Celebrate the year of the bird

Today we backtrack a bit and then continue with the year of the bird.

Shelter: Birds require shelter from harsh weather, safe places to escape predators, and reasonable nest building spaces. Gardeners can take stock of what their yards currently offer and consider adding additional plants or design elements that will nurture a variety of bird life.

A mix of tall and smaller trees (most songbirds require trees) and evergreen and deciduous shrubs grouped together provide shelter. Dense shrubbery offers both protection and nesting sites. If possible, allow dead trees to stand for both food and nesting options for some bird species.

Consider how nature layers plants. Various levels provide home for a wider variety of bird species. Shoot for natural edges with layers of vegetation and curved or irregular borders.

Food: Adult birds like variety, insects, worms, berries, seeds, 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.

Native plants

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.). Audubon has a terrific native plant database you can search for other ideas.

Water: Some form of water is essential for drinking and bathing. Birdbaths, ponds, dripping faucets, streams, puddles: Provide it and they will come.

We look forward to watching our feathered friends this year as we celebrate “The Year of the Bird.”

“If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world.” - Thomas Lovejoy

For answers to gardening questions, contact the Master Gardeners at the WSU Grant-Adams Extension office at 754-2011, ext. 4313 or email your gardening questions to ga.mgvolunteers@wsu.edu. Visit our web page at grant-adams.wsu.edu.