Need more birds in my yard, but how?
9 years ago
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- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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How to keep birds out of my yard without scaring away Hummers?
Comments (9)you might try animal repellent granules at the base of the tree the scent is very offensive to them if necessary you could also attach maybe a bird feeder made for the ground and put some in there too further up the tree YOU have a RIGHT to feel about your yard and birds etc any way you choose its NOT ur ignorance thats highlighted when someone ELSES attempts to shame or guilt you the granules and spray are sold by walmart...See MoreMore photos from my yard
Comments (7)Carol!!! So much to look at...you must spend all your time working and it's worth it. The begonia looks great - mine get a little wilted also, and I just cut them back. I'm postiing a pic of the cuttings I just stuck in the ground last year. They are without a doubt, my favorite plant. Aside from broms and yours look great. All for now, Hester...See MoreBirds in my yard (picture heavy)
Comments (14)Hi, mboston. You have some pretty good birds, all right. Okay, so are you thinking the bird in the top picture is not a brown thrasher? I really can't see him well enough to tell, but the reason I'm curious is because most thrushes are not common yard birds at all. So if it is a one of the thrushes, it would really be a nice surprise. It could be a migrating veery, and that would be fun. They are brown, quite plain, but smaller and more compact than thrashers. All of our thrushes seem to be mostly passing through during migration. Wish I had one to show up here! Yes, that's a mourning dove, which is usually the more common one, by far. Nuthatches tend to run up and down the tree trunks, hanging on like little woodpeckers. They have a short tail and look somewhat stubbier than titmice, plus they don't have the crest. And they're not real common in most backyards. I would be ECSTATIC to have one show up here. I've only ever seen them two or three times. Titmice have the little pointed crest, and are so cute and sweet. A common but always adorable little bird. This is almost as good a time of year for many birds as the spring is. We should start seeing migrating goldfinches again soon, and who knows what! Congratulations on all your wildlife, on your fun photos, and on just knowing how special they all are!! Marcia...See MoreHelp the birds in my poor yard?
Comments (20)Well any bush or small tree that is spiny (if this is not an issue with young children around) is sure to attract desirable nesting birds such as the Song sparrow. Check if the one or two Berberis species (commonly nammed barberries) that are native to the USA are now clear with your local laws. (They used to be banned because they transmitted wheat rust disease to crops.) An Hawthorne also makes an excellent nesting bush for small birds, but they are slow-growers. Song sparrows and Red cardinals also love any dense thicket of Red cedar (which the waxwings and robins will also devour the fruits from) or arborvitae (White cedar) to nest inside and get cover for sleeping during those nasty winter weather spells... We have two large Sambucus canadensis, fruiting heavily in the sun, two other ones that strive under dense shade(Sort of as an experiment... last year they had sprung from the ground just like a perennial, seemingly dying to the ground in the fall... But this spring the buds are forming higher on the old fall branches, so maybe these two will recover and become full-fledged shady spot shrubs... we'll see). Then we have a specimen of Sambucus pubens, and this other native species indeed grows fast (gotta be careful about root competition at first though) in the shade, flowers in its first couple of years, then fruits almost as soon as it flowers! Fruits are shining bright red in the shade and are a very pretty sight in early summer, but these do disappear fast with the birds!! I am surprised that you seem to have problems finding those plant species at the nurseries. Here in the Montreal area and suburbs, at some points in the season they come almost a dime a dozen! I suggest you shop around a little more. And don't forget that if you buy small potted plants from Internet dealers (search here in the archives to find those reliable dealers), in the case of Sambucus, they grow so fast and easy that this should not be an issue for you....See More- 9 years ago
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gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago