Posted on 03/05/2005 8:07:37 AM PST by sweetliberty
.
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.
.
Hhmmm...actually I don't know. I've sprayed it directly only on the weed itself. This is good only for spot weed killing I guess.
ping
You have me stumped on that one!
Good idea to put the hummer feeders out. We haven't gotten any more than the 2 black chins, but I'm still watching for more.
I finally figured out a way to keep our mated pair of red headed woodpeckers from emptying the finch feeder in less than 2 hours!
Don't know it their all made like mine, but each feeding station has both a hole and a little gate that swings up and down.
A flat piece of metal wedged behind the gate keeps it from opening, so they can only get a few seeds out at a time.
Now the little finches have food all week. Has anyone else noticed that Goldfinches don't eat off the ground? Perhaps they just can't compete with the bigger birds?
Thanks! :)
Wow, you can tell apart Male and Female. You are a long time expert birder, are you? Thanks!
I've never had any of the other birds bother the finch feeders. I have occasionally seen the Goldfinches eat off the ground, but probably because they are so messy at their feeders that there is plenty that gets knocked down. They've taken to eating at the other feeders as well
I'm glad you like the tinypics site. Hope with both of us telling other FReeprs about it doesn't wind up overloading their server! :)
I was nervous, because there were Tornado warnings there this past week.
Yep. We have some ugly thunderstorms in the spring. We got some rain and and outrageous amount of wind. My mother in law lives in Austin, and her pickup got pretty dinged up by the hail, even though it was under the carport because the hail was coming down at such an angle!!
Rub some Vaseline on the wire leading down to the feeder, and put a small glob of it about halfway down. Some ants get stuck in it, and the others will eventually go away.
I am so excited! I was on the phone and watching the birds out the kitchen window when what should appear on the birdbath but a Bluebird! He sat there for a few seconds, then just plopped himself right in the middle of the birdbath and had himself a bath. He flew up in the tulip tree and sat there fluffing himself, then did a repeat performance. The blue in his tail feathers just glistened in the sun. Now if I can just keep him around! And surely he has a mate somewhere.
How Wonderful! The Bluebirds will just love those meal worms! I hope BB returns! You so lucky! :)
Now if I can just keep him around!
Even a bird knows when he's being spoiled! :)
You "are" so lucky ;)
Anybody got any suggestions for something that will kill weeds without harming the birds?
That might work if I could quit my job. I have a big yard, and not a lot of time to put into it. If I tried to do it by hand, the first section would have regrown by the time I got to the last one.
In that case - I wish you the best of luck.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.