Garden Secrets for Attracting Birds, Second Edition E-Book

Rachael Lanicci

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 190

Beschreibung

Garden Secrets for Attracting Birds provides valuable insight on turning your yard and garden into a mecca for birds – many of which are pollinators! From hummingbirds and finches to orioles, woodpeckers, warblers, and so many more, this must-have resource will show you how to build a healthy and productive ecosystem for birds and pollinators right in your backyard! Featuring detailed profiles of several popular North American birds, their unique characteristics, and the plants and trees that attract them, also included are maps of their seasonal locations, interesting information on their behaviors, which seed mixes, feeders, and shelters each bird species prefer, and so much more. Easy-to-read and jam-packed with insightful information, readers will find a combination of photography and beautifully rendered color illustrations depicting each type of bird.

Leseprobe

COPYRIGHT © 2010, 2021 Creative Homeowner and Moseley Road Inc.

This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

Garden Secrets for Attracting Birds, Second Edition was produced for Creative Homeowner by Moseley Road Inc.

129 Main Street, Irvington, NY 10533

www.moseleyroad.com

Garden Secrets for Attracting Birds, Second Edition (2021) is a revised edition of Garden Secrets for Attracting Birds (2010), published by Creative Homeowner. Revisions include new photographs and a new gallery.

MOSELEY ROAD INC.

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Lisa Purcell

ART DIRECTOR

Brian MacMullen

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Terasa Bernard, Amy Pierce, Hwaim Holly Lee

EDITORS

Tricia Wright, Lori Baird

PHOTO COORDINATOR

Terasa Bernard

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jon Derengowski, Lisa Purcell

COVER DESIGNER

Gus Yoo

CARTOGRAPHER

Neil Dvorak

Print ISBN 978-1-58011-863-7eISBN 978-1-60765-871-9

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

CREATIVE HOMEOWNER®

www.creativehomeowner.com

Creative Homeowner books are distributed in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, and in the UK by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 7XQ.

Contents

Birds and Gardens: A Perfect Partnership

Feeling at Home: Birdhouses, Birdbaths, Fountains, and Ponds

Bird Feeders: An Invitation to Dine

Bird-Attracting Trees, Shrubs, and Plants

American Holly

Bachelor’s Button

Bee Balm

Blueberry

California Holly

Chokeberry

Common Foxglove

Common Hackberry

Cosmos

Crabapple

Dogwood

Eastern Redcedar

Elder

European Black Alder

Hosta

Lilac

Norway Spruce

Purple Coneflower

Serviceberry

Sugar Maple

Sunflower

Switchgrass

Trumpet Honeysuckle

Zinnia

A Gardener’s Guide to Favorite Backyard Birds

WRENS AND SPARROWS

House Wren

Lark Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Eastern Towhee

ICTERIDS

Bobolink

Red-winged Blackbird

Baltimore Oriole

Orchard Oriole

Western Meadowlark

FINCHES

American Goldfinch

House Finch

Pine Siskin

Red Crossbill

CARDINALS

Northern Cardinal

Summer Tanager

Indigo Bunting

Black-headed Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak

MIMIDS AND WOOD WARBLERS

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Yellow Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

American Redstart

WAXWINGS AND JAYS

Cedar Waxwing

Blue Jay

Steller’s Jay

SWALLOWS

Barn Swallow

Purple Martin

Tree Swallow

NUTHATCHES AND TREECREEPERS

White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

TITS, KINGLETS, AND AEGITHALIDS

Black-capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Bushtit

THRUSHES

American Robin

Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS AND VIREOS

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Western Kingbird

Red-eyed Vireo

WOODPECKERS

Downy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

CUCKOOS AND DOVES

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Mourning Dove

HUMMINGBIRDS

Anna’s Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Garden Gallery

Plant Hardiness Zone Maps

Index of Bird-Attracting Plants

Photography Credits

Birds and Gardens: A Perfect Partnership

Birds and humans have always enjoyed a happy relationship, albeit one that involves a fair bit of mystery. Birds spend a lot of their time out of reach and out of sight. Expert aviators that they are, they swoop in to take advantage of a few dropped crumbs or, more often, distract us with a pleasant song while safely ensconced inside a shrub or sitting pretty on a towering branch. It’s their unbelievable diversity and mastery of the sky that inspires awe in us, and to behold a bird up close is a truly special event.

A fleeting glimpse of a single bird brings even the most ordinary landscape to life, so it’s no wonder we take particular comfort in the presence of these creatures. Even in the most urban settings, seemingly devoid of so much as a single bough, you can attract and even cater to visiting birds with the proper care and planning. A yard or garden needn’t be enormous, as long as it offers the things birds need and love.

What Birds Like

Birds’ basic requirements aren’t so different from our own—they need food, water, and shelter. Birds will ignore places without these things and quickly grow fond of locations that provide all three.

Density and variety are the keys to planning a garden that birds will love—and perhaps even come to call home. Different species of trees, shrubs, flowers, and plants attract specific birds; the more variety your garden has, the more likely you are to spot an interesting or rare bird up close.

An American Goldfinch rests in a patch of purple coneflower.

Birds need open space in which to feed and fly, but they also need places to hide and rest. By “layering” your garden with plants of different sizes, you’ll encourage birds to do both right in your backyard.

How to Do It

In the city, a small combination of interesting plants, shrubs, and flowers clustered tightly together, along with a miniature birdbath and a food source, is enough to entice birds to make a stop on your balcony, porch, or windowsill. If you’re fortunate enough to have a courtyard or a flat rooftop deck, the placement of more permanent greenery, such as potted trees and flower beds, will make the area that much more attractive to birds.

Rural and suburban areas have even more potential for bird hospitality. The average yard, with its mown lawn and dearth of trees, offers little enticement to our feathered friends. If your garden is just starting out, plant in stages to maximize variety and allow for future growth and maturity. Combine different kinds of trees (coniferous and deciduous), flowers (annuals and perennials), and other plant life to attract the maximum number and variety of bird species. There’s no magic combination, and you needn’t establish a Garden of Eden overnight—the birds will be grateful for any effort you make.

What You’ll Learn

Depending on the region in which you live, some species of flowers and plants work better than others. This book gives you planting, growing, and habit information for particular species that thrive in various North American climates, as well as the specific birds that are attracted to them.

North America is home to a terrific variety of bird species. Once you’ve attracted the birds to your garden, you’ll want to know what they are. Use the guide starting page 42 to identify the birds you see and hear, based on their distinct appearance, song, and call. Come across eggs or a nest? Don’t disturb them, but try to determine the species to which they might belong.

Feeling at Home: Birdhouses, Birdbaths, Fountains, and Ponds

Once the basic, natural components of your garden are in place, there are a number of man-made structures that offer visiting birds additional room to hide, rest, or even nest while they incubate and raise their young. Properly constructed and placed, these structures provide birds with even more reason to linger nearby and greatly increase your chances of intimately observing their patterns and rituals.

Birdhouses

Adding a small birdhouse or two to your garden or backyard is a simple but very effective way to attract birds. A birdhouse offers a place to perch or nest and will be particularly welcome in the winter when there may be little in the way of natural shelter.

If you have the room, experiment with a variety of different-size birdhouses, varying the size of the entrance and the shape of the house in particular. Depending on the dimensions, different species will take up residence. If you plan to purchase a preconstructed birdhouse, identify a few of your favorite bird species, and find a house designed to attract them. If you elect to take the do-it-yourself route, you can customize a birdhouse to your own specifications, taking into consideration the climate in which you live and the birds you’d like to welcome. When building many species’ houses, resist the temptation to include a protruding ledge or perch outside the entrance—this provides an easy way for predators, such as squirrels, to enter the house. Most birds are perfectly happy to perch on the entrance hole itself. Many birdhouses can be constructed at home with only minimal supplies and skills, and you may enjoy the project as much as you do gardening!

A homemade birdhouse

A weathered birdhouse

Nesting Shelves, Boxes, and Baskets

A nesting shelf is a simple, sturdy piece of wood placed in a tree or against a wall to provide birds with a secure platform on which to build their nest when the time comes. Birds such as robins and phoebes, which do not like to be confined, prefer a nesting shelf to a house. Nesting boxes provide a bit more cover.

