Garden Bird Feeders

Archive for December, 2009

Why going green?

Gardens should be alive, not just with plants, but with all manner of insect, bird and animal life. To me the notion of a sterile garden is a frightening thing. Attracting the wildlife to the garden is something that came before the gardening came to life.

As a child, I had been enjoying birds and caterpillars long before it was begonias and camellias. I had been using to lie in our back garden, under a blackout material, and see how many blackbirds, thrushes, pigeons were. They would come close for scattered crumbs, on their way to a deeper and safe sky. The evening lectures on the back yard about bats, badgers and snakes, improve the view of threatening. Because, everything it makes to enjoy, carrying of a further way and working happily together. The world around is beautiful, depend how you take it.

Than I became a gardener on the spare time. And, started to form that uneasy truce that gardeners must achieve, have its own way of being. If, the desire is to raise pest-free crops and still enjoy wildlife in the garden. Armed with both allies, knowledge and nature itself, a fairly and selective manners appear. It is about being in strong construct with the nature’s elements. What you say, would you like it for you?

So, what I have? A garden full of pests! No. I also have a garden full with predators. They may find their food sources, balancing the species and

they themselves decline. This is the reason for which, takes several years to build up a working organic garden. In the end, it is worth!

Today I am happy, I love the leaves with slugs and snails, especially the cabbages. While they eat, the vegetable are good for my health, too. The holes are visible and I have been trying to use the natural methods to make them free of the cabbages. No way! None of them worked! But

I found a part of the garden, properly for snails. Now, they leave there, in better conditions and free. In time, came a step that make you to understand the beauty of the simple connection between two difference parts, but near. The way is completely effective, planted year by year and can be an incredible feel into their lives.

Nobody said it was going to be easy having a garden for everything. But, what you achieve is yours and none can take it. It is going to be interesting! It is yours and you worked for it.

A garden without wildlife? Not for me. Thank for your question.

Birds and squirrels live side by side, but the problem squirrels are to the birds is they just love to rob them of what they feed on.

Getting rid of squirrels solves the problem, but providing squirrel proof feeders for birds is pretty tough, but can be done.

Squirrels are extremely intelligent when it comes to finding ways around any obstacle you use to keep them away. They may take some time, but the best of squirrel proof feeders can be compromised.

Once they do then its a matter of having to find a new way all over again.

Okay, enough about the problem that can’t be solved without going overboard in trying to keep them out of the birdfeeders.

A really simple way and a most effective way is to use trap cages. These are the type where they enter, but can’t get out. Don’t kid yourself. Remember I said they “are” intelligent.

A little altering of the cage so as to make it fool proof so that once inside they can’t get out is the way to do it.

So now we set the traps, bait it, and then wait. Not for long and you’ll find you’ve caught one. Since they are somewhat territorial, a family or group of squirrels who’ve taken over the yard are a deterrent to other squirrels, as they chase them off.

So if you eliminate the entire group, you can go for quite a while before another group begins to form. And then you do the cage thing all over again.

Yet another way to keep them from the birdfeeders is to provide them food all of their own. This way you can have the best of both worlds. Squirrels in time will eat out of your hand and provide hours of pleasure just watching them playfully running around and wrestling with each other.

To finalize this article, a really funny thing happened. As I kept releasing each squirrel about ten miles from the home in a wooded area, I would use the same place to release them. Upon coming from another direction, I was amazed when I saw the street sign for where I was releasing those little guys.

“Acorn Lane” was the street. Hows that for irony?

Creating a wild flower garden can be one of the most useful things you can do in your site. Not only will you help preserve the ever dwindling population of wild flowers but they will attract all kinds of insects, small animals and useful creatures who will keep pests at bay and use the site for nectar, cover and nesting materials.

Wild flowers grow best on impoverished soil so you can also use a difficult area of the site to create your wild flower garden. Native wild flowers have adapted to make best use of the naturally occurring soil in any area so enriched, composted ground is no good for them. Instead, leave an area free from additives and if necessary remove any cultivated top soil.

First choose the flowers you are going to grow. Different wild flowers are native to different areas so use native flowers as much as possible. You can incorporate some from other areas if they suit your soil type but native plants will thrive best.

