Archives

IS THERE A SEED OR SEED MIX THAT HOUSE SPARROWS DO NOT LIKE?

Jul16

       The house sparrow is on a short list of birds that most folks that feed birds would rather not visit their feeders.  There are, however, seed mixes that house sparrows seem to relish more than others do.  A good example of this is house relish mixed seed blends that contain high percentages of fillers such as cracked corn, wheat, milo, rye, and oats.

       Instead of feeding these mixes, opt for blends that include high percentages of sunflower seeds, millet, and safflower seeds. House sparrows usually sparingly eat these blends.

       Since there is no foolproof mix that will be ignored by house sparrows, you may have to stop feeding to deter them.  This will force house sparrows to forage for food elsewhere.

ATTRACTING MOTHS ON HOT SUMMER EVENINGS

Jul6

      One of the reasons why moths are so underappreciated is many of them are only active at night.  However, those few wildlife enthusiasts that know how to attract them can often view some of the most beautiful and unusual backyard residents.

       One of the best ways to lure moths to spots where you can observe them is by luring them to places where you are able to easily them.   This technique is known as “sugaring for moths.“ This involves preparing bait out of some unlikely ingredients.  You can find a number of recipes for these moth brews on the internet.   Here is one posted by Oklahoma State University’s Extension Office.  Here is the recipe:

1 can of beer

2 overripe bananas, peeled and mashed

½ cup of grape jelly

2 Tbsp. sorghum syrup

1 Tbsp. pineapple-flavored gelatin
Mix the concoction until you form a smooth liquid paste. The paste needs to be thin enough to spread to a tree trunk but thick enough to adhere to a tree.  Store the mixture at room temperature for 10-12 hours before using.

       Then, just before dark, paint 12-inch patches on several tree trunks (roughly head high).  Then return the bait stations as often as you like.  In some cases, the best time of view moths attracted to the bait occur after 10 p.m.

       Do not be surprised if the concoction attracts moths that you never knew were flying about your yard while you are inside your home watching television.

       If this recipe does not work as well as you thought it would, simply alter it.  You just might develop a recipe that is superior to this one.

 

THE BLACK-EYED SUSAN – A BEAUTIFUL HOST PLANT

Jun11

       If you are searching for a native plant that has stunning blossoms, provides food for pollinators, and is a butterfly host plant, look at the black-eyed Susan.

       I doubt there is a Georgia gardener that cannot identify the black-eyed Susan.  It provides beauty to the countryside and backyard gardens alike.  It also does well in containers; my wife has raised black-eyed Susans in large containers on our deck for the last couple of years.  While we enjoy the beauty the plants provide just outside our backdoor, we also like the fact its blooms are favorite dining spots for many pollinators.  While we occasionally see butterflies such as pearl crescents on the blooms, small bees seem to visit the blossoms more often than any other insects.

       On top of all of these virtues, this tall native plant also serves as a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly.

       If you do not have the black-eyed Susan growing in your gardens, give this one a try.

BACKYARD SECRET – STAGERING SOWING ZINNIA SEEDS PROVIDES BUTTERFLIES WITH NECTAR UNTIL FROST

May19

       Zinnias have long been a favorite of Georgia gardeners. They not only adorn our flower gardens with a wide variety of blossoms, they provide food for a wide range of butterflies and other pollinators.  However, since we typically sow zinnias seeds only in the spring, zinnia blooms are scarce in autumn… This is unfortunate as pollinators often find food hard to find late into the fall. Here are a couple of ways you can alleviate this situation.

       One way that you can prolong the zinnia’s blooming period is by deadhead plants.  This will stimulate the plants to produce more blossoms.  The downside of this practice is you eliminate a food source for songbirds.

       Another way that you can enhance the availability of zinnia blossoms until frost is stagger the times you sow seeds.  By sowing seeds every few weeks well into the summer, when some zinnias fade away, they are replaced by plants just coming into bloom.

       This simple practice will enhance the available of nectar and pollen well into autumn a when food is often scarce and add color to your gardens.

BLACK-EYED SUSAN – A NATIVE PLANT OF VALUE TO WILDLIFE THAT CAN BE GROWN IN CONTAINERS

Apr23

        If you are looking for a native plant that can be grown in containers, is both beautiful, hardy, and benefits wildlife too,  the Black-eyed Susan  (Rudbeckia spp.)  just might fit the bill.

       My wife and I have grown Black-eyed Susans in containers on our deck for several years.  The tall plants produce a profusion of gorgeous long-lasting blooms.  While the blossoms are visited by pollinators, I would not call it a butterfly magnet.  This is because, at best, butterflies only sparingly nectar at the large blossoms.  The pollinators I see most often on our plants in search of nectar and pollen are small, solitary bees.

       In addition, the Black-eyed Susan is a host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly.  Well after the plant’s blossoms have withered and died, a number of songbirds eat plant’s seeds.

       The fact the plant is deer resistant make a favorite among gardeners plagued by hungry deer.

USE CAUTION WHEN TRIMMING SHRUBS IN SPRING

Apr13

       The beautiful spring weather we have been enjoying in my neck of the woods apparently prompted many homeowners to take on any number outdoor jobs.  One of these projects was cutting shrubbery. In truth, shrub pruning should have been accomplished much earlier in the year.

