San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Colorful wings of spring flocking to garden, brightening one’s day
We expect summer gardens to be filled with vibrant hues, but many of the brightest colors now are on the wing rather than on the vine.
Many of you may have already been thrilled by the spectacular sight of hooded orioles at your nectar feeder. These neon-yellow and jet-black creatures are the birds of summer that brighten our gardens with their comical antics, nervous bickering and chattering. They will devour gallons of grape jelly and buckets of nectar offered by bird lovers, while females sew their pouch nests into swaying palm fronds and begin raising chicks before migrating south in September.
Last week, a beautiful lazuli bunting showed up at the seed feeder just outside of my office window. With its striking, bright blue head, cinnamon upper chest band, black wings with pale cream wing bars, white underparts, a brown and blue tail, the first glimpse of this colorful bird each season brings gasps of delight.
For a time, he shared the seeds in a basket feeder with a spotted towhee who contrasted sharply with its black head and back, crisp white belly and white wing spots and reddish-brown flanks.
Moments later the first blackheaded grosbeak of the season landed at the feeder, scaring away the others as a flurry of feathers blew seeds into a cloud.
Spring also brings the gloriously beautiful Allen’s or rufous hummingbirds that are quite similar but most distinctive by their brilliant red throats. They are the more aggressive visitors to your nectar feeders, often buzzing like a shot out of a nearby tree to drive away the more sedate Anna’s hummingbird.
Depending on where you live, you may be lucky enough to get nesting western bluebirds at your house. These colorful cavity nesters may set up house in a nest box in your garden, adding brilliant flashes of blue as they fly in and out.
Just make sure to do a little research so you are providing nest boxes with the right size entry holes for the species you hope to attract. Our feathered friends can be very particular.
And then there are the butterflies.
These delicate miracles of nature thrive on the flowers in your summer garden. I’ve already seen the showy, pale yellow and black swallowtails, and it won’t be long before large monarch caterpillars will change into black and orange butterflies that will add even more garden color.
None of these vibrant garden visitors arrive by accident. The homeowner who caters to these migratory visitors will enjoy endless hours of nature’s delight.
From the patio garden to the sprawling estate, there are simple things that nature lovers can do to attract our flying friends.
I’ve written about it many times, but the basics never change. Food, water and habitat that meet the needs of these special wild creatures are all that is necessary to bring an extra dimension to your garden.
Gardens take time to mature, so begin planting as soon as possible. Native plant species should be your first choice because they are what the wild creatures like and most are quite drought tolerant.
A healthy garden will provide cover for your wild visitors, places to roost and nest, and sanctuary from predators like house cats, family dogs or that keen-eyed Cooper’s hawk looking for lunch.
I knew there were lots of wild quail around Mt. Hoo, but there were two things that eventually brought them to visit.
First, a ground-level water source and second, a thick patch of lantana nearby where they could quickly hide if danger approached, including those hungry hawks.
Now, we enjoy daily visits from quail, and soon we expect to see the latest crop of quail chicks drinking from the water dish. Food is also important. Many species will eagerly eat wild birdseed, but others will forage for tiny insects, spiders, worms or beetles in your garden. Scrub jays are nuts for nuts, quickly emptying a shallow bowl of raw peanuts.
Feeders should be placed in areas that domestic pets can’t reach and near trees or shrubs where birds can roost, nest or hide if danger approaches.
Hummingbirds and orioles will enjoy the same sugar-water nectar made by adding one part sugar to four parts boiling water. After cooling, add the mixture to clean feeders made for larger oriole beaks. The hummingbirds don’t care. They will feed from the same feeders.
Hummingbirds, dove, finches and sparrows will nest in your garden trees and shrubs, so be careful when pruning or thinning during nesting season.
San Diego County has more wild bird species that any other county in the United States. Our varied habitat of ocean, shoreline and bays, inland lakes, foothills, pine mountains and desert offer a kaleidoscope of both resident and seasonal visitors numbering over 500 species.
With just a little effort you can attract many of those to your home.
Nesting wrens update
In my last column I wrote that the seven eggs in our house wren nest box were about ready to hatch. Right on schedule, all seven have hatched over a three-day period, and the helpless little chicks are growing fast.
Almost immediately as hatching began, the male wren began bringing food in for the female bird and she would feed the youngsters and remove waste sacks.
It’s getting crowded on Mt. Hoo as the little chicks grow, but mom is attentive and protective.
We are now livestreaming the nesting activity during the day on my Ernie Cowan Facebook page.
Tune in if you’d like to watch this miracle of nature and drop me an email if you’d like to receive an occasional newsletter update.
Cowan is a freelance columnist. Email ernie@packtrain.com or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.