Creating A Bird Sanctuary In Your Yard

March 5, 2005 | sweetliberty

[sweetliberty]

Some possible discussion topics (by no means exhaustive):

• The right birdhouses
• Birds and plants as pest control
• Types of birdfeeders and foods
• Dealing with nuisance birds
• Those mischievous squirrels and other feeder bandits
• Planting for the birds...and butterflies
• Controlling weeds, spiders and bad insects without hurting the birds and good insects
• Maintaining a year round bird sanctuary
• Region specific bird gardening

[Vigilantcitizen]

I have a few seed feeders hanging near a muscadine bush, a couple of hummingbird feeders I put out in late spring, a couple of nest boxes. etc...

My next project is some bat boxes to hopefully attract some fruit bats, which eat mosquitos.

[cripplecreek]

I'm thinking about talking to my neighbor about putting up a martin house in his field. I would put one up in my yard but I have too many trees and Ive read that purple martins don't like to be hemmed in by too many trees.

[sweetliberty]

BIRD PING!

If I pinged you to this thread, it is because you posted on the original, or you asked to be on the list. If anyone wants on or off the bird ping list, please let me know.

[sweetliberty]

I've never seen bats here, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I had honestly never thought of bat boxes until I started the original thread and it was being discussed. As bad as mosquitoes can get here in the summer, especially considering the diseases they can be carrying these days, and the fact that they seem to think I am a gourmet meal, it might not be a bad idea.

[GodBlessUSA]

Good Morning! Thanks for your ping!

My computer had gone down again. Before I had an opportunity to back up pictures. In order to get it back going I had to reformat and clear off my hard drive. Drats! Now, I'm reloading what I did have on some disks and going to start taking more. I should have listened to you and saved them onto a website!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I have juniper hedges, wisteria that runs on the fence, three spruce trees and a walnut tree. Little birds like house finches and chickadees and sparrows love my yard.

I feed with thistle socks, sunflowers in tube feeders, seedcakes and suet blocks in wire feeders, mixed seed in tray feeders.

I used to hang these feeders on the front porch near a forsythia, but now I have moved the winter feeding station to a fence where the wisteria grows. The birds seem to like the shelter of that area better. I have had nuthatches and towhees come to visit, and one day, a falcon of some sort popped into the yard!

I will have to move the main feeding area as the wisteria begins to grow. I just won't be able to keep the tube feeders right where they are, cause the wisteria grows fast! I won't be able to get to the fence.

I have been playing around with what type of plants would make the birds happy, too...I usually get some hummingbirds in.

But I haven't put up any nesting boxes. That might be an interesting thing to do.

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi Cripplecreek
That sounds wonderful. I wish I had a huge piece of land to do that. Last spring was the first time I saw Purple Martins. I had gone to a bird sanctuary where they have an open place for them and houses. A place to sit and watch. It was great fun observing them!

[Arrowhead1952]

The Purple Martins are back in Texas already. I always clean the houses on the middle weekend of February. I saw the scouts on the 12 of Feb, and had to mess with them for one day. Last weekend, there were 28 Martins on the power lines. Here at work, I saw close to 100 Martins sitting on the power lines last week.

You are correct about the trees being close to the houses. They like and area where they can glide into the houses, with about 100 ft of no obstructions. I live on a golf course, so that is right up their alley.

[cripplecreek]

[sweetliberty]

Oops! I missed a whole section of the list. Ping to post #4.

[GodBlessUSA]

Great shot of Chickadee! Who doesn't love a Chickadee:)

[sweetliberty]

Great shot! Dang! I've got to get a better camera.

[GodBlessUSA]

Love is in the air. :)

[cripplecreek]

Peckers in love !!!!

[HairOfTheDog]

Those mischievous squirrels and other feeder bandits

They're the only ones that are fun to watch! Who cares about the stooopid birds? Seriously, if I'm leaving food out as bait, I'll feed whatever comes around. I don't like people who bait wildlife, and then shoot the kind they don't like.

I feed my rowdy band of squirrels a mix of black sunflower seeds and peanuts.

My red squirrels are the easiest to photograph, they let me get closer, the big grey ones run away.

[sweetliberty]

"I should have listened to you and saved them onto a website!"

Fotki is running a special right now....$25 a year for a premium account...unlimited storage and linking.

[sweetliberty]

I guess the link would helpful.

Fotki special offer

[LOC1]

You might want to go ahead with the martin house on your property.

I have one within 10 feet of some trees. There already are martins in it this year, and martins have nested in it every year since I put it up. Other neighbors in the area with martin houses close to trees are also enjoying success.

The Martins do like to be close to some water, like a pond or even a swimming pool. You often see them drinking "on the fly."

[sweetliberty]

"But I haven't put up any nesting boxes."

I haven't either. I would like to put up a couple, anyway, for starters. Just not sure what kind.