BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PLANT TRUMPET CREEPER

Jun7

       One of my favorite native vines is the trumpet creeper. The problem is experience has taught me you have got to be careful where you plant it.

       Trumpet creeper is a great wildlife plant.  Its thick foliage provides nesting and escape cover for birds and other wildlife. In addition, the vine’s large showy blossoms are a great source of food for a variety of pollinators ranging from bumble bees, moths, and butterflies to orchard orioles and ruby-throated hummingbirds.  It sounds like this is a plant that all wildlife gardeners would like to see growing in their yards; unfortunately, this is not the case.

       The problem is that the trumpet creeper aggressively spreads for the spot where it is planted.  In fact, it is not uncommon for trumpet creeper to spread 35 feet or more.  Consequently, I would recommend that you never plant trumpet creeper close to your home, barn or other structures.  If trumpet creeper reaches a building, it will quickly attach itself and potentially cause damage to the structure.  It matters not whether the exterior is covered with brick, wood or siding, trumpet creeper will attach itself to the material.

       That being said, it does well growing along fences, arbors, and the like.  I have even seen it grown beside poles to create a trumpet creeper tree.

      

BACKYARD SECRET – LEAVING HUMAN SCENT ON A BIRD NEST WILL NOT CAUSE BIRDS TO ABANDON IT

Jun3

         Most of us have heard that, if we touch an active bird nest or young birds, the scent we leave behind will cause the nesting birds to abandon it.

This advice is false.  The reason why this is the case is most birds have a poor sense of smell. 

While we will never know where or why this myth originated, some feel it was perpetrated by adults to discourage youngsters from disturbing bird nests.

      

HELPING CHIMNEY SWIFT NESTING SUCCESS

May31

       The vast majority of the chimney swifts that nest in Georgia build their nests in masonry chimneys. If chimney swifts nest in your chimney, you can enhance their nesting success by simply having your chimney cleaned annually.  This should be done before the birds return to the Peach State in March.

       The reason for this, if creosote builds up on the interior of your chimney, the buildup creates a fire hazard. It also reduces the odds that a tiny chimney swift nest, attached to a chimney’s creosote-laden wall, will break loose before nesting is completed. When this happens, the nest containing eggs or flightless young tumble down.

 

 

CONTAINER GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE MADE EASIER

May27

          Gardening for wildlife is being adopted by an increasing number of gardeners each year. One form of wildlife gardening that is growing by leaps and bounds is gardening in containers.

         While container gardening is nothing new, growing plants that are of value to wildlife is.  Container gardening for wildlife allows gardeners to attract wildlife to small places. In addition, is allows people that are physically unable to engage in traditional gardening to continue their hobby. 

       One of the problems that plagues container gardening is moving large pots from one spot to another.  A large container full of soil is very heavy and difficult to move about.  In addition, it can be quite expensive to buy enough soil to fill a large pot.

       An excellent way to solve this problem is to fill third to half of the pot with a lightweight filler. Innovative gardeners are using variety fillers such as plastic bottles, bags and nursery pots as fillers Some even employ large chunks of Styrofoam. Others are using organic fillers such as pinecones, and wood chips. 

       If you want to make container gardening for wildlife less expensive and easier, you should consider using lightweight materials as fillers.

       If you have used this technique, I would appreciate it if would let me know if your efforts proved to be successful.

 

BACKYARD SECRET – HOW MANY BIRDS VISIT OUR FEEDERS?

May24

                   If you have ever wondered how many species of birds visit our feeders, here are some figures you might find interesting.

       Across the country, some 350 species of birds feed at our feeders.  Ninety of these species are either regular or casual diners. The remaining 260 species are rare visitors.

       Here in the Peach State, those of us that feed birds in our yards can attract as many as 25-35 species to our bird cafes.

       How many species of birds do you feed in your backyard?

BACKYARD SECRET – CHIPMUNKS CAN RUN FASTER THAN GRAY SQUIRRELS AND HUMANS

May21

       I guess it is just human nature to wonder what is the largest, smallest, oldest, or most beautiful. With that in mind, when you see an eastern chipmunk scurry across you yard, have you ever wondered if you could out run it?  I know that I have.

       Remarkably, the eastern chipmunk can run at speeds of up to 21 miles per hour.  This might not seem like a lot until it can you realize that they can out pace most of us. 

       The average running speed for humans it 15-20 miles per hour.  In my case, it would be difficult for me to run 15 miles per hour, however, the best sprinters can race down a track at 23-25 miles per hour. 

       In comparison, the gray squirrel can keep pace with the tiny eastern chipmunk running at upwards of 20 miles per hour.

 

BACKYARD SECRET – GRAY SQUIRRELS EAT BONES

May17

       One the wonderful things about wildlife watching is every day when you walk outside you have a chance of spotting an animal you have never seen before, or observing wildlife engaged in a behavior you have never witnessed.  A few days ago, my daughter, Angela, saw a gray squirrel do something that she had never seen.

