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Hello Reader,
Welcome to Bird Week at The Plot! Birds are some of the most ardent visitors to our gardens and they are gearing up to begin their nesting season. This week we are going to celebrate anything feathered in the garden, teach you how to invite more birds to your garden, and leave you with some truly wonderful bird resources that will leave you squawking for more!
Bringing Birds to Your Garden
Native Plant keystones
Well now, if it isn't another reason for me to extoll the benefits of native plants! It’s almost like I planned this…If you love birds, then you should plant more native plants. It’s as simple and easy as that. Native plants provide a food source for caterpillars, which birds love to feed to their chicks. It actually takes an insane amount of them to raise healthy baby birds. Some native plants are known as keystone species, because they host a wide variety of caterpillars for birds to eat. Common examples are Oaks, Willows, and Birch trees. You can put your zipcode in here to find keystone species in your area.
Plants also provide shelter for birds to feel safe while they visit your bird feeders. Just imagine your neighbor left your favorite type of cookie on a plate in their backyard. You’d be much more likely to snag one if you had a shrub to dart behind after, and birds are the same way. I’m not saying I would do this, but of course I won’t deny it either.
Bird Feeders
A few well placed bird feeders can bring many different species into viewing pleasure. A general feeder can bring a variety of species to your garden, while Goldfinches will eat from Nyjer (Thistle) feeders. Woodpeckers will gracefully sweep in for pecks at your Suet feeder if you put one up. Tossing some seeds on the ground will please ground feeders like the Mourning Dove, which serenades us with a melancholy coo.
Water Sources
With a bird bath, your garden is starting to turn into a veritable spa now. Having a place to wash their rumps is a great way to make birds feel comfortable in your garden. If you have a standing water bath, then make sure to refresh the water often, or use a fountain with flowing water for great effect.
Building Housing (IMBY)
Bird houses
Just like us gardeners, birds need a comfortable place to call home. Perhaps you’ve heard of the sort of people who don’t want apartments going up in their neighborhood or NIMBYs (Not in my backyard). Well, when it comes to bird houses, it’s time to build them directly in your backyard. Make sure to keep them elevated off the ground and don’t cram them too close together.
Nesting materials
You can leave nesting materials out the same way you do birdseed. You can leave twigs, leaves, and moss out for building materials. Here is a more in depth guide to what to leave and what not to provide. Having lots of plant life in your garden and leaving some debris will provide materials aplenty.
What Not to Do
Don’t let your cats roam unsupervised
Don’t let your cats roam around unsupervised if you want to enjoy bird life in your garden, they will enjoy hunting your esteemed feathered friends. Another reason to place those nests high off the ground in a safe space.
Eliminate pesticide use
When I was in high school I had a parakeet that went missing before we hosted a foreign exchange student from Japan. We’d hired an old polish lady that was about 4 feet tall, but stood half as high due to a hunched back to help clean up a bit before the student arrived. She used some strong chemicals and needless to say Karin from Japan found a dead parakeet in her room. This is just to say that birds are very sensitive to chemicals, so avoid them whenever possible in the landscape. Morbid and out of left field, but the occasional anecdote is thrown in here and there to let you know this newsletter is written by a real person and not AI.
Backyard Bird Watching Kit
I asked a friend, Amy, who is an avid birder (as if there is any other kind of birder, they are an avid bunch) for a guide to birding in your backyard and she sent over this list.
Notebook and pen
Smartphone with Merlin App
Comfortable chair
Water bottle and a snack
“Look for movement, listen for chirps, and enjoy the thriving ecosystem in your backyard!” ~ Amy
Here are some resources to learn more about birding. There’s a new fun documentary that was released on Youtube recently and a website to help you learn more about birding.
Field Notes:
I’ve got three feeders setup to feed birds in my garden, but I’m inspired to invite more birds to my garden after this week. I’m thinking I will add a bird bath next to make the garden more inviting.
Last week we discussed an easy way to lay out your vegetable garden. You can read the article below if you missed it.
Plotter’s Commons:
Some friends were kind enough to share photos for the newsletter today, but I’d love to see your most recent bird snaps! share them in our Facebook group below.
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Written for 547 early birds. 💌
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Until next Thursday,
Ken Welch
Ken Welch is a garden writer with a very serious degree in Horticulture. When his city lacked a community garden, he helped build one. He teaches new gardeners how to grow their own food.
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