Creating A Bird Sanctuary In Your Yard

March 5, 2005 | sweetliberty

[sweetliberty]

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As it turned out, the previous thread on this topic generated a lot of interest and several people recommended doing it as a regular thread, so here is the second installment.

How you go about creating a bird sanctuary in your yard, or outdoor space, will depend on a number of givens, some which can modified, and others over which you have no control. One of these is geographical location or climate zone. If you live in the Colorado Rockies, you are not going to attract Cardinals, no matter how many black oil sunflower seeds you put out, and if you're on a beach in Florida, it's a pretty safe bet that there will be no snow buntings visiting your yard, the cornucopia of insects notwithstanding. Of course, if global warming keeps encroaching on us, we may soon find Alaska overrun with Parrots and Flamingos, but, I digress.

Within any given area, there are a variety of habitats, so no matter what your specific location, it is possible to vastly increase the types and numbers of birds in your immediate environment by modifying your habitat to make it more bird friendly to a wider array of birds native to your region.

Another "given" is your available space. If you live in a cottage in the woods by a stream, you will obviously have a lot more options available to you than if you live in an urban apartment with nothing more than a small porch or balcony. Of course, I think the majority of us live somewhere between those extremes. The point is, even if you have nothing more than a porch, you can still make it bird friendly, thereby increasing your enjoyment of these highly entertaining creatures. If you don't even have so much as a porch, I would suggest moving!

The purpose of this thread is to share ideas for maximizing our outdoor spaces to make them appealing to birds and butterflies, to share our experiences and knowledge or expertise, photos and resources. The discussion is pretty free-flowing and may expand to include gardening, landscaping and related topics. The direction the thread takes will really be up to the FReepers who post on it. We can focus on a different topic every week or two, or just keep it open and casual, updating the thread periodically. The main thing is that we learn and have fun.

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Link to previous thread: Attention Bird Gardening Enthusiasts

[Dysart]

Evening everyone!

I was just finishing the evening walk with the hounds, when up ahead, I spied a group of Robins making a fuss. We kept moving closer and I saw that a black cat was hovering over a baby bird in street just off the curb, ready to pounce. My faithful boxer/terrier mix eagerly chased the cat away after a short Mexican-American Standoff (gotta be pc ya know).

I picked up the baby bird and took away from the street and placed it near a fence under a shrub. I hope it doesn't wander into the street or that the cat finds it again. I'm thinking I should have just brought back to my backyard now but those adult Robins were working well as a team protecting it so maybe it'll be alright.

[GodBlessUSA]

Your garden looks so very beautiful! I'm happily jealous over your hummer picture! :) That's a great shot! I hope I can post one to you someday. :) I wish I thought of bees and wasps. Mine isn't protected either. I have such trouble with yellow jackets come August with the fruit. I have to think about this now to prevent it later too. How are you liking the Nandina?

[sweetliberty]

"we were told that the fallen seeds and husks need to be cleaned up to prevent this."

Yes, there are a lot of precautions that must be taken with feeders, and it is a lot of work. Keeping the area under the feeders swept up, especially after a rain, and using only enough seed in open platform feeders to last a day helps prevent food build-up which contributes to spoilage. Also, there are some feeders and foods that are very efficient at minimizing fallout and moisture buiidup. It also makes a difference where you put the feeders.

[Dysart]

Wow, I just saw your post with this link: http://www.steves-digicams.com/


Thank you! That Nikon SLR sure looks attractive if I can just justify the price considering it's for the birds LOL.

[GodBlessUSA]

Great Job Dysart's Hound ;)! Last year, I tried to help the Robins nesting in our arbor and they attacked me. I won't mess with them again. LOL! It was a funny sight. I was yelling stop please, I'm just trying to help, as I was crouched on the ground and they were dive bombing me. I looked in a tree and who landed but a Cardinal, who came along to check out what the heck was going on. LOL!

Sounds like you had smarter Robins than me. LOL! I really do hope they make out safe too! Hopefully, your dog scared the dickens out that kitty!

[Ciexyz]

I remember walking along the street one year and seeing a baby robin all by itself near the curb. An adult robin was nearby, giving it hell, I think because the adult robin saw me and didn't want to come close to the bird and put itself in danger, so it was squawking at the baby to move. The baby of course was too inexperienced to get the message.

I walked to the other side of the street so as not to distress them further. That baby was lucky that a cat wasn't near.

[sweetliberty]

That link I just posted to Becky says that the bee guards actually attract bees because of their yellow color. I have 3 feeders out like that, but since I have bought the other kind of feeders, which I was very impressed with anyway, and even moreso now that I know they are relatively bee proof, I plan to gradually replace all the bottle type feeders.

Here's the link to the home page of that site (check out the cursor):

hummingbirds.net

[Dysart]

Yeah, ppl place bells on them (cats) with noble intentions but research shows that they don't alert birds to their presence. The stats on birds killed by predatory cats is staggering.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I was a bit worried about them for awhile, but they are really growning now. I can't wait to see them this winter when they turn red.

Becky

[Dysart]

Here's the link to the home page of that site (check out the cursor): hummingbirds.net

It's likely too late this year, but next year I intend to get with attracting Hummers to my yard. They seem like fascinating creatures. Of course, Grackles in small doses intrigue me in a curious way. *Don't flame me*

[Ciexyz]

This is a lovely thread, isn't it.

[GodBlessUSA]

Oh No! My husband's going to kill me. LOL! You got me thinking... new camera. I should have never gone on that site.

That Nikon looks great! I enjoy my camera but it has it's draw backs and limitations. I don't care for the software at all. HP software takes over the computer. It's been a time since I purchased my camera and technology goes so fast that they work out the flaws. I just looked at the site and saw many new good cameras.

I love the size of the Nikon. The feature of the flash, that's needed indoors, is a big plus. Great review on camera and software! Now my wheels are spinning, new Camera. Although, I think I may have to wait for Christmas for this one! :)

[Dysart]

"This is a lovely thread, isn't it."

Absolutely-- a great idea and a nice group of posters.

[Dysart]

Oh, I'm sure he'll see the wisdom of buying you a new camera since you could take better pics of the kids or maybe him at at some hobby. Just might not want tell him it's to get better shots of that cute little Chickadee. :)

[GodBlessUSA]

Thanks, SweetLiberty! Terrific site. I think I will learn a lot there.

Oh, I forgot to check the owl cam. I wanted to see them before dark. I have to look again! I get such a kick out of seeing a live webcam of a nest. Thanks again for posting that link!

[GodBlessUSA]

Oh, he'll know it's for Chickadee. LOL! He always kids me about getting more shots of the family, when I just can't wait to upload the last shot of that bird! :)

[GodBlessUSA]

That's great. I still haven't seen them here. I'm surprised too, because we are considered zone 7. I'll have to ask someone at a nursery.

[sweetliberty]

"I forgot to check the owl cam."

Thanks for the reminder!

[sweetliberty]

Looks like they're sleeping.

[MamaTexan]

Morning!

That was a good move with the baby Robin. Surely he'll manage to hop up in the shrub and get out of kitty range!

All the babies are being forced out of the nest. There are at least 2 families of Titmice that visit the feeders everyday, squawking and fluttering enough to make you want to yell at them to 'Be QUIET!'

They're to inexperienced to even be afraid. Yesterday, one of them was on a branch above my head and hung upside down, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d his neck, and turned one little beady, white rimed eye toward me for a better look!

LOL!