       As far was my daughter is concerned, she sees squirrels in her backyard far too often.  While she doesn’t have anything against the agile tree inhabitants, her major complaint is they eat more than their share of the seeds and suet she offers her bird neighbors. Then on top of that, they destroy her feeders.  That being said, they engage in some fascinating behaviors.  A few days ago, she witnessed a gray squirrel do something she had never seen before.

       As she idly watched a squirrel scampering down the top of the 6-foot wood fence that stands along the backside of her yard, she noticed it was carrying a bone about four inches long and about the width of a nickel.  It looked to be one of the bones left by her dog.

       When she told me about the experience, I told her that she was probably correct since gray squirrels do eat bones. While gray squirrels devour a variety bones, they are particularly fond of those that are sun-bleached.

       Gray squirrels dine bones for a couple of reasons.  First of all, the bones help wear down their front teeth. This is necessary because these teeth continually grow throughout their lives.  If the squirrels do not gnaw on hard bones the teeth will continue to grow and eventually curl and prevent the animals from eating.

The second reason is bones are an excellent source of much-needed calcium and phosphorus.

       If you happen to see gray squirrels carrying or eating bones in your yard, you will know why they are engaged in this bizarre behavior. 

Isn’t it amazing what you can see taking place just outside your backdoor?

WILDLIFE LOVE BLACKBERRIES

May13

      I have a seemingly endless fight with blackberries. Our wildlife neighbors spread blackberry seeds throughout our yard. Consequently, I have to pull up new plants that pop up in our lawn, gardens, and shrubs.  That being said I do not try to eradicate them when those plants that grow in the edge of property. I do this because blackberries rank near the top of the list of foods favored by both mammals and birds. More than 100 species of wildlife consume blackberries.  Juicy blackberries are just beginning to ripen in my neck of the woods, and birds are already feasting on them.

       The list of critters that eat wild blackberries includes the raccoon, chipmunk, and gray squirrel. Some of the numerous birds that dine on blackberries includes the northern bobwhite, wild turkey, great crested flycatcher, American and fish crows, Baltimore and orchard orioles, indigo bunting, cardinal, gray catbird, Eastern bluebird, yellow-breasted chat, eastern towhee, cedar waxing, and woodpeckers such as the red-bellied and red-headed, brown thrasher, and white-throated sparrow. 

       If we are lucky, my wife and I try to grab few blackberries before the birds gobble them up.

       I should also mention that rabbits and deer eat the plants’ tender stems and leaves.

       In addition to being a great source of food, many birds and other animals use blackberry patches as nesting and escape cover.

       Wild blackberries are indeed an important part of the diverse wildlife habitat that exists just outside our backdoor.

      

 

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING BIRD NESTS AND YOUNG IN YOUR BACKYARD

May10

       Many of us are fortunate that birds nest in our yards.  Some of the birds that commonly nest in our trees, shrubs, and nesting boxes are cardinals, brown thrashers, and mockingbirds.  If we just happen across a nest while walking about our yards or notice adults regularly bringing food to their young, it is not hard to find a nest. When you locate one, often the first thing that often comes to mind is the desire to take pictures of the nest, eggs and young. There is nothing wrong with this however, if you are not careful your attempts to take great pictures can result in the birds abandoning it or the eggs and/or young found in the nest falling prey to predators. Here are a few tips that will help ensure that this does not happen.

       Keep your visits to a minimum. If you visit nests where the adults are incubating their eggs, the nesting birds will often abandon their nests.  This is especially tree early in incubation.  In addition, frequent visits can alert predators that a nest is near.

       When photographing nests and their contents, you should never cut leaves and branches that prevent you from taking clear photos.  When you cut down the vegetation, you are making it easier for predators to find it.

       Resist the urge to take pictures from as close as possible. Take your photographs as far away as possible. Then regardless of whether you are taking photos with a camera equipped with a telephoto lens, or a smart phone, you can later easily edit the photographs digitally.

       In addition, when photographing adults bringing food to their young, you should always stand as far away as you possibly can.  When you are too close, the parents will sometimes not visit or reduce the number of times they bring food to their hatchlings.

       If you are careful, you will be able to take some memorable photos of the nest and while you witness a new generation of birds fledge—it does not get any better than that.

      

        

DO BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS LAY THEIR EGGS IN MOURNING DOVE NESTS?

May7

       Brown-headed cowbirds never build a nest, however, they lay their eggs in the nests of more than 220 species of birds. One of these species is the mourning dove.

       It seems cowbirds rarely lay their eggs in dove nests. When a female cowbird lays her eggs in a dove nest it proves to be a poor decision.  The doves typically damage or refuse to accept the cowbird eggs. If an egg is happens to be incubated, a cowbird hatchling cannot survive on the diet of crop milk mourning doves feed their young.