I am down to one feeder in our back yard. It is large, "squirrel-proof" and filled with nyjer and black sunflower seeds which interests the songbirds while keeping the house sparrows at bay.
I recently watched Margaret Roach of
A Way to Garden on
Growing a Greener World. The
podcast focused on gardening for birds.
Margaret really got me thinking differently about how I landscape and plant on my little acre at NOLD, keeping the health and needs of wildlife in mind.
The fundamental concept is simple: Why place feeders out when your landscape may feed and care for birds all year round, if you plan appropriately and choose foliage carefully?
In large part, this philosophy rests on learning from nature and returning our landscape to a more balanced natural setting.
I will proceed from this starting point when I plan for the garden in the spring -- small steps in the right direction with the long term in mind.
On my walk last week as we saw a brief winter
thaw, I could see food for wildlife all around me along the roadside.
The neighborhood is littered with plants and bushes that provide berries and seeds for the taking throughout the winter.
Some were planted purposely; some were not. Some were cultivated plantings; others were "weeds" spread naturally -- one must contain their chokehold, but they provide food for wildlife nonetheless.
Over the next few months, I will be contemplating steps I can take to fill nature's feeder more than the actual bird feeder I set up under the cedar grove in the back yard. I have much to learn, but I can't wait to get started.
