Gardening Topic for June 2004
Gardening for the Birds

Provided by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
www.wmassmastergardeners.org.

By George C. Kingston, Master Gardener

Bee Balm Monarda didyma

Would you like to attract more birds to your gardens?

It’s actually very easy.  All you have to do is to is give the birds what they want, and they will come.  Aha! You say, but what do birds want?

There are 4 things that birds need.  These are food, water, shelter and nesting places.   However,  each type of bird has different preferences,  so it is important to think about  what birds you want to attract.

Providing water is fairly simple,  but in winter and during dry periods, it is absolutely critical.  If you have a pond, and keep it open all year, this should not be a problem.   There are many attractive bird baths and fountains on the market, but you can also make a simple, inexpensive one by fastening a plant dish on top of a post or stump.  In winter, an electrically heated bird bath is a bird magnet.

Shelter is also important to birds.  Birds need places to hide from predators, to shelter from the rain and the wind, and to sleep.  Any kind of dense shrub or tree will do.  Evergreens are best because they provide shelter all year long.  Good shrubs for shelter include juniper (Juniperus canadensis), American red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), American yew (Taxus canadensis), arborvitae (Thuja occidnetalis), and blue spruce (Picea pungens).  The shelter should be close, but not too close, to the feeding area.   A distance of ten to fifteen feet from the feeder is good.  This is far enough away that a cat can’t use it to ambush the birds, but close enough for them to escape from a hawk.

Fruit eaters, including robins, mockingbirds, waxwings,  and orioles prefer small fruits.  When landscaping for them, choose a selection of plants that will provide a succession of fruit throughout the season.  A bonus is that many of these shrubs and trees also produce attractive flowers.  Good plants include:

• Wild Cherry (Prunus sp.)
• Crabapples (Pyrus coronaria) *
• Serviceberry or Shadbush (Amelanchier sp.)
• Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa)*  (not multiflora, an invasive)
• High Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
• Dogwood (Cornus sp.) *
• Vibirnum (Vibirnum sp.) *
• Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) *
• Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)

* These provide food all winter!

To attract seedeaters like chickadees, titmice, goldfinches, nuthatches,  and sparrows, grow flowers, such as composites, that produce abundant seeds.  Some ones to consider are:

• Sunflower (Helianthus sp.)
• Goldenrod (Solidago sp.)
• Thistle (Cirsium sp.)
• Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.)

Hummingbirds are among the birds most desired by gardeners.  They are attracted to plants that produce nectar.   Red or orange flowers are best, but hummingbirds will go to any flower that has nectar.  Some to consider are:

• Butterfly bush (Buddleia sp.)
• Azalea and Rhododendron (Rhododendron sp.)
• Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
• Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
• Butterfly Weed (Asclepsis tubeosa)
• Lantana (Lantana camara)
• Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

Suet will attract woodpeckers, whose normal food is burrowing insects.  Swallows and Flycatchers will help control flying insects in your gardens.

The final group of birds are the meat eaters.  Hawks and owls are a natural part of our world, and all are protected.  If one of these becomes a problem in your gardens, remove any feeders to break up concentrations of prey and the bird should move on.  Herons can be discouraged from visiting koi ponds by stringing monofilament line around and across the pond, about 3 inches above the ground.

For best results, use  native plants in your gardens.  These are the plants our birds evolved with!

Each species of bird needs a different kind of nest in a special kind of place.   In general, bird houses can be used to attract cavity nesting birds, including house wrens, titmice, bluebirds, tree swallows and chickadees.  Woodpeckers prefer natural holes in dead or dying trees, so if you can leave a tall stump standing in a patch of woods, you may attract them.  Evergreens provide nesting places for cardinals and blue jays.  Tall trees are needed by orioles.  But birds can also surprise you.  I have had Carolina wrens nest in a hanging basket of fuchsia and a phoebe  nest on the curve in a downspout. 

If you want to attract birds, you should limit your use of pesticides.  Many birds eat insects or feed them to their young.  These insects are not only an important part of their diet, but they can carry pesticide residues which can make the birds sick.  Use integrated pest management to control insects when the damage potential is high and use repellant candles or smudges when you sit outside and watch the swallows chasing to and fro overhead.

The most important thing is to observe carefully.  Watch what plants the birds are going to and give them more of these.  Then sit back and watch the show.

Sunflower
Helianthus

For other articles, check out our archives

Provided by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
www.wmassmastergardeners.org.