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For The Love Of Birds.
Birdwatching is one of the most popular outdoor activities there is, enjoyed by young and old alike. These folks come from cities, suburbs and lonely boondocks and they flock– oh, yes, pun intended– to bird sanctuaries far and wide. As it turns out there are wild bird sanctuaries all over the country, at least one in each state. So, these bird lovers have plenty to visit and more than enough birds to witness first hand.
Only problem is, that’s a heck of a lot of traveling just to see a few birds. It wouldn’t be so bad but have you checked the price of traveling lately? Gas prices, wear and tear on cars, tolls, meals, hotels and even camping fees have all gone through the roof. And that’s not even mentioning all that nasty traffic to deal with, road rage galore! Yikes! It shouldn’t cost that much in time, aggravation and money just to walk out your door and yet it does.
Wouldn’t it be better if you could make the birds come to you? wouldn't it be great if you could make your own backyard bird sanctuary? just think of it. It would save you all that trouble of traveling, traffic hassels and the rising cost of everything and you wouldn’t even have to leave the comfort of your easy chair to enjoy your favorite avian friends. Of course, that's assuming your Lazy-boy is parked by the big bay window facing the backyard.
But how do you make your backyard bird friendly?
Let me count the ways....
#1- Give them a place to call home
#2- Give them a place where food is plentiful.
#3- Give them safety from predators.
#4- Give them water.
Supply these very basic things, things, by the way, that every single creature on the planet needs and your backyard, front yard and side yard too, will be so inviting to our feathered friends that they may never leave again.
You would like that, wouldn’t you? Thought so! |
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Red-winged Black Bird
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If you build it they will come
This time we are not talking about long-dead baseball players coming out to play in a cornfield-turned-ball-park. If you build a pond, however, birds will come and not just your average sparrow to take a dip and a quick drink.
When we had the builders dig out the spot we wanted for a pond our intention was not for attracting birds. It was a good size about 30 feet in diameter and about five feet deep in the center perfect for keeping hardy Water Lilies safe throughout winter and good for keeping fish. We were also hoping for a frog or two.
Little did we know that tons of frogs would soon invade the pond without us needing to send out any invitations. That was great but we thought the pond would be that much better with a few gold fish. They did look nice swimming about. We bought four, hoping for mating pairs, at a garden center and soon had tons of baby fish flitting among the Water Lilies, Pickerel Rush, Water Hyacinths and Cattails.
We were quite happy with our pond and thought that was all the wildlife it could afford us. How wrong we were! One bright and shiny day a pair of Mallard ducks, boy and girl, skidded into the pond splashing about and making themselves quite at home. We assume they were planning on nesting in the nearby hedge of Canadian Hemlocks because they stayed for three days checking out their surroundings.
Alas, they may have wanted to raise a brood of ducklings here and we would have welcomed it but our cat Zebrina had other ideas. They were scared off and Zebrina was reprimanded and forced to stay indoors with the hope the duck pair would return. No such luck but still we were thrilled that our pond should be perceived by the wildlife about us as the "real deal".
Just when we thought life was back to normal however, another miracle occurred. None other than a Great Blue Heron landed at the edge of the pond and stalked about majestically as if he owned the place. Had himself a bit of a feast too. He seemed to like the ready supply of fish and frogs, you see. He came back several times and nearly cleaned us out. We weren’t complaining though. We had enough to share and the frogs and fish have proved themselves rather prolific, the aquatic version of the dandelion. But apart from that it’s not everyday you get one of these magnificent birds, a Great Blue Heron landing in your own not-so- little front yard pond.
So, do I recommend putting in a pond? Surely, you don’t need me telling you.
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Providing nesting material in a rather pretty way
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For The Felicity Of Our Feathered Friends
Eastern Bluebird
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Zone ManagerHelium member since Nov 30, 06 |
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Be careful what you say around this bird
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