Master Gardener: Celebrate the Year of the Bird this season
A couple years ago I was fascinated by a large flock of birds that kept returning to our Spartan Juniper hedge. We are not true birders, but love watching whatever species are around. I read my trusty Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds of North America, but could not identify these particular birds. Finally, I got a reasonable picture of an injured bird and sent to a birder friend. He quickly replied: “Immature Cedar Waxwings.”
Of course! They were eating the juniper berries, had the characteristic mask and racing helmet head, as well as the yellow-tipped tail feathers, but were mostly grey. We also see a variety of raptors hunting the steep bank in front of our house or playing updrafts. Huge families of adorable California quail often wander through, eating weed seeds. Later in the summer, goldfinches, grosbeaks, crossbills, and chickadees all cling to the millet and perch on spent sunflowers digging out the seeds.
One of my many goals is to get better at identifying birds, and to create a habitat that many species will want to visit. Luckily, 2018 marks the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; the most powerful and important bird-protection law ever passed. In honor of this milestone, nature lovers around the world are joining forces to celebrate the “Year of the Bird” and commit to protecting birds today and for the next hundred years.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, National Geographic, and BirdLife International sponsor this initiative. As part of the centennial celebration, these groups are disseminating tons of information that can help home gardeners learn about what birds require to thrive and about the kinds of plants that attract our flying friends.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that a typical neighborhood in Washington has more than 25 species of birds and mammals. Each backyard is a habitat, and every homeowner is a habitat manager. Birds (and most other wildlife) require three essential elements: Shelter, Food, Water.
Food: Adult birds like variety — insects, worms, berries, seeds, and nectar. Baby birds all require protein. Diversity is also important. Consider both evergreen and deciduous trees, and different seed or fruit-bearing or nectar-producing plants.
Minimize pesticide use. Baby birds need the food pesticides often kill. Leaf litter provides great scratching areas for birds to seek bugs and other food. If you provide feeders, keep them filled year-round.
Sunflower plants are good for cover and as bird food. Some of the recommended native plants that we intend to utilize to provide food this year include: Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.), Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.), and Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) with caution because with water they spread like crazy, Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), Elderberry (Sambucus spp.), and possibly Oak (Quercus spp.).
Water: Some form of water is essential for drinking and bathing. Birdbaths, ponds, dripping faucets, streams, and puddles: Provide it and they will come.
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