Rahway Garden Club
The best reason to attract birds during spring and summer is for our own entertainment. Watching the male and female courting rituals, dancing and feeding each other soon followed by bonding and nesting is educational and entertaining. With luck a pair will nest close by and you can watch the fledglings eagerly follow their parents begging for food. Although many birds leave their parents after a week or ten days, some young stay longer learning the techniques they will need for survival.
Crows are so intelligent they stay with their parents up to two years learning the tricks they have developed for survival. For instance, crows drop nuts from far in the air to crack them open. They also use sticks as tools to dig ants and insects out of their mounds. These are not instinct, they are learned techniques by the crows from generation to generation.
Keeping a small bird feeder with a high protein such as black oil sunflower seed helps the parents teach their young how to utilize bird feeders. This is essential for winter survival for many species.
Bird houses are invaluable to many birds. If you put up a bird house it will most likely have a pair of birds in it quickly. I will focus in detail on the topic of bird houses in a future article. Bird houses make great gifts.
Birds eat so many thousands of insects in the garden they pay back for any investment you make.
BIRD BATHS
You can easily attract many birds during the spring and summer months by supplying a source of clean water. Garden centers offer a wide assortment from the traditional pedestal bird baths to modern ‘water features’.
A bird bath doesn’t have to be big or expensive. Even a simple plant saucer filled with clean water will be used by many birds. There are a few things you can do to make your bath more user friendly. Since birds come in many different sizes, a stone placed in the bath creates levels for the birds to enter the water. This will make it more attractive to many birds from smaller wrens and sparrows to the larger colorful bluejays and cardinals.
Protection from cats and hawks is a major concern. Keep your bath about ten feet from shrubs or a fence that can be used for a quick escape. This will give birds time to hide but prevent cats from using the bushes to hide and wait. Cats are born hunters.
Many migrating birds are attracted to the sound of moving water. These water features have the added advantage of a relaxing sound which is enjoyed as much by people as it is by animals. I’m going to be honest; they are harder to clean, but the extra effort is well worth the rewards. Most garden centers and stores put these on sale in the autumn. A good time to buy one.
It is important to keep your bird bath clean and filled with fresh water. This will prevent it from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Once a week I empty it out and scrub it with baking soda and steel wool. I keep those items together in zip-loc bags so they are always handy.
When selecting your bird bath get one which you know you can easily tend. Otherwise, it will become an annoying chore rather than the enjoyable experience it should be.
Happy Gardening & Keep Keeping Safe,
James
Photo by Audra Loccisano
