By Melissa Wagoner
Creating backyard gardens that coexist with nature, commonly known as naturescaping, is a great way for birders to encourage the birds they love to come to them.
“It’s one of the easiest things because we’re working with what’s already here,” Ron Garst – a retired biologist for the Department of Fish and Wildlife who now volunteers with the ODFW’s Naturescaping program – said. And backyard trees are the best place to start.
Plant and Maintain Trees
“If you’re fortunate enough to have large, old trees, start protecting them,” Garst said. “But if you don’t have any, you’ll still have birds that come from your neighbor’s yard.”
Or from nearby parks and schoolyards where trees function as apartment buildings for birds with top nesters like crows sitting above mid level species like woodpeckers and ground birds like juncos.
“They offer the most diverse area of space,” Garst said of large trees like white oaks, “for birds using all different levels.”
Add Water
“The second most important feature…if you want to attract birds, is water,” Garst noted. “Water is hugely attractive. They love the sound of flowing water.”
This step might sound tricky, and it can be if you want to add a complicated fountain, but it can also be as simple as adding a small, recirculating bubbler or a bird bath that captures the rain.
“Even the classic, shallow dish, the robins, sparrows and juncos will fly up and use it,” Garst said. “Even if it’s raining the birds will fly up and take a bath.”
Plant Natives
“There are plants adapted to the local climate and soil. They have better survival and provide conditions the local wildlife is adapted to,” Garst explained. “In terms of a food source, the nectar, pollen, seeds, fruits, nuts, berries… these are natural sources.”
And native plants are easier than ever for gardeners to find.
In fact, a collaboration of conservation educators throughout Marion County created a free guide, “Native Plants for Willamette Valley Yards,” that can be downloaded or requested at
www.oregonmetro.gov/nativeplants, and which features dozens of native plants along with the birds and insects they attract.
Feed the Birds
“A lot of people put up bird feeders, especially in the wintertime,” Garst said.
And that’s a good thing because many species overwinter in the Willamette Valley including song sparrows, juncos and even Anna’s hummingbirds.
“Black oil sunflower seeds are eaten by most birds and are easy to clean up,” Garst said when asked about the most attractive feed. “Suet is another good one. It’s rendered fat, but most of it is sold with insect parts or seeds. That’s popular with woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches.”
And for hummingbirds a brightly colored feeder filled with sugar water is the best choice.
“If you put up a hummingbird feeder in the winter, they’ll find it,” Garst said. “But, as with any of the feeders, you need to keep it clean.”
Avoid Chemicals
“If you get rid of insects, you’ll get rid of birds,” Garst said, relaying the story of a family friend whose backyard bird population dropped off after he began applying chemical insecticides and weed killers. “Literally in three to four years he said, ‘Where did all of our birds go?’”
Instead, Garst recommends using natural methods to get rid of pests and weeds.
“Let mother nature’s hand play itself out,” he said. “Because you’re doing it collaboratively.
Provide Nesting Space
“Nest boxes provide cavity spaces,” Garst said, describing a structure also commonly known as a bird house that can be mounted on a pole or even attached to a tree. “Many of our birds are cavity nesters and cavities are by and large missing because we don’t allow snags.”
But to attract birds, structure and location are key. Specific plans and tips can be found on the National Wildlife Federation’s website, www.nwf.org.
Observe
Now that the birds have started using your backyard as a part of their habitat, it’s time to start learning their names. Thankfully, there are dozens of easy-to-use identification apps including iNaturalist and Merlin Bird ID, which allow users to identify birds both by sight and sound and there are bird books and brochures like Sibley’s Backyard Birds for those who prefer to leave their phones behind.
“And you can participate in [Project] FeederWatch,” Garst said, referencing the annual data collection program by Cornell University that takes place between Nov. 1 and April 30 that allows backyard birders to monitor which birds they are seeing.
“Thousands of people do that,” Garst said. “They are participating and contributing to citizen science.” Right in their own backyards.
