Posted by Janet Harriett on Jun.02, 2010

American robin. Photo Credit: Dave Menke, US Fish and Wildlife Service

In June, Wildlife Wednesday takes a look at turning your yard into a wildlife-friendly mini-sanctuary. By attracting wildlife for convenient viewing, you can introduce your kids to all sorts of animals from a safe distance. This week: attracting birds without a bird feeder.

Watching wildlife from the comfort of your living room is fun, but feeders full of seed, suet or artificial nectar may not be best for the birds.

Birds don’t generally become dependent on bird feeders; estimates are that birds get, at most, about 20% of their food from human-stocked feeders. Birdseed and suet cakes left out in winter can even help more songbirds survive when natural forage is scarce.

However, feeders do concentrate birds, which can open them up to predation and disease. Birds quickly figure out that feeders are a source of food; so do cats, rats and hawks, who have no interest in millet and sunflower seeds. Disease risks of bird feeders can be mitigated somewhat by keeping the feeders scrupulously clean and ensuring that no seed molds in the feeder, but the concentration of birds can still facilitate passing parasites around. Biologists also found increased spread of conjunctivitis among finches that feed at the cylindrical finch feeders. Since birds don’t have access to ophthalmic antibiotics, the consequences of a case of avian pinkeye can be disastrous.

To enjoy birds in a way that is safer and healthier for the birds, consider planting your yard with bird-friendly plants and shrubs. Native plants will provide the forage the local bird populations are used to eating. Consult a nurseryperson or your county extension office for ideas of plants that are native to the area. Don’t assume that any plant sold at the big-box garden center is native, or even adapted to your area.

Seeds and small fruits attract songbirds. Bigger seeds like sunflowers bring in jays and larger birds. Leave the seedheads up for the winter to provide forage during the lean months. If you want to keep the flower beds from looking scruffy with the frost-killed foliage, cut the seed heads off before you cut back perennials or pull annuals. Place the seed heads around the yard to attract birds to good viewing positions from indoors.

Nectar-rich flowers with tubular forms attract hummingbirds. Hummingbirds tend to prefer red flowers, thus why most hummingbird feeders are red, but I’ve seen them flitting around my white and purple alyssum when the blossoms are most fragrant. Certainly, a column of red morning glories is prettier than a red plastic feeder. As a pleasant side effect, many of the plants that attract hummingbirds are also butterfly magnets, and smell terrific.

Here are a few suggestions for plants that attract songbirds and hummingbirds, and beautify your landscape at the same time.

Shrubs & Small Trees

In addition to the shrubs listed, birds will eat just about any kind of berry planted for human consumption. If you have the room, plant extra berry bushes to share with the wildlife, or consider replacing plants that are less attractive to wildlife with attractive edibles like currants and blueberries.

• Viburnum (including American Cranberry & Nannyberry)
• Crabapple
• Beautyberry
• Butterfly Bush

Herbaceous Perennials

These plants die back to the ground each winter, but come back from the roots in spring. Longstanding seed heads, sometimes referred to in plant catalogs as “everlastings” provide food for birds long into winter.

• Monarda (Bee balm)
• Coneflower (echinacea)
• Columbine
• Butterfly weed
• Penstimon

Annuals

While many gardeners deadhead their annuals (pinch off the spent flowers), avoid the practice if you’re planting these flowers to attract wildlife since it removes the seedhead before the seeds develop into something the birds can peck. While annuals don’t come back from the roots like perennials, if you leave the seedheads on for the birds to forage, you’ll find many annuals re-seed themselves from year to year.

• Alyssum
• Cosmos
• Morning glory
• Sunflowers
• Zinnia

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Posted under Living, Nature and Environment.