Clear the site first and remove any large stones, rubbish or perennial weeds. Give the site a dig flowed by a rake to ensure the wild flowers get the best start.

Never gather seeds from the wild but buy a mix which many companies supply. You can also obtain seeds from your local wild flower trust which will have been collected from preserved sites and so not deplete the wild population. You might include some bulbs from sustainable sources such as native bluebells.

Sow the seed according to the instructions on the packet they will be mixed so sow them in a broadcast manner, making sure they are evenly spread. If you want to, mix in some wild grass seed with the wild flowers to create wildflower meadow.

Protect the area from birds using netting or black cotton on sticks and water if necessary. Once the seed has germinated, remove the protection and disturb the site as little as possible.

The flowers should bloom in the first year and some will take two years, depending on if the seed is all annuals or a mix of biennial and annuals. Remove any perennial weeds or weed grasses which may invade the area to ensure the wild flowers have as little competition as possible.

Do not feed the area the wild flowers will do better in the following years if you leave the area to nature.

Cut the wild flowers after the flowers have dies and they have set seed. This may be late spring or early autumn, depending on the flowering time of the flowers. As tie progresses, the mix in the wildflower garden may change and the only think you will need to do is thin some of the flowers if some species appear to dominate at the expense of others but generally you can leave the area alone.

Provide access for small animals and you will find they come into the garden to eat seeds, drink nectar and take refuge. Most of these animals will be beneficial to your garden because they will control pests. Birds like thrushes, earthworms, ground beetles, voles, amphibians like frogs and toads will all enjoy the undisturbed wild flower garden and keep pests down in your site.

Nothing is quite as beautiful as a wild flower garden and not only will you benefit from its beauty but nature will come knocking on your door too.

Enjoy.

Wild bird care can be classified into two types of care, passive and active.

PASSIVE WILD BIRD CARE

Passive wild bird care would consist of planting shrubs, trees and flowers that appeal to those species of birds that make their home in your area, or for those species that may migrate through your area. We live in the Pacific Flyway, that vast corridor on the west coast of the United States that extends from Canada to Mexico.

We put out bird feeders, have fresh water available, and have several varieties of plantings that appeal to many birds and butterflies, too. Migratory species in our area include the Western Tanager in the summer, and Chickadees in the winter. We put out extra hummingbird feeders when the Tanagers come through, they enjoy that, and fresh fruit like strawberries. In the winter we put out suet feeder blocks, obtainable from most pet shops. Goldfinches will eat some seed, but eat insects in the oak trees, also.

Our native species enjoy a variety of seeds and the Stellar and Scrub Jays enjoy peanuts and sunflower seeds. As a Christmas treat, I offer pinecones filled with peanut butter, rolled in birdseed or oatmeal and dried fruit.

ACTIVE WILD BIRD CARE

In the United States, you cannot have a wild bird in your possession unless you have both a state and federal license to care for them. Wildlife rehabilitation groups have group licenses, and if a person is interested, most groups offer classes in wildlife rehabilitation and monitored care. Most people will specialize in a particular species, and wildlife rehabilitation is not confined to just birds. Most groups have experts in reptiles, rodents, lagomorphs (rabbits), land mammals and sea mammals. My husband and I founded such a group, the first one in this county, in 1985. At first, because there were only a few in the group, our family took in every bird and animal; sea birds, deer, hummingbirds, tortoises, owls and dozens of baby birds ranging from cliff swallows to barn owls.

A few tips: If you find a wild bird that is injured and cannot fly, keep all adults, children and pets out of the area. With gloved hands, pick up the bird and place it in either a cardboard box, upon which you can close the flaps, or a heavy paper bag if it is a small bird. close the top of the bag. Look in the phone book under Wildlife Rehabilitation, most every county has a group. Call them, they will tell you where to take the bird. If it is a large bird- a hawk or an owl, do not attempt to pick up the bird. They have sharp talons that can cause severe injury to you. Call the wildlife rehabilitation group, they will come out and pick up the bird. If you find what looks like an abandoned fawn, do NOT touch it. Almost every time, the mother is very close, but hidden from sight. If you touch her baby, she may reject it, so please, leave the fawn alone. If it is lieing still in the middle of the road, wrap a blanket around it, move it to the side of the road, and see if it will scamper off. If not, or if it is injured, put it in your car and call the wildlife rehabilitators. If you are in a state or national park, stay with the animal and call the ranger station so that they may pick it up and have it cared for.

