“The property with higher diversity will attract more birds.” That’s the message Arlo Kane, Northwest Region Coordinator with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission is trying to get across to gardeners/property owners in Northwest Florida.
by Kathy Foster
A recent guest speaker at the Chipley Garden Club, Kane outlined what the average property owner should do to attract birds and reduce the insect count around that property, including the following:
- Providing food
- Providing shelter
- Providing water
According to Kane, the most common birds in Southern gardens include – Red Headed Woodpecker, Cardinal, Goldfinch, Blue Jay, Wren, Blue Bird, Robin, Catbirds, Mocking Bird, Brown Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Warblers and Orchard Oriole.
Florida Federation of Garden Club’s Bird Chairman, Jo McGlamery of Chipley, has also published information on how to attract birds to your garden and points out the following:
- Trees, shrubs, flower beds and lawns contain the elements common to many home gardens. Perhaps the plants in your garden are not mature, however, time will solve this problem and even the youngest landscapes can be quite attractive to birds.
- The size of your garden may be quite tiny or very large, but even if all you have is a windowsill, deck or courtyard you can still attract birds from neighbors and nearby habitats.
- Ideally, the landscape should provide birds with food, water, protection from the elements and danger, and a place to raise their young.
- Feeding wild birds all year round is easy and satisfying. Many people restrict their bird feeding to the colder winter months. However, remember that it offers great fun and extra dividends when continued the year round. Consistency if your bird feeding program is a good idea because it may be difficult to persuade birds to return to your feeding station if their food proves unreliable. The best feeding program is not to interrupt your feeding, but to feed all year long.
- Provide water … Water in a fountain, pool or birdbath is irresistible to birds and is an essential ingredient in any bird attracting program.
- Provide nesting sites … It is usually a waste of effort to erect more than one birdhouse attractive to a particular species of bird in a garden of less than one acre. The birdhouse should be designed and built for a particular species. Generally, the simplest, plainest design painted or stained with a subdued color will be the most attractive to birds.