Backyard Birding

When purchasing seed, it is tempting to buy the cheaper mixed seeds which promise a greater variety of birds to your feeder. These, however, are often filled with filler seeds such as red millet and wheat which our native song birds will not eat. If you have ever seen one of your birds sweep seeds out of your feeder, he is likely digging for his favorite foods.

One of the most popular seeds among songbirds is black oil sunflower. It is a rich, black seed with no stripe. The lighter seeds with the stripe often sold for human consumption do not have the high oil content the birds need. (And if you look closely, many mixed seeds offer this variety rather than the black oil sunflower seed.) Some of the birds this seed will attract:

Goldfinches
Nuthatches
Cardinals
Jays
Titmice
Flickers
Grosbeaks
Chickadees
Certain sparrows

I’ve noticed that we actually go through a lot less seed now that we have switched, and attract more birds. Our hopper feeder seems to only be a sort of docking station for those who can’t fit on the platform feeder, now, but all of our birds love the sunflower seed.

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Late last fall, a little squirrel we named “Raggedy” discovered our feeders. He was an adorable little rascal, full of energy, quite tame, and with a noticeable chunk missing from his tail (hence the name). We fell in love with little Raggedy, and spent some time learning about the habits of squirrels for his sake. He was a little red squirrel, a somewhat aggressive species which drives away other squirrels. We could afford to feed one squirrel we decided. We made a little squirrel feeder and attached it to a tree near the feeders. We keep it stocked with dry corn. While it did not keep him entirely away from our feeders, it did lessen the amount he ate. A little before Christmas, another squirrel discovered our feeders. We watched them chase each other about the yard, jumping, climbing and almost seeming to fly with their endless game of tag. We pondered when either actually had time to eat. But finally, the strange squirrel emerged victorious and Raggedy faded out of our lives. We would occasionally see him at the edge of the yard, watching and waiting. Sometimes he would dart in for a bite, but was always chased away. Here is the victor, staking out the squirrel feeder.

Late winter, another squirrel appeared. There was some chasing. Some fighting. And then we had two squirrels eating peacefully at our feeders. Now we have four, mom and three babies who only recently began accompanying mom on her forays for food. We had a wind advisory out yesterday, and this little one appears to be clinging to the concrete for dear life.

They are going through decidedly more seed than Raggedy ever did, but who can turn out a mother with three children?

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Are you interested in learning more about birds in your area and have the opportunity to meet local birders? Audubon has posted a listing of state offices and local chapters. Local chapters contribute significantly to conservation and education efforts. Look what one of our nearby chapters has planned for this month: 2007 Backyard Habitat Tour. We have only just begun planning our gardens with native birds in mind, so this will be a wonderful opportunity for us to learn a little more.

Many state parks also plan outings and informational sessions. If you are looking for something interesting and educational to occupy the summer months, take a moment to see what educational outreach programs are available at your local parks.

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To control or not to control? The brown-headed cowbird is native to North America and used to follow herds of bison as they traveled across the plains. Perfectly adapted to this nomadic life, they parasitize the nests of other birds who have the time to raise broods. As bison populations declined and livestock was introduced, cowbirds expanded their range dramatically. They prefer the open areas near forests which man-made development tends to produce. Especially if livestock is nearby. The habitat near our house is perfect: open grassland, semi-rural and plenty of livestock. Ironically, we even have a bison farm not too far away. So it should have been of little surprise when a flock of cowbirds discovered our feeders at the beginning of spring.

They aren’t the most attractive birds and they can go through the seed! Fortunately, they seem to prefer the cheaper millet which we provide in our homemade ground feeder seen in the picture. We tried dissuading them by not offering millet for awhile, but they just switched to eating the sunflower seeds and chasing our woodpeckers away from the suet. So we relented. And fed them.

This gave us an unexpected pleasure. Their song is a wonderful gurgle which reminds me of a babbling brook. You can listen to it here. I had never heard it before this spring.

While cowbirds can have an effect on local birds, it is not usually dramatic and their population is declining nationwide. There are feeders designed to deter larger birds which can also effectively control the number of cowbirds which frequent your feeder. Or you can offer them some millet on the ground and enjoy their beautiful song.

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After sharing a little about house sparrows last week, blog friend and fellow homeschooler Judy Aron sent me the link to a letter to the editor about these birds.

House sparrows damage crops, gardens and maturing fruit. They consume and spoil livestock food and water. Their waste creates hazardous and unsanitary situations under roosting areas. They deface buildings with their nests and acidic droppings, which can also damage the finish on automobiles, block gutters and create fire hazards.

To top of it off, house sparrows have been observed threatening and attacking 70 species of native birds. Some people may think they’re cute, but house sparrows will destroy the eggs of birds such as chickadees, bluebirds and swallows. They toss nestlings out of birdhouses and kill adult birds, sometimes decapitating them and then building their own nest over the corpse.

How can you control them? As the letter points out at the end, sparrows are not protected by law, unlike most of our birds. When you find a sparrow nest, you can remove it (just be sure it is a house sparrow nest! It is illegal to disturb the nests of native birds.) You can also legally destroy the bird, which some say is necessary since the sparrow will likely only reconstruct his nest once you have left.

They can also take over your feeders. Sialis, a website devoted to bluebirds, shares some techniques to deter sparrows. It shares a good deal of information and is an excellent resource for anyone dealing with house sparrows. Just be absolutely sure you are dealing with house sparrows. Our other native sparrows look very similar, and particularly the females can be difficult to identify if you are not used to them.

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In 1851, 100 house sparrows were released in Brooklyn to help control insects. The descendants of this small population spread throughout the Eastern United States and Canada. With help from additional transplants, the species moved across the rest of the United States and south all the way to Panama. Unfortunately, this bird, which is actually not a sparrow at all but a weaver finch, did more damage than good. It continues to compete with native birds for food, and perhaps more importantly, for nesting sites.

Cavity nesters, such as the Eastern bluebird, require holes to build their nests in. Some species of woodpeckers make their own holes. Many other species use these abandoned holes later. Because of the stiff competition for suitable nesting sites among cavity nesters, they can often be easy to attract to nest boxes.

Especially wrens are known for their interesting nesting sites close to humans, including mailboxes, flower pots, tin cans, old shoes, pockets on hanging laundry and just about anywhere else they can fit.

Anywhere there is a hole large enough, a cavity nesting bird may take up residence. And if the hole isn’t quite large enough, many will excavate further. Such as this little chickadee in his unique home: a deer target.

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