Wild birds are not meant to be pets. They are happiest in their own outdoor habitat. We can assist them by not using insecticides, but using natural products for insect and rodent control, and by providing food and water for them if they are permanent residents of our home, or if they are a migratory species just stopping by for a visit.

I was walking my dog, Morton, along Sansome Street, near Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill, when I heard a raucous of birds that sounded to me to be parrots (the small variety). I am thinking to myself that someone had some for pets on The Hill and I am hearing their calls echoing off the surrounding office buildings. Suddenly, a flock of the birds took off just above my head. I stopped dead in my tracks, head tipped back and staring in disbelief. Of course, Morton is staring at me and wondering why I have stopped.

This young man walks past me and I asked him if I had really just seen parrots. He laughed and confirmed that was indeed what I was seeing. Seems these birds have been living on Telegraph Hill for years. He informed me that there was even a documentary movie about them called “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”. He could not tell me much more than that and I was surprised that this was the first I have ever heard of the parrots.

Anyhow, I came home and Goggled the birds. Sure enough, an entire website is presently being built by a man named Mark Bittner who played a major role in the documentary for his dealing with the birds over the years beginning in October of 1993 to September of 1999. He had been journaling about the birds and had even been feeding them.

The wild parrots are cherry-headed or red-cheeked conures. Their bodies are green with the bright red on their heads and on the under wings and sport long pointed tails. They originally came from South America and were imported here to be sold as pets ($100 per bird) before it became restricted and illegal to import wild birds of any kind into the US.

These wild parrots absolutely despised captivity, were noisy and bit. Many were released by their owners when they could no longer tolerate the belligerent birds. Other conures escaped from their captivity. There is approximately a two hundred plus colony of these birds currently residing on Telegraph Hill.

I also found out that there is another, though smaller, colony of conures living wild in the city of San Francisco in the Dolores Park area. These are yellow-chevroned or white-winged conures. Their bodies are a pale green with bright yellow chevrons on the wings, or a darker green with white chevrons.

Still, the Telegraph Hill parrots are more renowned and have struck up controversy in June of 2007 about tourists and locals feeding these wild birds. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ban the feeding of the parrots. This law was passed to not only protect the parrots from being trapped and absconded, but also to protect the public who were feeding them. A parrot’s bite is hard and can break the skin. There is also the possibility of passing on disease (Parrot or Bird Fever) to children, the elderly and those with a compromised immune system. What would happen to the flock if someone was injured or made ill by these magnificent birds? It would be a sad day should the parrots have to be eliminated because people couldn’t leave Nature alone.

We regularly feed the birds that visit our garden. We have one seed feeder and one nut feeder. We don’t very often put nuts in the feeder though, we have found that it takes the small round fat balls. This stops the local squirrels from plundering the lone fat ball hanging in the tree and the birds seem to enjoy feeding this way as there is less fighting over the single ball, several of them can feed at the same time. Although the Robin that has taken up residence in and around our garden thinks that he owns all the seeds and fat balls and actively chases all the smaller birds away. They’re not stupid though while he’s busy chasing one bird others sneak in behind his back for a few mouthfuls before he returns to chase them. The birds that feed in our garden seem to share the food. The sparrows throw seed out of the feeder, we’ve noticed, and larger birds like the collared dove have a field day. We used to have regular chaffinches and green finches visiting but since we had to cut down our old willow tree, which the green finches especially loved to sit in, they rarely visit but hopefully they will return when we start putting out food aimed at them.

Whether you are altering your already established garden or starting out with new borders, starting a flower garden can be great fun, as well as a minor challenge. Flower gardens can offer you an extensive array of delightful colors, whilst attracting bees, butterflies, and insect-eating birds, into your yard.

Before you commence planting in your flowerbeds, you will need to prepare the area and soil, contemplate color and size combinations, and arrange a set budget. You may need to allow some extra money for fertilizer or you can let nature take its course, perhaps with a little organic assistance from your own compost pit. If you opt for raised flowerbeds, you will also need to purchase materials to build the platform and possibly soil to fill it in.

