By Jacqueline Levy

After receiving the notice from the fire department about fire safety inspections planned for my property, I got busy clearing dead wood out of my yard and plants away from the house. After a rainy winter my yard was overgrown with shrubs pushing into pathways and annuals, such as grasses, growing between my desired plants. I wanted to rip out the weeds and prune until the pathways were clear. Yet, I knew if I wanted to have a haven for the dozens of bird species that make use of my garden, I need to have restraint.

While doing all this clearing I was mindful of the birds. It is nesting season. The phoebes are in my carport and on a window ledge. I am happy to have them there for the countless insects they consume -snatching them out of the air. I do my best to keep an ear out for the sounds of agitated birds as I prune back shrubs and pull up weeds. Not all birds choose tree tops to build their nest. When I hear them calling with alarm I stop and look around a try to avoid disturbing a nest. Unfortunately, I uncovered two Dark-eyed Junco nests with white speckled eggs in them. They were well hidden before I removed the weeds around them. Sadly, once exposed most of the eggs were taken by predators. Other times, I stopped my pruning and weeding to wait until the chicks had time to fledge before resuming my activities.

Aside from being mindful of nests I try to do as much as I can to help birds thrive. I have plastered my windows with UV stickers to reduce bird strikes. It is estimated that one billion birds die from striking windows each year in the United States. Window strikes are one of the top 3 human related causes of bird deaths, the other two are cats and habitat destruction.  I don’t have a cat. If you do, you can keep them indoors or build an enclose to keep them from killing birds.

To combat habitat destruction, you can make your yard an oasis for birds. Having a mixture of native trees, shrubs and forbs creates places for them to nest, roost, and forage. As I mentioned in my last article, oak trees provide food and shelter for many birds. There is an abundance of native shrubs that fruit and seed at different times of year. Having a variety can provide a steady food source. There are also flowering plants that stay in flower most of the year keeping humming birds happy. Some of my favorite humming bird flowers are: salvia, fuchsia, flowering currant, and manzanita. In addition to providing food for birds this variety makes for an attractive garden of plants adapted to survive wet winters and dry summers.

Finally, having water for birds to drink and bath in, especially in the summer months, will help them thrive. I have a water fountain with equisetum (horsetail) planted inside. Birds, such as the Oak Titmouse, perch on an equisetum stem before taking a dip in the water. There are few things more enjoyable than watching a parade of birds, from largest to smallest, take their turn drinking and bathing in the water.

From stickers on windows, to planting native plants, to providing water there are things each of us can do, regardless of the size of your property, for the birds.