I put out hulled,chopped sunflower seed. Costlier but it removes the toxic hulls and there is less loss of seed because the birds can swallow the smaller pieces. Thus, less rodent attracting seed on the ground. It is the only seed that seems to attract the bluebirds to the feeder here. I imagine you have a very wide variety of natives and migrating birds. You live in my favorite part of USA. Planting tall perennials with persistent seedheads attracts the gymnastic finches and other smaller birds which are fun to watch.

The soil by the marsh is definitely on the low side of the ph scale and has some salt to it, but not as much as if the water actually touched it. Only in an extremely heavy rain at high tide will the water come up into my yard and then only to the point of saturation, not flood. I don't think it is technically salty soil. Guess I'll find out once I plant. Part of my project involves errosion prevention. The yard slopes down to where the marsh is, and quickly drops about 4' to where the water begins. There already is about a 10' deep swath of that tall marsh grass, so that part was already provided by mother nature. I just want to bring more habitat up into my yard where I don't want to spend time mowing. The area's about 30' across and 15' deep. Ideally I would like plants that have extensive root systems to keep the soil where it is. There is a ton of bird wildlife around back there. Great Egrets, Blue Herons, ducks, geese, gulls, and a zillion other little guys that I have yet to identify. Heck, if the babies weren't so loud at feeding time, I'd erect an osprey platform back there too! I'm very excited about providing more food and shelter sources for what's already back there. I spent 3 back breaking seasons clearing out all of the invasive vines and prickers. Now I'm finally to the fun stuff. I'm sure digging is going the be a PITA, but I'm sure it will be worth it.

The Reddish Egret and its stunning feeding behavior. This bird was filmed at Green Key Beach, FL. Here is a link that might be useful: Reddish Egret video

Great birds! I especially love the White-tailed Kite. What a gorgeous species that is. They're not in my range but I am bound and determined to see one someday!