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\nManage Your Backyard Bird Habitat to Attract Nesting Birds<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Rosemary Drisdelle
\nApr 27, 2014<\/p>\n
The right features can increase your chances of attracting nesting birds to your property and having wild birds nest and raise young in your backyard bird habitat.
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\nFor avid birders, there are probably few things more delightful than having birds nesting on the property. Installing nesting boxes for birds is popular and is often very successful; however, with the right backyard bird habitat you can create natural nesting sites for birds.<\/p>\n
The species of birds that you attract to your backyard bird habitat depends on what bird species breed in your area and what kind of real estate you have to offer. You won\u2019t attract Chimney Swifts, for instance, unless you have a natural or abandoned chimney four metres tall or taller. Similarly, Cliff Swallows won\u2019t nest if there\u2019s no cliff. Of course, if you\u2019re lucky enough to have an unusual feature like a cliff, cave, or wetland on your property, you may be able to attract nesting birds that the rest of us just can\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Leave good nesting sites alone<\/p>\n
The secret to good backyard bird habitat for nesting birds is often simple non-interference. Removing old dead trees, clearing brush, knocking down old cacti, draining wetlands, demolishing outbuildings, and removing old nests all destroy possible nesting sites. Leave the rotting stump if you can do so safely. Tidy up the outbuilding, make sure it\u2019s not a safety risk and leave it for the birds. You may notice owls, swallows, robins, and various other birds moving in. Leave tall grasses, low bushes, badger holes, and last year\u2019s nests alone. Old nests may be reoccupied by the same birds or by a different species. Or they may be taken apart for building materials.<\/p>\n
Attract birds that nest high in trees<\/p>\n
Many birds nest in evergreen or deciduous trees eight metres above the ground or more. Crows nest high in evergreens, building a new nest each time\u2014their abandoned nests are sometimes taken over by hawks or even Great Horned Owls, especially in rural areas. Mourning Doves nest high in trees as well, in the crotch of a deciduous tree or in the Y of a branch. Steller\u2019s Jays usually nest in evergreens, at least four meters off the ground, while Blue Jays nest as high or higher in evergreens or deciduous trees.<\/p>\n
Attract cavity nesting birds<\/p>\n
Cavity nesting birds are the species attracted by nesting boxes\u2014boxes are important to some species that have lost many natural nesting sites due to habitat destruction. Old dead or dying trees are important natural nesting sites for these birds or, if you are in the US Southwest or Mexico, saguaro cacti. Common cavity nesting birds in North America include chickadees, woodpeckers, bluebirds, nuthatches, and tree swallows. Woodpeckers and flickers will excavate a large saguaro cactus, and Elf Owls are frequently a subsequent tenant.<\/p>\n
Attract birds that nest near or on the ground<\/p>\n
Low bushes, ferns and grasses, and fallen trees attract nesting birds. Song Sparrows and American Goldfinches nest fairly near the ground in bushes. (Dense bushes provide good protection from predators.) Juncos nest right on the ground, hiding their nests in tall grasses or upturned tree roots so don\u2019t be too hasty with the weed trimmer and the shovel. And if you live in badger and prairie dog country in the Canadian prairies or the American Midwest, those empty animal burrows might just attract a Burrowing Owl\u2014leave them if you can.<\/p>\n
Entice birds to come and look:<\/p>\n
Install a Birdbath to Entice Birds<\/p>\n
Garden Birds and Transition Zones<\/p>\n
Spring Gardening for Birders<\/p>\n
Build a Dust Bath for Birds<\/p>\n
Sources:<\/p>\n
Canadian Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Federation. \u201cHinterland Who\u2019s Who.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perrins, Christopher ed. Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2003<\/p>\n
Willison, Marjorie. The Complete Gardener\u2019s Almanac. Halifax: Nimbus; 1993.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
birds.suite101.com Manage Your Backyard Bird Habitat to Attract Nesting Birds \u00a9 Rosemary Drisdelle Apr 27, 2014 The right features can increase your chances of attracting nesting birds to your property and having wild birds nest and raise young in your backyard bird habitat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[413],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n