by Matie Belle Lakish.
It is winter. Our gardens are hibernating. But it isn’t too early to plan for next year’s garden, and the seed catalogs are beginning to arrive. Last year I enjoyed the birds who came to my garden, and I want to do more for birds this coming year.
I love Robins. I truly do. They are among the first to come in the spring, and they sit on my fence, cock their heads to the side so as to see me better with their side-wise eyes, scope out the local cats, and then descend to the garden below to find dinner. The favorite course seems to be earthworms. I watch them turn their heads toward the ground, listening. Their ears must be keen, for moments later they jump into action, burying their beaks in the soil with such force that they sometimes look like they are diving in, only to come up moments later with an earthworm. This goes on for so long sometimes, that I worry about whether there will be any earthworms left at the end of the day. However, I have also seen them picking through the broccoli leaves and foraging for cabbage worms. Occasionally, I see a robin catch and devour a grasshopper. I know they are busy on other insects when I am not watching.
They also like the veggie course, especially if it is berries. I have several berries planted: raspberries, gooseberries, currants, aronia berries, serviceberries and strawberries. Robins like all of these, but a very favorite seems to be Western Serviceberry. Bush cherries are another prime choice.
Considering that these are some of my favorite fruits as well, I tried to protect them with Bird-X netting. I purchased this through a seed catalogue a couple of years ago and have used it twice. It is a fine polypropylene net with holes about 3/4 of an inch wide. While it can keep birds off of a bush or small tree if properly placed, it is difficult to position it so that it doesn’t trap birds. This year, a robin flew under it to find a berry, its foot became entangled in the net and its leg broke. I didn’t find the bird right away and it seemed traumatized when I released it. For that reason, I cannot recommend that type of netting. Later, I purchased a large net made of a softer, drapier polypropylene with only 1/4” holes. This one worked well around my cherry bush. It is called Premium Bird Netting and is available from Gurney’s and Gardens Alive, among other sources.
Another of my favorite birds are Spotted Towhees. This bird may be mistaken for a robin at first glance, as it is about the same size and has a dark back with reddish sides. However, it has a white breast and some white spots on its wing feathers. It likes to feed on the ground, scratching around for seeds and bugs. According to Audubon’s Guide to North American Birds, Towhees eat “mostly insects, seeds, berries. Diet varies with season. Eats many insects, especially in summer, including beetles, caterpillars, moths, true bugs, and many others, also spiders, snails, and millipedes. Also eats many seeds, plus acorns, berries, and small fruits.” They are talkative birds, and are fun to watch as they scratch around. They remind me of small chickens, the way they feed. However, I worry that they are more vulnerable to cat predation, as they usually nest within 5 feet of the ground.
Late in the summer, the various types of sunflowers and asters began to release seeds, and a plethora of small seed-eating birds appear. Goldfinches are some of the more colorful, but there is an amazing variety of small birds that come to my garden. They are probably either warblers or vireos, but I have yet to positively identify any of them. Rocky Mountain Bee Plants release their seeds late in the fall, usually as the sunflowers are finishing up, and the small seeds provide fuel for that late migration.
Western Tanagers are also easy to spot when they are in the neighborhood, because of the male’s beautiful yellow feathers and red head. Tanagers, along with Mountain Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatches and Juniper Titmice, like to forage higher in the trees, and are great at discovering the insects hiding under bark and needles of the piñon and leaves of aspen and cottonwood.
At lower levels, juncos abound. They scour the ground for any seeds that may have fallen, and are probably the most common ground birds found under bird feeders.
Almost all birds catch and eat bugs. Lots of bugs. This alone would be reason to encourage them in our gardens, but their diversity and beauty create a wondrous experience for gardeners. We can encourage them by planting a variety of seed-bearing flowers, fruits and vegetables.
All of the various types of sunflowers, asters, echinacea and gaillardia offer fall seeds. I enjoyed watching a chickadee meticulously dissect a nearly-mature sunflower head not three feet from my chair. Each seed he extracted required weighing to ensure it was worth carrying to a branch on a piñon where he cracked the pod and harvested the seed. Small grains are great fall calories. Millet, sorghum, and amaranth are good choices. Native grasses are important. I encourage Indian Rice Grass, while discouraging the needle-like ones.
Berries of all types are an early-season favorite. Honeyberries are the first, ripening here in June. Birds love my bush cherries, as do children. I let them grow tall, up to eight feet. The kids pick the lower cherries, while the birds get the top ones. Currants and gooseberries grow wild along the creeks, and do well in a garden. Chokecherries and serviceberries, both native and cultivated, draw the biggest crowds. I had four Cedar Waxwings, as well as robins, vying to get under my netting. Larger birds like rose hips, as well cherries, plums and apricots. Most fruits require two plants for pollination.
A healthy soil encourages earthworms. They enrich our soil and support birds and other creatures. Many of the insects we consider pests are great food for birds. Another reason to be an organic gardener.
There are thousands of bird, insect, and plant interactions that help keep our natural world in order. Audobon.org is one resource for more information on bird identification and plant communities. Check out the link to native plants that support birds in our region.