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

[Vigilantcitizen]

How cool!! I wonder if they are a nesting pair!!

I believe so.

[sweetliberty]

"Seems like the birds would just go to the feeder trays."

Well, that's okay. Some of them are designed that way anyway. Just be sure and empty the hulls that build up regularly.

[Zacs Mom]

Neat idea!!!! I'm going to try that this summer! Thx!

I've watched the hummers here check spider webs for tidbits to ... ummmmm ... shall we say 'liberate'.......lol They are very efficient little hunters! I've also seen them harvest the webs for nesting material. That is the one reason I don't wipe done spider webs in the spring and early summer.

[Vigilantcitizen]

Sounds like a job for backhoe man. ;)

[sweetliberty]

"the banana will start to attract a tiny black fruit-fly.... the hummingbirds most favored 'snack'!"

I'll have to try that a little later on, once I get some hummingbirds around.

[Zacs Mom]

Oh man, you should see my resident mockingbird try to protect all of his berry trees and bushes when the robins and waxwings arrive!!! He tries so hard to run they off from everything and then finally gives up and decides to protect just one tree ~ which (once he focuses all of his attention on it) he usually manages to keep pretty much for himself.

I love this mockingbird ~ he 'owns' a large section of our backyard and he is so much fun to watch!

[sweetliberty]

To link a photo, you use < img src="" >, placing the url between the quotation marks and leaving out the spaces at the beginning and end. I tried setting it up and it was a bad link (the dreaded red x) so it might be that the site doesn't allow linking to outside servers. That is often the case with free photo storage sites.

[Zacs Mom]

A lot of male birds will present the female they are courting with food ... I think it helps to convince the female that they will be a good provider for their young. It's neat to watch!

[sweetliberty]

"They are a nesting pair. We'd been seeing them "flirt" most of the week."

Oh. Still, it is very funny.

[Zacs Mom]

I'd bet money on it! Nature has a way of bringing all these creatures together in a balance.

[GodBlessUSA]

I have a similar character in my yard. LOL! Mockingbirds are hysterical. Sometimes, only when he feels like it, he will chase others away from seed - he doesn't even eat. Other times, he can't be bothered. They bring their juveniles here. Of course, we love to hear them sing!

[GodBlessUSA]

I adore them with a peanut. I couldn't believe the first time I saw a Titmouse with a huge peanut in his mouth, too cute!

[Vigilantcitizen]

Oh. Still, it is very funny.

Yeah..it is.

Female hawk: Oh joy...snake again.

[HairOfTheDog]

I do hose it down, I hose off the platform every day or two, spray down the visible mold, and I rake it... this mold (and sprouted seed) grows up overnight, or within hours, and adding more moisture to it probably just makes it grow back better. It's perhaps a NW fact of life, till the temps warm up a little. I just don't want to be killing birds, or making them sick, when they browse around down there if they eat that seed. I've thought of spraying it with a bleach mix before hosing it down... but then I'd probably just kill them with that.

Here's a closeup of what the ground underneath the platforms looks like, the greyish fuzz is the mold. I raked it a couple days ago.

One of my platforms where a squirrel was just a moment before when I was focusing. (Dang the shutter delay in digitals ;~D)

There he is.... wonderin' why I am interruptin' his breakfast.

[MamaTexan]

LOL! I know it's a bit early for y'all, but the discussion the other day about hummingbirds;

(whether to color their food...IMO don't)
(whether to use 'energized' commercial nectar...IMO, don't)

made remember to tell everyone they eat (eww) flys in fairly good quantities.

That is the one reason I don't wipe done spider webs in the spring and early summer.

Here, too! I also toss out trimmings from family haircuts.

It's so funny to watch the nesting birds 'shop' for material.

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi MamaTexan!

[HitmanLV]

Gosh, here is a pic of what my bird sanctuary attracted....

[HairOfTheDog]

Last year I had some kind of bird in love with his own image in the mirror of my truck. I finally went and covered it up so he'd go find real love :~D

[GodBlessUSA]

Good luck moving those plants. I moved three hydrangeas last year. My back hurts just thinking about it. Amazing the size of their root system.

[GodBlessUSA]

That is such a cute pictures. I love the coloring of your squirrels. I wish I had a suggestion about the mold. I will check with a friend who has been a birder for most of his 60 years and see if he has a suggestion. This man is incredible with information, brilliant. He helps me out all the time. Hopefully he will have a suggestion because that is a bummer to deal with.

I got such a kick out of this squirrel. I was on the deck and kept hearing a noise. I had my son come out to hear to figure it out. We looked up and finally saw this guy grinding his teeth down. LOL.