Create a Backyard Habitat-Make a Haven For Feathered and Furry Friends

Posted by Cathy England
September 10th, 2009
Filed in Garden Maintenance
Tags: Backyard habitat, Bird feeding, healthy living, Nesting

If you live in a city or suburban area, the idea of creating a backyard habitat for birds and other wildlife is a responsible thing to do.  As residential areas grow, and woodlands are lost, there are fewer places for birds and animals to take up residence, forage for food, and to retreat to in response to dangerous predators.  It is not a difficult task, does not use many resources that you do not already have, and can be a great family activity.

Elements and Tasks That Produce a Great Backyard Habitat

• Feed the Birds (and squirrels if so inclined) – There are multiple benefits to providing food and shelter to the birds in your area throughout the year.  Birds are an excellent form of insect control in the organic garden.  I counted a number of robins and jays this year snacking on the green worms attacking my broccoli and cauliflower bed this summer.  If you have cutworms or wireworms that cause problems in your garden, robins are good at ferreting them out as well.  One drawback is that some birds, grackles and crows in particular are very likely to go after freshly planted seed.  Cover new seed beds with straw to avoid this problem.


Female Cardinal Feeding in the Snow

• Provide Safe and Clean Shelter – There are many forms of shelter that are suitable for many types of birds.  Dead tree stumps with woodpecker holes drilled in them make nice nesting places for chickadees, shrubs and dense bushes also make nice nesting places.  Allow part of your yard to grow wild for birds who nest on the ground.  Throw prunings, dead branches and large rocks into a corner of your back yard.  Many critters will find this an inviting hideaway, and sheltering places for the cold winter months.  Of course, various homemade or retail birdhouses will also give birds adequate shelter, and nesting sites.
• Other Items That Birds Require – Birds do not have teeth, and rely on their gullet to crush and grind food.  Provide a tray or other flat surface that birds have easy access to.  Fill with course sand (like the sand that you may dig into your garden to break up clay), or very small pebbles. 

  Birds also need a clean supply of water.  This can be a difficult challenge in winter weather as the water will freeze easily.  An immersion heater, or bubbler will help with this problem.  Bird baths should still be cleaned when needed to prevent disease.  Provide nesting supplies.  We brush our long haired dog once a week, and hang the fur in an onion bag along with pieces of yarn, string, and dryer lint.

• Ugly Birds, and Pesky Squirrels – Birds like grackles and starlings will quickly clean out a feeder, and squirrels are particularly adept at bypassing any method that you use to keep them away.  Provide a tray feeder with cracked corn or chick scratch which can be obtained from most feed stores. 

Cheap and Easy Ways to Feed During the Winter

• Start Saving Gone By Fruits and Berries-As the late summer and fall harvest continues, throw apple cores, peelings, shriveled berries into a freezer bag to provide to your voracious eaters in the winter when such high energy foods become scarce.
• Bread Crusts -In the same manner, save bread ends, extra pancakes and waffles and other grain based products to provide in a tray feeder during the winter months.  This cuts down on garbage waste, and provides a nutritional source for your backyard friends.
• Forage for Them -There is an oak tree in my neighbors yard which is quite large, and hangs over my patio.  I try to beat my squirrels and chipmunks to the acorns that litter my yard, and save them for winter use.  They need to be cracked before setting out, so that small birds can access them as well.
• Commercial Bird Seed – Seed does not have to cost as much as you may think.  50 pound bags of sunflower seeds can usually be obtained for $20 to $25 at the local feed store, or farm supply store.  This amount should last pretty well through the winter months.
• Cover Crops, Perennials and Bushes – As fall approaches, planting cover crops in your garden beds is a good idea to prevent soil erosion, and green manure to dig in next year.  Many of these will provide seed and grains to hungry birds.  Perennials left to go to seed, and bushes that produce berries inedible to humans are also a great free source of food.

Once you decide to feed your backyard birds, commit to it.  They will come to rely on the food source, and suddenly taking it away can lead to starvation. 

Additionally, if you follow the steps above, you can have your yard certified as a wildlife habitat!

Whatever your reasons, creating a safe habitat helps to keep birds and other wildlife healthy through the hard winter months.  It does not have to be difficult, and additional resources on bird feeding recipes, etc can be found online.  It is a great family activity, and a great way to teach your kids about nature, and responsibility not just for the land, but also for the creatures who share our world with us.