BUILDING YOUR OWN BIRDHOUSE

• Select clean, untreated wood—rough-hewn pieces will give the birds some traction.

• Ensure that your design includes a roof with an inch or two of overhang to keep the house dry.

• Incorporate hinges or screws for easy disassembly and seasonal cleaning.

• Provide holes at the top and bottom for ventilation and drainage.

• Make sure that the main entrance is near the top of the house.

• If you paint the house, select only nontoxic paint in natural colors, and never paint the inside.

• Install the house in a secluded location away from other birdhouses—nesting birds can be territorial.

A few of the tenants take the air at a Purple Martin “apartment complex.”

A nest basket is another simple kind of bird house that you can easily build and hang in your backyard to attract mating pairs of birds, such as Mourning Doves. Many birds are opportunists when it comes to choosing nesting sites, and you may find nests in the hollows of cactuses, in the branches of shrubbery, and even in the hanging flower baskets swinging from your porch and inside the potted plants on your deck. Never disturb your baskets and pots after you notice eggs—the parents will likely abandon the nest if it’s moved.

Purple Martin Apartment

Purple Martins, especially those in eastern North America, rely on nest boxes to breed, and many of them roost in colonies. Set up a martin “apartment complex,” with many pegs, perches, and entrance holes in a desirable location, and your “tenants” will return year after year.

Bluebird House

In the mid-1990s, the disappearing habitat of the Eastern Bluebird meant that this North American thrush faced extinction. Thanks to a network of bird lovers who erected nesting boxes, the numbers of this vibrant-colored species are back on the rise. You, too, can attract these lovely birds to your backyard by setting up a nesting box, which comes in a specific shape and a few sizes. Bluebirds will begin to nest as early as March and, unlike the sociable Purple Martin, they prefer their houses to be spaced well apart.

The decaying or dead trunk of a tree makes an attractive nest site for many species, some of which actually excavate a hole first.

For the best results, birdhouses and boxes should be made from simple, natural materials and located in positions that afford the birds some amount of privacy and protection. Try to position birdhouses so that their entrances don’t face the wind.

A pair of Eastern Bluebirds take advantage of a ready-made home.

A curious American Robin surveys the company at a lawn birdbath.

Birdbaths, Fountains, and Ponds

Installing a birdbath in your garden is an excellent way to encourage a variety of species to drop by for an invigorating splash. Many backyard birds enjoy taking a bath in a pond or birdbath, and on a warm summer day, few birds will pass up a cool sip from an inviting source of water. These need not be limited to traditional stone lawn monuments, but can also feature a bubbling fountain or include a heating element for freezing weather. Many birds are attracted to the sound of moving water, particularly those that enjoy perching by a stream. To create a genuine bird sanctuary in your garden, consider installing a small pond edged with rocks and fitted with a pump, which will simulate the irresistible sounds of a stream. A simpler and less expensive option is to make a very small hole in a large drum or jug, and suspend it over your birdbath. Fill it with water, and the dripping sound will ensure every bird in the area notices the new bathing site.

THE BEST BIRDBATH

• The water in a birdbath should be very shallow—no more than 3 inches deep.

• Choose (or build) a birdbath with a rough surface on the bottom and edges.

• Arrange a few stones or other elements in the middle of the basin to provide landing space.

• Place your birdbath in a clearing—birds like to have advance warning of predators.

• Keep the birdbath and surrounding area clean.

• Change the water every few days.

A small garden pond, planted with a variety of plant species, will attract plenty of feathered visitors.

Bird Feeders: An Invitation to Dine

Providing a safe and steady source of food will encourage birds to return to your garden again and again. You will not only attract more birds but also contribute to their health by providing them with nutrients they may have difficulty finding on their own—above and beyond what they’ve already gleaned from your garden. Birds’ nutrition is particularly crucial in the winter months, when a well-stocked feeder will supply birds with the nutrition that they will need to survive in the coldest climates. The kind of bird feeder that you choose is ultimately a matter of preference: some of them withstand the elements better than others; some attract different types of birds; and some work well in certain environments where others do not. You might find that a combination of different bird feeders will best suit your needs.

