You've Attracted Birds To Your Yard, Now What?
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Written by: Gene Wolf
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Word Count: 775 |
Date: Sat, 1 May 2010 |
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The houses are up, the birdbaths have been cleaned and filled, the birds are here and nesting and your yard is filled with birds performing their daily tasks to keep the little ones safe and fed. You can sit back now and relax, right? Not quite. It's true that all of the heavy lifting has been done and you can be proud of what a great job you've done but, just like raising a family, your job is never really done.
You have invited a few of our feathered friends to join your family and you still have some responsibility to them. Let's take for example water. At this time of year with the heat rising water is critical. A clean fresh supply is a very welcome sight to busy birds flitting back and forth to feed their young. It's important to keep the birdbath clean of litter from trees as well as clear of any algae that might start growing. If you see algae trying to grab a foothold in your birdbath add a cup of bleach and stand guard over the bath while it does its work. When it's done wash the birdbath out thoroughly and fill it with clean water. You'll be set to go for another couple of weeks.
Spring and summer is a time when it's easier for your birds to find food but they have to find a lot of it because they have hungry mouths to feed. Helping them out is very satisfying. If you have seed eaters in your yard all you really need to do is set up a couple of bird feeders and fill them with their favorite foods. If you have insect eaters you can purchase meal worms online and put them out for your birds to find. What works best for me are those cheap plastic bowls that come 6 to a pack in your grocery store. You can mount them on almost anything. Put a bunch of meal worms in it and position it near the birdhouse of your insect eaters and they'll find it in no time.
You've probably fed your birds in the winter. You have to understand that summer feeding is much different than winter feeding. If you put out seed please check it regularly to make sure it has not spoiled. The frequent thunderstorms of summer, sunlight and humidity can all cause seed to go bad very quickly. Check your feeders every few days. If you notice you have a feeder that the birds are not using and the seed level is not dropping it's probably time to clean it out and refill it. I'm embarrassed to say that I learned years ago that heat and humidity can turn your seed into a cement like mass in your feeder. Your birds don't appreciate it and it's a major pain to get cleaned out.
Something many people seem to ignore is the placement of their birdbath. While a birdbath may look very nice in a flower garden or near a hedgerow at the side of your property it may become a death trap. Birds in a birdbath can see for quite a distance away from the bath but they have a harder time seeing the immediate area around the birdbath and under it because their vision is obstructed by the edges of the birdbath. If your birdbath is in your flower garden your birds may not be able to see a cat concealed in your flowers in lying in wait for a bird to come into the bath. Try to place your birdbath in as open a place as possible. Your birds will scan the area first before going to the birdbath and they will be able to avoid and hungry cats prowling your yard.
In the spring and summer you can take it a bit easier but you still have a responsibility to provide for the birds you invited into your yard. Enjoy the birdsong and the brilliant flashes of movement and color but go the little extra distance to make it easier for your little friends. It's very satisfying and isn't it worth it for what they give back to us?
About the Author
Wolf Mountain Birdhouses is looking for resellers. No start up costs, no sign up fees and we pay shipping. If you're interested go to Wolf Mountain Birdhouses and look for the announcement concerning resellers.
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