Attracting wild birds, feeding them and wondering about their nesting requirements is time honored. An active nest in the backyard can quickly become a focal point for the entire household as cats are restrained, yard detours are posted, children are advised not to touch the eggs and adults become amateur naturalists intent on protecting the young.
We relate to birds by providing natural and manmade attractions. We grow native fruit and seed bearing trees and bushes in our yards because we like them and so do the birds. We place a bird bath or bird feeder near a favorite window or perhaps we go whole hog, studying the birds, buying binoculars, and mounting nesting boxes on the side of a tree or a sheltered fence post. Learning these species and their food and nesting requirements is not hard. Typically they are small, seed eating cavity nesters such as wrens, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, and starlings.
A bird bath is a good start. A bird bath can be an elaborate and artistic device hooked up to a faucet with running water or it can be an overturned trash barrel lid. The birds will flock to the bath and enjoy the cool fresh water.
A bird feeder is essential. There are many different feeders and they cater to the wide range of foods that different birds need. To cater to the hummingbird’s need for sweet water, backyard birders mount red glass or plastic feeders full of fresh sugar water. Hummingbird feeders can be hung close to the house or even adhered to a window,
A chickadee on the other hand wants seeds, such as sunflower or smaller, so birders mount or hang a silo feeder that can contain seed without it spilling, and which has multiple access points so the birds can perch and gorge. Another common year round seed eater is the Goldfinch, renowned for its appetite for thistle seeds. Thistle seeds are tiny and are usually offered to the birds in silo feeders with small access holes or “thistle socks” being fabric containers that hang from a branch and allow the Goldfinch to cling while extracting the delicious Nyjer seeds.
A platform feeder, being a rimmed tray is easily mounted or hung a few inches or several feet above ground. Kitchen scraps, cracked corn, toast, oranges, apples, etc., are all enticing food for birds such as starlings, cardinals and doves that enjoy walking and chewing. One-way mirror window feeders take it one step further, being mounted in a kitchen window and drawing the unsuspecting birds within inches of the home owner.
Birds such as wrens and chickadees like to nest in small deep cavities. Others do not. For example, a Robin has no interest in penetrating a hole. “Cavity nesters” are the birds that will use a bird house and they are very particular about dimensions. If the entrance is too big, the bird fears that predators or other larger birds may invade. The hole must also be high enough up the side of the box to allow a nest to be built. The interior dimensions must also be reasonable for the bird’s needs. Sprawling or too tight will not work.
Bird houses can be quite elaborate. Decorative bird houses may resemble Victorian homes or churches. The birds do not mind so long as the hole and dimensions work for them. Decorating a backyard with a work of art that also serves as a nesting box can be quite rewarding.
Purple Martins now almost depend entirely upon manmade nesting facilities, the most common of which is the classic Purple Martin Condo, containing maybe 4 or more “units,” each with a suitable sized access hole. Another style is the hanging plastic gourd. Gourds are hung from wires like laundry on a clothes line. The number of gourds is limited only by budget.
Filed under: Beginners'Guide, Product Review, Specific species Tagged: | attracting birds, backyard birder, binoculars, Bird feeder, Bird Houses, Bluebird, Carolina Wren, Chickadee, Coveside Conservation, Decorative bird houses, Holiday Gifts, Purple Martin, ruby-throated hummingbird
