Simply For The Birds

Since wildlife and plant life evolved together, it makes sense that the native plants in your area will make the best food souce and habitat for the birds in your backyard.  If you provide birds with these plants and water, you are sure to see increased activity in your yard. Unsure what native plants to plant in your backyard? Try doing a Google search ~ i.e. native plants backyard birds(state you are in), more than likely there will be many listings that will supply the information you seek.  The advantage of planting native plants, is that they will be readily available at local nurseries.

Pacific Northwest native plants that will attract finches, nuthatches, kinglets, Pine Siskins, Bushtits, chicadees, juncos woodpeckers and more, would be vine maples, shore pines and paper birches.  To attract Hummingbirds, try elderberries, mock orange, oceanspray, Nootka rose, columbine and penstemon.

You can always supplement their diets with bird feeders.

Looking for a new hobby?  Why not use National Bird Feeding Month as a reason to start one? Feeding the birds can be very rewarding for you and your family, as well as beneficial to the birds. You can start out with a hopper or tube feeder, a bag of bird seed and be on your way to an inexpensive entertaining pastime.  Before you know it, you will be looking for another style of feeder and seed to attract different species of birds to your backyard or garden.

Watch your love of birds grow into a lifelong hobby that you can pass on to your children and grandchildren.

Clinging birds have strong feet, which allows them to run up and down a tree truck or grasp onto small surfaces.  Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Titmouse and Nuthatches are some you will find in the clinger family.  Clingers are naturally curious and will often be the first visitors to your feeders.  They will provide much activity and entertainment around  your suet and tube feeders.

Clingers love black oil sunflower seeds, sunflower kernels, peanuts and are suitable for tube feeders.

You can purchase suet cakes for your suet feeders or make your own receipe by using different combinations of lard, crunchy peanut butter, birdseed, crackers, dried bread, raisins, currants and dates. Melt the lard and while warm mix in the other ingredients you desire.  Then spread the mixture onto a shallow pan.  Refrigerate overnight.  Cut into desired shapes and sizes.

Goldfinches eat seed almost exclusively.  Even the Goldfinch chicks are fed partially digested seed by their parents.  Nyjer seed is highly sought after by finches because of the high fat and protein content.  Keep in mind when refilling your tube bird feeders to alternate adding the seed from the top then the bottom.  If your tube feeder can only be filled from one end, empty the old seed into a container.  Add some fresh seed into it and then refill the feeder with the old and new combination.  This will prevent the feeder from becoming packed down and retaining moisture.

Did you know?

• The American Goldfinch molts twice a year-once in the spring and again just in time for breeding season.
• Goldfinches are one of the latest birds to breed-typically waiting until late June or early July.
• You can encourage Goldfinches to nest in your yard by providing nest material
• Don’t cut off the tops to your Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos or Coneflowers-Goldfinches love them