Tubular Feeder

A tubular bird feeder is a long, narrow cylinder, commonly made of plastic, which is filled with a seed mixture and hung from a tree branch or other similar support. The cylinders are fitted with perches and punctured with small holes that allow the birds to reach the seeds. The length of the perch determines the types of birds that will come to a tubular feeder—larger birds will come to longer perches and smaller birds to shorter perches. To deter squirrels—notorious for raiding bird feeders—many tubular feeders come encased in a metal cage; this allows birds to feed but keeps out unwelcome visitors.

Niger Feeder

Niger, also called niger thistle, is a tall yellow flower of the sunflower family that produces tiny, oil-rich seeds that many birds love. A niger feeder is designed for storing these smaller seeds and is a suitable choice for attracting sparrows, chickadees, titmice, grosbeaks, and many finch species, especially goldfinches. This bird feeder is often similar to a regular tubular feeder, but it is made smaller and narrower to accommodate the tiny seeds. In place of the small holes on a tubular bird feeder, niger feeders usually include small openings with spill trays, which provide easy access to the seeds. A niger stocking feeder offers another way to give birds what they crave. This feeder dispenses seeds from a netted cloth stocking, usually made of nylon or vinyl.

Pine Siskins gather to feast on the offerings at a tubular feeder.

A Black-capped Chickadee makes a dinner stop at a niger stocking feeder.

Suet Feeder

A suet bird feeder is a wire or nylon mesh bag containing a block or cake of suet. Suet is a calorie-dense, fatty mixture composed of rendered animal fat mixed with seeds, nuts, and fruit in any combination, usually sold in preformed blocks that can be inserted into a suet feeder. You can also easily make your own suet balls. Typically, suet is made from beef fat, but it is also available in insect- or vegetable-based varieties. Suet is a great source of nutrition for birds in the winter months, when protein is scarce. A suet bird feeder is suitable for a wide range of birds, including woodpeckers, goldfinches, juncos, cardinals, thrushes, jays, kinglets, tits, bluebirds, and wrens.

Hungry sparrows aren’t shy about getting their share at a suet feeder.

A pair of Mourning Doves dine at a tray feeder.

A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird makes a stop to sip sugar water at a hummingbird feeder.

Platform/Tray Feeder

This simple bird feeder is a tray onto which food is directly placed, and it is particularly suited to juncos, doves, and sparrows. Although sometimes covered by a roof, this bird feeder is very open, offering little protection from scavenging squirrels or inclement weather. To reduce rain-induced sogginess and damage, make sure that your platform feeder has adequate drainage. As you might expect, this type of bird feeder is best suited to a dry environment.

A Northern Cardinal samples the seed selection at a hopper feeder.

FEEDING THE MASSES

Sunflower seeds are generally a flock-pleaser. Of the two kinds—black-oil and striped—striped are harder for house sparrows and blackbirds to crack open. If you see more of these birds than you’d like, striped sunflower seeds may be preferable.

Shelled sunflower seeds are a good option if you’d rather not clean up shells, but they’re more expensive, and they attract squirrels and predators. They also tend to spoil if left in a feeder for too long.

Hopper Feeder

A hopper feeder is similar to a platform feeder, but its walls offer greater protection against the elements. The more enclosed design of this bird feeder also encourages the growth of mold, so a good drainage system is a must. It is equally important to clean the hopper feeder and change the food regularly. A squirrel-proof version of this bird feeder is designed with a weighted perch that will shut off access to the food if anything heavier than a bird rests on it. The hopper feeder will attract most species of birds.

Hummingbird Feeder

This is a unique type of bird feeder that dispenses a sugary water solution to hungry hummingbirds and other nectar-loving birds. Usually made of plastic, this feeder has small holes or protruding spouts into which a hummingbird can insert its beak and reach the solution inside. Typically, this bird feeder will have a red hood or base to imitate the red flowers that hummingbirds find so appealing. Under no circumstances should you add red dye to your solution, however, because the dye is potentially harmful to birds. To make your own nectar, add one-half cup of granulated sugar to two cups of boiling water, and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. (Let the solution cool before filling your feeder.) The rule of thumb to remember in making nectar is a 4:1 ratio of water to sugar.