       When I brought a load of household garbage and recyclables to a nearby recycling center, the huge amount of shrub clippings piled in one of the huge recycling bins at the center told me a lot of folks took on this particular chore this weekend.  That prompted me to wonder how many bird nests their well-meaning activities disturbed.

       Whenever we talk about providing nesting habitat for our backyard bird neighbors too often we only think about birds that nest in nesting structures.  Consequently, too little thought is given to providing nesting sites for birds that routinely nest in the thick shrubbery growing in our yards.  The shrub-nesting birds I most often encounter in my yard are northern cardinals, mockingbirds and brown thrashers.  They will nest in thickest shrubs. Since these birds begin nesting in the spring, it is best to avoid trimming shrubs at this time of the year.

       There is nothing worse than to trim a branch off a shrub and find that nestled deep within the shrub an active bird nest.  When a nest exposed it becomes more vulnerable to nest predators and the weather.  Often nesting birds will abandon such a nest.   Birds are more prone to do prior to their eggs hatching.

       If, for some reason, you just have to trim your shrubs right now, before you begin, carefully search for nests.  If you don’t find any, go ahead with your job.

       When I think about the recycling bin that I saw this weekend, I wonder if the folks that created pile of trimmings took the time to ensure that their shrubs were being used by the bird neighbors to build their nests and raise their young.

SUET SUCCESS STORY

Apr9

      Recently Becky sent the following that describes the fantastic success she is having attracting birds to her yard with suet.  Wow! I wish I could attract as many different species as possible to my yard.

I use Wild Birds Unlimited cylinder suet—Hot Pepper No Mess. It’s kind of expensive, but it brings birds to my feeders year-round and the squirrels have never bothered it. This year I had a Hermit Thrush visit, which was a first. I also have an occasional Catbird visit. Regulars are White-breasted and Brown-headed Nuthatches. Several years ago when there was an eruption of Red-breasted Nuthatches, they also visited my suet. Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downy, Hairy, Carolina and House Wrens and sometimes the Eastern Bluebirds. Love my suet feeder.

THE COMMON BLUE VIOLET – A GREAT CONTAINER PLANT

Apr2

       If you are looking for a native plant that does well in containers, consider the common blue violet Viola sororia).

       This Georgia native grows throughout the state; it has attractive heart-shaped leaves and gorgeous blooms.  Typically, the plant’s flowers are blue-violet; however, they are sometimes pink, purple, white and yellow.

       One of the neat things about this violet is it is also a super wildlife plant.  It is a host plant for 29 species of moths and butterflies including the giant leopard moth and variegated fritillary butterfly.

    

       It also produces nectar used by sweat and mason bees, and even ruby-throated hummingbirds.

       The common blue violet’s seeds are eaten by juncos and sparrows.

       In my neck of the woods (middle Georgia), it blooms from as early as February into August.

       To top it all off, even gardeners that do not have a green thumb can grow this plant.

       If you try it, I am sure you will like it.

WHY NOT PROVIDE A NEST SITE FOR BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES?

Mar16

The vast majority of nesting boxes in the state of Georgia are erected to help alleviate the shortage of bluebird nesting sites.  While it goes without question that bluebirds need places to nest, all of the other cavity-nesting birds that nest in the Peach State also have a difficult time finding places to nest.  With that in mind, why not put up a box designed for brown-headed nuthatches?

       While it is true that brown-headed nuthatches will nest in bluebird boxes, the reason more do not do so is often bluebird boxes are placed in wide-open yards, along the edges of fields and the like. Such sites are great for bluebirds but not nuthatches. These tiny birds prefer to nest in more wooded areas.

       In backyard settings, boxes should be placed in yards with open mixed or pine trees. Erect only one box per six acres. While the birds will nest within a minimum of five feet of the ground, boxes placed higher are sometimes more successful. Although brown-headed nuthatches will enter boxes equipped with 1.5-inch holes, the hole size recommend for Georgia’s smallest cavity nesting bird is only 1,”

       It has been reported that placing a couple of inches of sawdust in the box will help entice a pair of brown-headed nuthatches to your box.  If you do so and later find that it is damp, remove it.

       For a set of brown-headed nuthatch nesting box plans, contact Melissa Hayes at melissa.hayes@dnr.ga.gov

       If you would like to earn certification for your efforts to provide nest boxes for cavity-nesting birds, request an application for Community Wildlife Project’s Nesting/Roosting Box certification component.  Certification is earned by those individuals that provide nesting boxes for Georgia wildlife.

       The Community Wildlife Project is sponsored by the Garden Club of Georgia, The Georgia Wildlife Conservation Section and The Environmental Resources Network (TERN).

BACKYARD SECRET – CEDAR WAXINGS DISPLAY UNUSUAL MATING BEHAVIOR

Mar12

       Now that spring in on the way, birds will soon be displaying their own unique forms of mating behavior.  One of the most fascinating behaviors is displayed by cedar waxwings.

       Male cedar waxwings initiate the courting ritual by performing a dance highlighted by hopping up and down in front of the female.  If the male’s dance steps intrigue a female, she will perform her own dance.

       One of the most intriguing aspects of the courting ritual is male and female cedar waxwings will exchange petals.  The behavior can also take a far less romantic turn when the couple will also exchange insects.  Oh well, while that does not sound very romantic to us, from the size of the cedar waxwings flocks we see, it obviously must work for them.