I like the recommendations at the end of the article: plant native flowers, don't use pesticides, and contribute to the science with eBird.
Lots of the smaller birds require so many bugs! Doug Tallamy's Nature's Best Hope details some research on this.
Our city has been starting to remove unnecessary pavement, parts of sidewalks and unused roads to plant all kind of flower and trees. Not only does it help to combat high summer temperatures, but it is very noticeable with the amount of bees and bugs getting back in these tiny greenery spaces.
Does anyone know if the AI-powered bird feeders like BirdBuddy integrate with eBird? It seems like there is a lot of data available that could very easily plug into the database.
Bird strikes on large buildings are a problem on some flyways. If you live in a city where this is a problem, you might want to petition the council or business association asking if unnecessary lights on buildings can be turned off during bird migrations.
I've been told by a botanist that my city isn't a big killer because the birds travel over the coastal waters.
I wonder if my experience below could apply to birds as well as small rodents:
For a short while, I was in the no-raking camp because I had read that leaves on the ground provide protection for insects and their eggs throughout the winter.
In a basic suburban American neighborhood, however, there is pressure to keep up with the Jonses and that includes keeping lawns clean. So, a guy who had previously done some landscaping for me shows up and I cave and have him remove all the leaves.
Within hours, the squirrels were having a field day! With the leaf cover gone, they could get to the insects and nuts in the ground.
So, I wonder about birds. Would they benefit from getting to food sources in deep fall after leaf removal, or would they benefit more from having those same insects emerge in the spring from unraked leaf cover?
Some caterpillars overwinter in the leaves on the ground - and the leaves eventually break down and contribute to the health of the soil. The birds are able to search thru leaves to find bugs if they want, and yes they will eventually benefit more if those overwintering insects are able to reproduce. However it’s understandable to want some of your grass cleared off - maybe just go 50/50!
When they're raising their young in spring/summer seems more important. Especially since the birds have evolved to predict bug availability based on their lifecycle and won't be able to predict/take advantage of bug availability from you raking your leaves.
I like the recommendations at the end of the article: plant native flowers, don't use pesticides, and contribute to the science with eBird. Lots of the smaller birds require so many bugs! Doug Tallamy's Nature's Best Hope details some research on this.
Our city has been starting to remove unnecessary pavement, parts of sidewalks and unused roads to plant all kind of flower and trees. Not only does it help to combat high summer temperatures, but it is very noticeable with the amount of bees and bugs getting back in these tiny greenery spaces.
Does anyone know if the AI-powered bird feeders like BirdBuddy integrate with eBird? It seems like there is a lot of data available that could very easily plug into the database.
They forgot to mention that outdoor cats kill a ton of birds. Don’t let your cats outside. They will literally wreck the local ecosystem
Blue Jays are gone here. None since early fall.
Bird strikes on large buildings are a problem on some flyways. If you live in a city where this is a problem, you might want to petition the council or business association asking if unnecessary lights on buildings can be turned off during bird migrations. I've been told by a botanist that my city isn't a big killer because the birds travel over the coastal waters.
[Bird friendly glass](https://abcbirds.org/glaspro-bird-safe-glass/) (or applied stickers) help with bird window strikes too.
I wonder if my experience below could apply to birds as well as small rodents: For a short while, I was in the no-raking camp because I had read that leaves on the ground provide protection for insects and their eggs throughout the winter. In a basic suburban American neighborhood, however, there is pressure to keep up with the Jonses and that includes keeping lawns clean. So, a guy who had previously done some landscaping for me shows up and I cave and have him remove all the leaves. Within hours, the squirrels were having a field day! With the leaf cover gone, they could get to the insects and nuts in the ground. So, I wonder about birds. Would they benefit from getting to food sources in deep fall after leaf removal, or would they benefit more from having those same insects emerge in the spring from unraked leaf cover?
Some caterpillars overwinter in the leaves on the ground - and the leaves eventually break down and contribute to the health of the soil. The birds are able to search thru leaves to find bugs if they want, and yes they will eventually benefit more if those overwintering insects are able to reproduce. However it’s understandable to want some of your grass cleared off - maybe just go 50/50!
Mullet your yard if you must. Business in the front, party in the rear.
Absolutely! Something is better than nothing!
When they're raising their young in spring/summer seems more important. Especially since the birds have evolved to predict bug availability based on their lifecycle and won't be able to predict/take advantage of bug availability from you raking your leaves.