Bonus Article-Informative course on Habitats for Backyard Birds
The third lesson is the most exciting one. The instructor presents the step-by-step action plan for establishing a custom habitat for birds. She has the students use the first two lessons about food, shelter, and water to evaluate what the students' current habitat is like in those areas, then think of what birds the student wishes to attract to their yard. Using a provided blank form, the students can sketch out a custom action plan.
I decided to have a go at the action plan. Using the book suggested, my own reference books, and the information from the course, I came up with an action plan for my own backyard habitat. First, I decided what three species of birds I would like to attract. I decided on the ruby-throated hummingbird, the cedar waxwing and the pileated woodpecker. I know these birds frequent the central Virginia area where my habitat is located.
The second step is to write down the information learned about each of the birds with regard to the food, water and shelter preferences of each bird.
Hummingbirds love red flowers and small insects such as spiders to eat. They are attracted to nectar and frequent suburban gardens, parks and woodlands. They use spider webs and lichen for their nests.
Cedar waxwings will eat berries, especially choke cherries, juniper berries and the berries of the mountain ash. In the summer they like to eat flying insects. They tend to arrive in large flocks when the berries are ripe to eat. They like margins of open country.
Pileated woodpeckers, or Log Cocks, are mentioned to be very shy birds, and hard to attract. They eat bugs, and love to hammer on mature trees. I am lucky in that I live on a mountain in the middle of the woods and have loads of mature trees.
Now I know what the birds I want to attract prefer in a habitat. The next steps in the plan are to try to provide the right food, shelter and water to lure them in to stay.
I decided to buy a hummingbird feeder at my local farm store and put it up in the spring near the other feeders. From experience, I have learned that when birds see other birds happily eating and drinking in one spot, they attract other birds who are curious to see what the commotion is about. My messy, all natural yard, has plenty of spiders and lichen to
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