Posted by Janet Harriett on Jun.23, 2010

ⓒ iStockPhoto - bgmiller

Food and water supplies will attract wildlife, but to keep animals around for regular viewing, shelter is key. Nesting and denning sites make a habitat a home. Each species of backyard wildlife has its own habitat preferences, and the more varied habitat in a landscaping, the more varied the resident wildlife will be.

Some birds prefer to nest among tree and shrub branches, while others look for cavities. An assortment of large trees, medium-sized bushes and sheltered areas near ground level provide nesting options for many types of birds. Many common landscaping shrubs provide excellent cover for songbirds. The winged euonymus that are ubiquitous foundation plants in my neighborhood seem to attract at least one nest apiece every spring and summer.

Manmade birdhouses supply supplemental shelter, or to attract birds that don’t readily nest in your preferred landscaping. The typical box with an entrance hole and a perch is only one type of birdhouse, and will attract birds like purple martins, house sparrows and finches. To provide nesting for mourning doves, robins and jays, supply a nesting platform with a roof, floor and more open sides. Check out Birdhouses 101 for the specific birdhouse preferences for common North American backyard birds. If you want to attract a specific bird to your yard, a custom-built birdhouse, crafted and placed according to the species preferences, may provide faster results than a native landscape.

Birds are just the beginning, though. For insect control and an interesting nightly show, consider installing a bat box. Bats will also roost in tall trees, but are more likely to choose manmade structures like attics. Bat boxes keep the bats at a safe distance.

A few mature trees will support a squirrel or two, which is enough to observe but usually not enough to become much of a nuisance, as long as there are adjacent areas for the offspring to spread into.

Other animals, particularly chipmunks, find shelter in rock or brush piles. To keep them away from structures, and maintain the peace in the neighborhood, situate rock piles away from homes, in an area such as along a fenceline.

The flip side of providing habitat for wildlife around your home, for easy observation, is that wildlife populations tend to expand to the size that the available resources will support, and wildlife is not great at respecting boundaries. What a homeowner considers a deck or eaves, and animal may consider an excellent nesting site. Check back next week to find out how to keep animals in the yard and away from areas where they can damage houses and other structures.

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Posted under Living, Nature and Environment.