Lesson 4: Follow-up to Habitats for Backyard Birds
Lesson Four will follow-up on the course work in Habitats for Backyard Birds by providing information on maintaining your backyard habitat, expanding on your new hobby and sharing your new skills with others.
Maintaining Your Backyard Habitat
The most important follow-up activity is to make sure that you check and fill your feeders regularly. I keep my bags of thistle and sunflower seed in my pantry right next to the door to the side yard. I keep a small plastic cup in each bag to use for transferring the seed to the feeder.
Birdfeeders must be properly maintained to prevent the spread of diseases among birds. Do not crowd the birds – it is stressful for them. Birds are more prone to diseases if they have to fight for space at the feeder. Use more than one feeder for “crowd control” and space them far enough apart to reduce aggression (there will be some natural aggression among birds, depending on the species).
Make sure that your feeders are placed so that the birds are safe from predators. Regularly clean up spilled food and dropping from under the feeders. Avoid sharp edges on feeders to reduce the chance of injury to birds
Keep feeders clean. I wash my feeders with one part liquid household bleach in ten parts warm water to disinfect them about once a month prior to a filling. I use an old baby bottle brush to scrub out the inside. Make sure the feeders are rinsed well with fresh water and are dry before being refilled with seed. Never fill feeders with old or moldy food. Store food in a dry area away from mice and other little critters.
Birdhouses should be opened and cleaned out at the end of the season. I wash the outside, too, and sometimes stain or paint them.
Keep birdbaths and other water containers filled with fresh, clean water. The containers should be regularly emptied of dirt, algae, feathers and droppings and then scrubbed out. I also use an old baby bottle brush for this task and keep a garden hose nearby to give the containers a good rinse before refilling.
Maintain your new plantings as directed when you bought or received them. If you have problems with your new plants, try moving them. I move plants if they don’t work out in one spot. Often they will thrive when placed in another part of the yard where sun and soil conditions are more suited to their needs. Our textbook, The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher, has good planting advice on pages 241-249.
It is fun to share plants with others through seeds, divisions or cuttings. You are helping birds, also, by making these native plants available to others. Assess your habitat throughout the seasons and adjust things as needed. It’s fun to add more components over time.
In Chapter One we talked about how pesticides are one of the reasons why there has been a decline in the numbers of native birds. In addition to providing backyard bird habitats, reducing pesticide use is something that individuals can do to help reverse the decline of certain bird species.
The National Audubon Society estimates that ¾ of the households in the United States use pesticides. Pesticides may include products such as herbicides to control crabgrass; weed and feed products; rodent bait; toilet bowl disinfectants; and insecticides like flea collars and insect sprays.
How can you reduce or eliminate your pesticide use to help reduce the decline of backyard birds?
Monitor for pests (remove by hand from the garden if possible).
Use pesticides only when necessary.
Do not have regularly scheduled applications.
If you must use pesticides, use only the quantity indicated to do the job.
Investigate non-chemical controls to reduce pests. For example, for dandelions in lawns, mow the grass higher so that it can out-compete the weeds.
Go to www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/ for more information about reducing pesticide use.
