Posted on 03/05/2005 8:07:37 AM PST by sweetliberty
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As it turned out, the previous thread on this topic generated a lot of interest and several people recommended doing it as a regular thread, so here is the second installment.
How you go about creating a bird sanctuary in your yard, or outdoor space, will depend on a number of givens, some which can modified, and others over which you have no control. One of these is geographical location or climate zone. If you live in the Colorado Rockies, you are not going to attract Cardinals, no matter how many black oil sunflower seeds you put out, and if you're on a beach in Florida, it's a pretty safe bet that there will be no snow buntings visiting your yard, the cornucopia of insects notwithstanding. Of course, if global warming keeps encroaching on us, we may soon find Alaska overrun with Parrots and Flamingos, but, I digress.
Within any given area, there are a variety of habitats, so no matter what your specific location, it is possible to vastly increase the types and numbers of birds in your immediate environment by modifying your habitat to make it more bird friendly to a wider array of birds native to your region.
Another "given" is your available space. If you live in a cottage in the woods by a stream, you will obviously have a lot more options available to you than if you live in an urban apartment with nothing more than a small porch or balcony. Of course, I think the majority of us live somewhere between those extremes. The point is, even if you have nothing more than a porch, you can still make it bird friendly, thereby increasing your enjoyment of these highly entertaining creatures. If you don't even have so much as a porch, I would suggest moving!
The purpose of this thread is to share ideas for maximizing our outdoor spaces to make them appealing to birds and butterflies, to share our experiences and knowledge or expertise, photos and resources. The discussion is pretty free-flowing and may expand to include gardening, landscaping and related topics. The direction the thread takes will really be up to the FReepers who post on it. We can focus on a different topic every week or two, or just keep it open and casual, updating the thread periodically. The main thing is that we learn and have fun.
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Hi HairOfTheDog
I have a feeding area for the squirrels too. Sometimes there's a squirrel convention out there. :)
Fortunately, I haven't seen any mold problems here. That's a bummer. I rake up daily or every other day. It's a pain and you may not have the time to get to it. Sometimes I wish I could use a vacuum. :)
I don't blame you. I would have done the same thing.
The sparrow seems comfortable with feeding underneath a chair since it's a protective covering. It comes down every day to see if I've put anything out.
Awesome pics.
See post 39.
Yes, they do that here too. Isn't that a hoot! They are such friendly little birds. The Chickadees and the Titmice have their own feeder right next the deck where I sit. They get quite use to us.
Good point.
Thank You so much for the link. I'm going to do this today. I can make up the lost bird shots but my kids pictures can't be retaken :(.
ROTFL! Bet the first one was PO'd! Were they trying to impress wimmin hawks, you reckon?
No. Seems like the birds would just go to the feeder trays. We live in a very old neighborhood that has become quite popular. Every few years someone builds a few condos on some old growth woods near us (grrrr!) and the rats are flushed out.
Around my feeders, the doves and cardinals leave nothing for the rats on the ground.
How cool!! I wonder if they are a nesting pair!!
I've seen a few Goldfinches on the new feeder. I hope there will be more as time goes by.
Another tidbit on my favorite birds- Hummingbirds drink nectar, but also eat an amazing amount of insects.
For a special hummingbird treat, split a banana lengthwise, leaving the peel on.
Place it on a table, windowsill, etc., somewhere close to your hummingbird feeder, but not on the ground.
After a short time, the banana will start to attract a tiny black fruit-fly.... the hummingbirds most favored 'snack'!
They pass through here late in the winter. Last year, I went looking for them at a bird sanctuary. I was not lucky to see any. They should be coming soon again, I'll give it another shot! How lucky you are! Enjoy them!
http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=showMyPhoto&albumID=288235578&photoID=288238770&security=DybBrS
We have red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, great horned owls, barred owls, peregrine falcons, barn owls, you name it. The daytime predators seem to go for the squirrels and of course the falcons like birds. The owls seem to come and go. I do believe that they hang around for the rats.
They are a nesting pair. We'd been seeing them "flirt" most of the week.
The Titmice like a variety of food and are not particular about the type of feeders either. The Titmice here eat from ALL the feeders, except the Finch feeders, they're funniest with peanuts.
By the way, You had those birds on your hands!! That is awesome!
I just planted a lot of berrying trees, shrubs and plants last year. I hope some perform this year. I love the Mockingbirds and Catbirds. I'm trying to keep them happy! I feed them fruit and Jelly now but I think they will enjoy the new plantings.
I have hydrangeas under the feeders which I probably should dig up. Ever tried to dig those things up? What a pain.
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