Urban birding
I am fortunate to live outside of town, with a fair sized lawn to work with in attracting birds. Not everyone is so fortunate. Living in the city, however, does not mean that there is nothing you can do attract birds to your home or neighborhood. Here are some ideas, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
1. Birds everywhere need water. If you have enough space for a simple bird bath, a diverse number of birds will be attracted.
2. Nesting sites are important. Get to know your local species, and choose a nesting box appropriately. Wrens and kestrels are two city dwelling birds which will readily accept nesting boxes.
3. Feeders can be hung just about everywhere. Select those with small perches so you do not attract large flocks of unwanted birds. A finch feeder will only accommodate small birds. I once saw a picture of a small tray placed inside a wire cage set on a balcony. This kept out the pigeons, but allowed the smaller birds to feed. Some types of feeders will also attach directly to a window.
4. Even small gardens can be beneficial to birds. This can be a community effort, a small planting in a yard or even a window box.
For more information about urban birds, check out the Urban Bird Studies website. There, you can find out more about urban birds, how to attract them and studies you can participate in.
urban birding, birding, birdwatching, backyard birding
May 29th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Thanks for letting me know about your blog here. We are trying to do a little backyard bird watching. We have one feeder and bought seed that said squirrels don’t like, but they do! Oh well! I’d love to learn more - looking forward to what you have to say.
May 31st, 2007 at 8:54 am
Thank you so much for stopping by, Karen! It is great to see “old friends” at my new site! I have a little about deterring squirrels, but so far the only thing that seems to really work is to give in to them and enjoy their antics as they evade all your deterrents!
July 16th, 2007 at 5:46 am
[...] I try not to post things which are too regional in nature, but since i have written a little about urban birding, I thought this was interesting: Bird Walk in Central Park. New York City is not a place I would [...]