Creating a Birder's Paradise

By Casey Ryan

When I first thought about writing on this topic, I was going to say that creating a bird sanctuary is a piece of cake. But, as I was out feeding the birds this morning, I reflected on all that we have done to create our own bird sanctuary and decided that would be an over simplification of the process. While it�s not all that difficult to create an inviting environment for the many species of birds in your area, it does require a certain amount of commitment in both time and money.

In our bird sanctuary, we have 2 flat and open tray feeders with mixed seed, 1 hanging feeder for sunflower seeds and 2 hanging feeders for mixed seed. We also hang 3 suet cakes and have 2 bird baths as well as providing nesting habitat where possible. We have placed these feeders near or in trees from where they can perch as they take turns feeding and can escape to for protection when they see the shadow a hawk or other predatory bird above.

The end result is a fascinating variety of birds! We attract:
Pi�on jays
stellar jays
grosbeaks
tit mice
chickadees
several types of sparrows
nut hatches
3 types of wood peckers
ravens
mourning doves
band tailed pigeons
towhees
swallows
red polls
gold finches
and Clark Nut hatches

I�m sure we get other types of birds that I haven�t identified as well as quick stop overs from migrating birds, most notably red winged black birds and the occasional Western Tanager, always a special treat.

In order to consistently attract this many birds, we must be consistent in our efforts to keep the feeders and water dishes full. This requires a bit more perseverance on our part during the winter months as we live where we get quite a bit of snow so we have to regularly go out and scoop the snow from the tray feeders and keep the water dishes thawed with water heaters. We could cover the tray feeders to keep the snow off the trays but we find that many of the larger birds would stay away if it weren�t for the easy access. Besides, it means that we have to go out on a beautiful snowy day to clean the tray and that is a good excuse to get us out to enjoy the day!

Feed isn�t cheap but we find that it is well worth the four or five hundred dollars a year that we spend on our birds. It�s a hobby that gives us many returns on our investment as we are thrilled to witness all the different sizes, shapes and colors that frequent our feeders. It is a small price to pay for bringing these wondrous creations in for close up inspection and enjoyment. We have a flock of band tailed pigeons that spend much of the year here. There must be at least 50-60 birds in this flock. Look them up. They are huge and they eat a lot! Because we love having them we always make sure that they have plenty of feed. The amazing thing is, our neighbors never see these birds except when they do a fly by over their house or they see them coming in for a landing, en mass, at ours. We feel privileged...

Another thing that we have done is to put up bird boxes for nesting, being careful to make the entrance the proper size for the birds that we are trying to attract and to put the house at the right height from the ground. You can find this information by doing a Google search on the type of bird and searching keywords such as bird box, nests, etc. When we were building the fireplace for our house, we built houses into the side of the chimney with extended covers over the openings for extra protection from the elements. We have had several varieties of birds over the years nest in these. Currently and for the past 4 years or so we have had families of nut hatches occupying these nests. We have had the joy of watching the young take their first flight and have watched mom and dad teach these young�uns how to take a bath in our bird baths.

Overall, feeding birds is a great way to stay in touch with the natural world that surrounds us and to make a positive contribution to that world. Check with your local feed store to see if they have a special formula for the birds in your area. Our local feed store does and yours most likely will, too.

Enjoy your slice of paradise!

Casey Ryan is the publisher of http://www.homeandgardensplus.com, a website for quality products to enhance both your home and garden. Having grown up in the building business, Casey has built his own custom home using natural materials and strives to make his home environment a place that reflects his love of the natural world.