High time to bring on the birds
Tips to coax feathered friends to your next garden party
The largest bird-a-thon in Canada begins in a few weeks. And you’re invited.
The Christmas Bird Count takes place from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. Just go to birdscanada.org to learn more and register to take part. The bird count is North America’s longestrunning citizen science project, compiling vital wildlife survey data. It’s a lot of fun, you’d be surprised at what you learn and, who knows, you could even become hooked and skip the trip south this winter in favour of bird watching.
Some highlights of what I have learned:
Birds don’t need us to feed them
Many well-intentioned feeders of birds (vs. “bird feeders”) believe that wild birds become dependant on us for food. Other than, perhaps, the coldest days of the year and the ones with the deepest snow fall, birds are very capable of finding food from natural sources. They are much like us in that they will take the easiest path to a meal and if it happens to be at your feeder then that is where they will congregate. The good news is that you are free to go on vacation and not keep the bird feeders full, without feeling guilty.
Use the appropriate seed
Birds are foragers: they find food in some of the most unlikely places, like the seed heads of ornamental grasses in your yard. Consider what kinds of birds you wish to attract to your yard and put out the appropriate seed in your feeders. Here is a short list from Bird Studies Canada:
Black oil sunflower/premium mixed seed attracts cardinal, blackcapped chickadee, mourning dove, dark-eyed junco, song sparrow and common grackle. I have learned that every bird in the kingdom has a beneficial role to play in the scheme of things, grackles included.
Suet and bird peanuts (vs. peanuts for human consumption, which is a no-no as birds should not have salt — something else I learned) attract blue jay, red-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, hairy woodpecker.
Nyjer/black oil sunflower seed attracts house finch, American goldfinch, purple finch, common redpoll, pine siskin. Use a nyjer feeder and watch the bird population scrap over who gets the spoils first.
Fruit attracts the American robin. Note that much of the fruit on your crabapple and Mountain ash trees will be foraged by robins who decide that it is a good idea to stay here over winter. They usually strip a fruit bearing tree clean after the first heavy snow fall. Plants There are so many plants that birds love that I can’t list them all here. Truth is, the seeds of their favourite plants are what they are really interested in. Broadly speaking, the following plants are bell ringers for attracting birds: ornamental grasses, Joe-pye weed, echinacea, cedars and rudbeckia. When you are shopping at your favourite garden retailer this coming spring, be sure to look for plant labels that state “attracts birds.” Water This is the single most impactful feature you can add to your yard in your effort to attract birds (apart from a full bird feeder). Birds need water to drink and bathe. Simple as that. A half barrel or a full blown pond and stream works wonders. I have five bird "baths" in my yard at last count and they use them all. Shelter Birds need shelter to breed and for protection from cold, wind, snow and their enemies like hawks, falcons and neighbourhood cats. Especially cats. The best protection that you can provide wild birds is evergreens that grow tall and thick. Cedars, spruce, fir and the like all work like a charm.
Bird Studies Canada is the largest and most sophisticated organization of its kind. There are over 20 fulltime employees, including several very well-educated and enthusiastic ornithologists who study birds extremely carefully. Each year these specialists depend on people like you and me to help them determine the migration patterns of all wild bird species, along with population growth and decline. Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author, broadcaster and garden editor of Reno & Decor magazine. Get his free monthly newsletter at markcullen.com. Watch him on CTV Canada AM every Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. Email him at groundskeeper@markcullen.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkCullen4.