Posted on 08/02/2022 6:47:22 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
As I write this, I can hear a cardinal trilling in the backyard. I don’t have to look out the open window to confirm the source of the sounds that come through it; I’ve come to recognize the songs and their singers. I know it’s the mourning dove whose cooing wakes me in the morning and the sparrow whose repetitive chirps complete the sunrise chorus.
Watching birds perched on a branch or visiting a feeder imparts a certain connection to nature that little else does, and, for me at least, listening to their melodies alleviates stress.
Birds are also the most cost-effective way of reducing the number of pests in your garden. Their young are ravenous consumers of insects, including aphids, whiteflies, cabbage worms, cucumber beetles, grubs, earwigs, stinkbugs and, especially, caterpillars.
According to Doug Tallamy, a University of Delaware professor of entomology, one clutch of chickadees, for instance, requires 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars, delivered by their parents, to sustain them from birth through first flight, which is just over two weeks. That’ll clean up the garden, to say the least.
To attain these pest-control benefits, you don’t have to be an expert birder. All you need to do is create a bird-friendly habitat.
Using native plants in your garden will feed native insects, which, in turn, will attract hungry birds. Select a mix of plants to provide berries, nectar and/or seeds year-round. The Audubon Society’s Native Plants Database is an excellent source of bird-friendly plant suggestions for your region. Just plug in your zip code to get started. (https://www.audubon.org/native-plants)
Allow flowering perennials to stand over winter, when food is scarce; their seed heads will feed non-migratory birds. As a bonus, your garden will retain vertical interest through the winter.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
I think they live in the woods behind the house so I am guessing there is a cave on the property somewhere.
Lol, that’s funny.
Or a hollowed out tree.
You are fortunate. And blessed.
I’m glad that we don’t have bears in our next of the woods. That would probably freak me out. Coyotes are enough.
I hope you get some owls back near you, as well. Do you know what kind yours were?
Barred owls, I believe.
So if they were barred owls, like ours are, they don’t migrate. They stay pretty close to home, meaning within a mile or so. Maybe yours are just in another part of their territory, and will make their way back to nearer you sometime soon. We can always hope!
It’s possible, there were 2 matching Italian cypress trees (tall thin things) with a large live oak nearby.
The cypress trees died for whatever reason and were then removed.
The owls loved those tress, they would get on the tips and ride them as they dropped about halfway—it was rather funny almost like an amusement ride for the owls.
The cypress are gone and the owls went with them. *shrug* I do hope they come back :)
That’s great. Now if I can just get my pooch to stop bringing in (live) possums through the dog door. :)
Silly pets!
Our cats love birds, chipmunks, and squirrels. If any are too dumb to go inside their enclosure, they risk their lives. We have installed a 6” mesh at the bottom to keep the chipmunks and squirrels out. The enclosure is also locked so that raccoons can’t make their way in. So far we’ve only had a couple of birds and one chipmunk make it into the house through the cat door (cats brought us gifts). The possums, skunks, and raccoons have made their way to the deck but don’t get any further. So far no coyotes have come up that far. The cats love it year round, and we do, too.
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