A Baltimore Oriole satisfies his sweet tooth at an oriole fruit feeder.

Oriole Fruit Feeder

Provide orioles with nourishment during their breeding season by putting out an oriole bird feeder, which dispenses nectar, jelly, and/or fruit, rather than seeds. Many oriole feeders look like orange hummingbird feeders, and like the hummingbird variety, they dispense a sugar-water solution that simulates flower nectar. There are also feeders constructed to dispense jelly or jam or to hold oranges, which orioles love.

Buy the Best Seed

Birds are notoriously picky creatures, and what they choose to eat is no exception. Seed provides birds with well-rounded nutrition, in addition to the insects and plants they’ll find in your garden, and as is the case with nests and houses, certain species have certain preferences.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MIX

There are many kinds of seeds, and each attracts many kinds of birds. Here is a rundown of the major kinds.

•SAFFLOWER

Attracts: Cardinals, chickadees, doves, finches, grosbeaks, nuthatches, sparrows, and titmice Best feeders: Hopper; tray

•WHITE MILLET

Attracts: Sparrows, doves, towhees, juncos, and cardinals

Best feeders: Ground; tray

Avoid if you live near: Blackbirds and cowbirds

Alternative: Black-oil sunflower

•CRACKED CORN

Attracts: Cardinals, doves, grosbeaks, and jays

Best feeder: Tray

Avoid if you live near: House sparrows, starlings, geese, cowbirds, and squirrels and other scavengers

•PEANUTS

Attracts: Chickadees, jays, titmice, and woodpeckers

Best feeders: Tray; tube

Avoid if you live near: Squirrels, bears, and other scavengers

•SORGHUM

Attracts: Jays

Best feeders: Ground, tray

Avoid if you live near: Cowbirds

•RAPESEED

Attracts: Doves, finches, and juncos

•NIGER

Attracts: Finches, sparrows, chickadees, titmice, and grosbeaks

Best feeder: Tube (with fine mesh)

Birds love seed, but so do many other animals you might not want in your garden, including squirrels, bears, raccoons, deer, and other scavengers. These animals already take advantage of many intentional (and unintentional) human food sources and don’t need more excuses to graze.

Pay close attention to the labels on your seed—the best seed is pure and doesn’t contain any additives or filler, such as flax. Fillers don’t provide any nutrition to birds, and they create waste and potential contamination.

Bird-Attracting Trees, Shrubs, and Plants

Bee Balm

Hosta

Blueberry

Sunflower

Norway Spruce

Eastern Redcedar

American Holly

Ilex opaca

ORDER: Aquifoliales | FAMILY: Aquifoliaceae

A slow-growing evergreen, the American holly has thick, leathery leaves edged with spikelike points. This sturdy plant’s thorny branches provide protection for many nesting birds and are home to a host of insects, such as bees, ants, and moths, which in turn assist in its pollination. It bears small, greenish white flowers in spring, and in the fall, it produces small red berries, which remain on the plant through the winter. The berries are poisonous to humans, but they form a staple of many songbirds’ winter diets. Each berry contains four individual seeds. The evergreen foliage also provides birds with shelter from predators during the winter months, when many other trees are bare. The American holly is often associated with the Christmas holiday season.

GROWING GUIDE

•TYPE: Evergreen shrub

•BLOOMS: Spring

•LIGHT: Partial shade

•SOIL: Well-drained, moist, slightly acidic

•MOISTURE: Moderate

•pH: 4–7.5

•SPACING: 15–40 feet

•PLANTING: Balled and burlapped

•HEIGHT: 12–60 feet

•SPREAD: 10–20 feet

•HARDINESS ZONE: 5b–9b

Bachelor’s Button

Centaurea cyanus

ORDER: Asterales | FAMILY: Asteraceae

B