Once you have your flowerbed design and budget organized in your mind, the first thing to actually do is to prepare the area that you plan to plant. Laying out the shape of the border if you do not already have an area set aside is best done with a piece of string. You can lay the string upon the ground in the place of your imagined border edge, whether you plan a straight or curved border. Once the string is to your liking, you can dig the rim and then work back into the entire border. This will help ensure that your flower garden designs turn out the way you really want them to.

You will need to ensure that the flower bed contains soil in a reasonable condition, rather than heavy clay or flyaway sand. Soil testing kits can be bought at most garden centers or nurseries these days, and even some supermarkets now stock these in their garden section. You may choose to dig in some manure or shop-purchased compost to make everything perfect for your new arrivals, or you may need to buy a preparation suggested by your stockiest to improve the quality of the soil.

When buying the flowers themselves, you need to consider:

* A range of colors

* A range of heights

* A range of bushiness

* How many seeds/seedlings/plants you will need

* Whether or not to buy annuals

* What care needs to be given to each flower plant

* That all flowers enjoy the same soil type

* That the flowers you have chosen will be suited to your light/shade, weather, and climate conditions throughout the season(s)

Planting from seed, you may need to plant in a shade house if you are aiming for color from each spring garden flower, unless your local climate is frost-free. If you have seedlings, you will need to make sure they are healthy when you purchase them. Otherwise your plants may not last very long, or put on their best display. If you are buying ready-grown plants, you will need to dig a hole for each plant and firmly secure them into their new home with a solid watering.

Flower gardening can be very rewarding if done properly. If you have any problems arising, or are not quite sure which flowers are suited to your specific chosen location, there are usually staff on hand to discuss your concerns with at both garden centers and nurseries. If not, you can search online for the information you need. Alternatively, your local library should have some gardening books that deal specifically with flower gardens that should cover the majority of your questions. If you still cannot locate an answer, try searching for a nearby gardening club. They generally have helpful and knowledgeable members, and you may even want to join and share your pride in those new and colorful flowers.

AN ENGLISH COUNTRY GARDEN

There are only two main steps to creating a wildlife habitat in your garden.

1. Use plants which attract bugs and insects.

The plants which will best attract bugs and insects are the ones which are native

to the area you live in. Don’t try planting Mediterranean plants and expecting

British wildlife to colonize them. The very best plants are the wild ones, which

are often considered to be weeds. One of the best plants is the common nettle. Try

to keep a wild patch of ground for plants like these. It might be that you can

leave somewhere behind a tree or hedge. Look around your local hedgerows and

see what is growing there. If you live by the sea, try sea holly, alliums etc. If

you live on the downs or in a hilly area, find native plants that would normally

grow there.

It is these insects which will feed the larger animals. Once you have planted

a buddleia bush, for example, it will attract butterflies. Birds will follow,

and other insects. These will feed hedgehogs and other small mammals.

2. Once you have attracted your wildlife you need to keep it. You do this by pro-

tecting them from predators, by keeping out dogs and keeping the areas they have

colonized safe. You can also do this by providing somewhere for them to live.

Wooden boxes at different heights provide shelter for frogs/toads, beetles,

birds, mice etc. A plant like ivy trained up a wall or fence also proved shelter

for bugs and insects and somewhere for them to lay their eggs. As it grows it

could provide somewhere for birds to nest. Replacing fences with hedges will

also do this.

Keep some corners of your garden untended and keep away from them. A corner

behind a tree could house a whole city of bug hotels and bird boxes where you

don’t disturb them.

You won’t need to provide food – the best food is wild food and wildlife should

not become dependent on you providing food in case you move or go away. If you

want to give them water, do this in the form of a pond which will attract even

more insects and animals.

Good luck!

Attracting wildlife makes the garden a far more interesting place. Wildlife provides an ever changing palette of animals and plants growing, feeding, reproducing and provides the best natural education possible. It is easier to attract wildlife to the garden if you consider what wildlife creatures need.

Animals require the necessities of food, shelter, quiet and protection from predators.

