it, particularly if it's finely cracked.
White beef suet, on the other hand, the best suet available for birds, attracts woodpeckers, from Downies to Pileateds, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches. It's available at the meat counter in grocery stores. Hummingbirds, meanwhile, present the backyard birder with different challenges. In the West, especially the Southwest, many types of hummingbirds exist, whereas most of the East has only one species, the Ruby-throated, but it visits feeders, too. Hummingbird food can be made easily at home by mixing four parts water with one part cane sugar. Boil the mixture for a few minutes to kill any bacteria, then store it in your refrigerator for future use. Choosing the right food, though, is only half the job. You also need efficient ways to dispense it. The key here is simplicity. While you may like the look of an ostentatious feeder, these tend be more difficult to clean and fill than simpler designs. Besides, birds don't care what a feeder looks like as long as the food inside is accessible. For sunflower and mixed seed use hanging tubular feeders. For mixed seed and cracked corn use trays or the bare ground. Onion bags or suet cages work best for suet, while specially designed hummingbird feeders — remember, keep it simple — best dispense sugary homemade brew. Finally, you'll save a lot of money in the long run, and your birds will be happier, if you make sure all feeders and feeding spaces have a lid, roof, or some manner of protection from rain and ice. Bird seed spoils quickly once it becomes wet, and nobody wins if the seed gets moldy or covered by ice and snow.
You've planted an assortment of trees and shrubs, set up bird feeders and filled them with seeds and suet, but there's still more you can do to attract the widest possible variety of birds to your property. First, there's water. Water is essential for all birds, which seek it out wherever they can. Simply providing clean and accessible water, therefore, will attract a surprising number of birds, including many insect- and fruit-eating species. Waxwings, thrushes, vireos, and warblers rarely come to feeders but visit birdbaths and water stations regularly. Whether you purchase a birdbath at the store or build one yourself, make sure that it's shallow and not too slippery. You can place it atop a pedestal or stump or set it on the ground. The key is to have a trickle of water running at all times. It acts as a magical lure that thirsty birds and those that want to bathe find irresistible. And if you position the bath near cover, birds will be less shy about using it. Besides water, there's also shelter, specifically artificial nest boxes and nest platforms. The birds attracted to these structures include various waterfowl (provided there's a lake, pond, or river nearby), American Kestrels, various owls, woodpeckers, parrots, and parakeets, Tree Swallows, Purple Martins, various wrens, chickadees, titmice, and bluebirds, European Starlings, and House Sparrows. Of course, not all these birds will live in your area. And since starlings and House Sparrows need no help in keeping their populations healthy, we suggest you focus on offering nest sites for other species. Pick your favorites, then do some research to learn exactly what type and size of nest structure the birds require and where these structures should be placed. In addition to bookstores and libraries, where you'll find entire books devoted to the subject, specialty bird and nature stores often have plans, kits, or ready-to-use birdhouses for sale. One final point: Remember that nesting birds, whether they're in your yard or in the woods, need space, personal territory that almost always extends beyond the confines of their nests. For this reason, don't overload your yard with nesting structures. Start with one or two birdhouses, then gradually add others if space allows.
A well-appointed backyard, especially one with feeders filled to the brim with delicious seeds, will attract more than just jays, finches, and other hungry birds. It will also likely become a favorite haunt for squirrels. And while some people prefer to leave the squirrels alone — these critters can be rather entertaining in their own amusing way — it is possible to limit their impact. For starters, consider attaching squirrel baffles to your feeders. Many pole and hanging bird feeders come equipped with these devices, which prevent squirrels from ever getting to the seeds. The squirrels will still try, of course, so be prepared for some spilled seed and squirrel antics. As for the seeds on platform feeders, it's almost impossible to protect them from squirrels. Your choice, then, is to share the seeds with squirrels or eliminate such feeders, and the latter seems like a drastic measure just to show some squirrels a lesson. One place few squirrels will ever venture for seeds is to a human hand. Birds, however, can be taught to eat right out of your palm. First, fill the inside of a glove with shredded paper or some other filler and place it at one of your feeding stations with sunflower seeds in the palm. Next, sit down near, though not beside, the feeder. Bring along a book and relax. No snacks, no music — just you and the birds. Before long, chickadees, titmice, nuthaches, sparrows, and finches should adapt to both you and the glove. If they don't, move a little farther from the feeder. The next step is for you to wear the glove and hold it as steady
as possible. If you're patient, the same birds that fed from the
stuffed glove should eat from the glove while you're wearing it.
And once they start eating from your gloved hand, it's relatively
easy to make the leap to a bare hand. The one thing to remember
throughout this exercise is that you should never try to catch a
bird that's trusting enough to land on your outstretched hand. <<<>>> |