This means providing areas within your garden which firstly offer food – this can be relatively easy with the correct choice of plants. Those offering nectar (for insects like butterflies), pollen (beetles), fruit and berries( birds, bats and small mammals), nuts (birds, squirrels and other small mammals) or seeds (birds, mice, small mammals). Obviously, some of the creatures you attract will become prey for others (like insects for birds and so on) but the advantage with this is that eventually, the ecosystem in your garden will become so well established that levels of pests are controlled by animals you attract. For example, amphibians, birds and small mammals like hedgehogs will control slugs, snails and harmful beetles.

Shelter is important too – animals will not come into areas where they feel exposed and vulnerable. They rely on vegetation or crevices to hide from predators and will follow shelter belts to find water and food. So, provide shelter down to the pool’s edge, leave plants to overhang paths to provide shelter and provide special houses which you can buy for amphibians, hedgehogs, birds, insects and mice.

Areas for wildlife should be relatively quiet so make sure everyone in the household knows where the wildlife is and leaves those areas relatively untouched. Of course, you can go through them but do not dig or disturb the areas too much. Digging can destroy the ecosystem of the soil as beneficial organisms drag organic material down and improve soil structure. Avoid the use of chemicals too which can interfere with the life cycles.

Protection from predators can be given by providing habitats into which animals can disappear. Meadows and ponds are good examples where animals can reach relative safety.

Ponds are probably the best single way to increase the number of creatures visiting your garden. Water offers a place to breed (amphibians) wash (birds) drink (small mammals) and shelter (water plants). It also provides a place to lay eggs and where larvae can grow and overwinter (dragonflies and mayflies).

Provided good plant coverage and also

With just a little effort it is possible to turn your garden into a haven for wild birds. Things to think about are accessories such as bird tables, bird baths and bird feeders, plants, providing food and shelter for birds and keeping predators away.

A well stocked bird table should be the focal point of any bird friendly garden. You can buy bird tables in many different designs so you should be able to find one to suit your garden. Traditionally bird tables were made of wood but they now come in other materials such as metal, plastic and even glass which are easier to clean and will last longer.

Make sure your bird table is positioned somewhere quiet so the birds are not disturbed when they are feeding and site it away from bushes and shrubs where predators like cats and squirrels can lurk.

You can put all sorts of food out on bird tables such as kitchen scraps like animal fats, cheese, fruit, rice, bread and peanuts. You can also buy ready made bird food mixes some of which are designed to attract a particular species of birds.

A bird feeder is a great addition or alternative to a bird table especially if you don’t have much room in your garden or only have a balcony. Again think about where you hang your bird feeder so that the birds can feed in peace and predators can not attack.

You can buy bird feeders which hold seeds or fats or it is quite simple to make a your own by filling an old plastic bottle with melted fat mixed with seeds and other ingredients. Making a bird feeder is a great way of getting children involved and teaching them about nature and the environment.

A bird bath will provide much needed water for bathing and drinking and is especially important in the dry summer months and the winter when the birds’ usual supply of water may be frozen over. It is important to clean your bird bath regularly to prevent the build up of algae and parasites that could be harmful to birds.

You should never use antifreeze or other additives to thaw water in a bird bath.

Over recent years home improvements have meant the decline of natural nesting places such as holes in buildings particularly in urban areas so a bird box will provide somewhere for birds to nest as well as shelter in the winter. It may take a couple of seasons before birds use a new nest box for breeding so put it out in the autumn so they have time to get used to it.

You can buy different types of nest boxes for different species of birds; you may want to consider getting some special “sparrow flats” as these are one of the species of birds that have declined in recent years in the UK.

Plants will not only provide fruit for birds but will attract insects that thrushes and blackbirds feed off. Plant berry-bearing shrubs like rowan and holly and flowering plants like sunflowers and teasel and leave the stems long to provide shelter too.

If you have a problem with cats chasing or even killing birds in your garden then you can buy special cat deterrents in the form of ultrasonic devices, sprinklers, scented pellets and fence protectors.

By turning your garden into a mini nature reserve for birds you will be doing your bit to help local wildlife and get the enjoyment of seeing wild birds close up.

You can find out more about creating a bird friendly garden at British Bird Lovers.