"Messy" sort goes against the grain, a real cultural adjustment. I'm working on it!

I guess I have been thinking about these questions for a while. The ideas and keys for gardening for birds were good to hear about in these lessons, and it was good to have the vocabulary to talk about certain things. I have been thinking about these for years now, and I'm happy to see that my ongoing attempts at replacing the neighborhood  lawn mono-culture with native plants, with "messy" nature scape + vertical diversity are on the right track! :)

My husband and I have been in a battle over pesticides.  He insisted to get rid of all bugs and I'm always about how they have natural predators and some are beneficial, and also our dog got sick after a visit from the "bug guy".  We stopped and they controlled themselves.  Okay, one spider in the house and he started up the service again.  Now the clover mites are back.  He is now convinced that the spiders eat the clover mites and spider clover mites are the bigger pest! I have had to pull my feeders after I found a finch with House Finch eye disease.  Poor guy, his vision was so House Finch eye disease impaired that I was almost able to get close enough to grab him.   I cleaned everything up and replaced feeders after a few days.

My goal is to include more native plants this gardening season. All the grass has been removed so we can add to the biodiversity already present - shrubs and large evergreens, various plants and mulch covering a good portion of the ground. I will look for native plants that maintain seeds late into winter. I don't know if I have room for a flowering tree in my yard, but perhaps a willow? Embracing messiness has been a new insight as I try to deadhead to keep plants flowering (and it works). I did not remove annual plants from the flower beds or cut down perennials this year to leave a wintering for insects (something I learned last year). There is some pieces of cut, dead branches in bins to use as firewood, but perhaps I could create a brush pile with some of them? I have learned again this chapter about the importance of water for birds year round so must invest in a heating element. I like the idea of a horseshoe of plants around the feeder for safety, but the two spruce trees already provide protection close by. I have removed plants inside the house by the front bay window so as to reduce the chance of bird strikes. Our feeder is a little more than 3 feet away from the window so maybe we can move it a little closer. It's good to have a specific recommendation for the cleaning of bird feeders and also an idea to reduce the house sparrows that tend to dominate the feeder by trying a halo of some type.

Our yard has some native plants and I am looking to add more, particularly flowers.  We started removing invasive ivy and the invasive monkey grass that was hiding under it is trying to take over. That needs to be removed and replaced with something but I don't know what. We have plenty of vertical diversity and messiness as the yard is partially wooded and we don't really tidy up the wooded part at all.  We do need to clean the feeders more often and probably move them either closer to or further from the house. There are bird tape and/or decals on some of our windows but these need replacing - they fade, wear out, and fall off over time.

I have been working hard to provide biodiversity and layers of native plants in my year for birds and other wildlife, but one thing I was not doing was cleaning my feeders often enough, which I will begin doing on a regular basis. I also want to get a little solar powered fountain for my bird bath.

I've had multiple feeders for about four years, and I realize that I was not cleaning them often enough. I've started cleaning the most-used parts every day and doing a really deep cleaning every couple of weeks.  I leave seed heads, but the small birds seem to prefer the feeders.  I'm going to try replacing non-native flowers with native flowers to see if their seed heads are more popular.  As I remove invasives and add natives, I plan to pay a lot more attention to ground covers.  Now that I am retired, I look forward to paying attention to birds throughout the yard and not just at the feeders.  We are fortunate to have wooded areas (with leaf litter and brush piles) to the side and rear of our home, so I'll enjoy seeing the parts of the yard that are most appreciated.  Lastly, I was really happy to see the statement in the "Include Native Plants" unit that it is OK to aim for 2/3 native and 1/3 non-native.  I have some favorite non-natives that are not invasive, so I'm happy to think I can keep them as long as I increase the number of native offerings.

Living in the Hudson River Valley, many birds come through my area and stop at my feeders - especially since there are woods, some small lakes nearby, as well as the Hudson River. I've been wanting to do some 'meadow-fication' and this year started by mowing less of my front yard and scattering some seeds obtained from a company that features native plants. My leaves are carpeting the edges of my yard and there are some small brush piles that I've been adding to for the past couple of years.  I'm pleased to see that I'm getting some of that right and look forward to spring and see what comes up!

I was letting the grass and weeds grow up at the base of the feeders for the birds, until the cats moved in. I have the whole area around the feeders open so there is nowhere for the cats to hide, and it gives the birds a clear view so they can retreat before a cat can sneak up on them. So far that and the baffles are helping. There are still trees and brush for them at the edges of the yard. My bird count is low so far, but we also are in a drought and the farmers harvested late this year so there is a lot of food out in the fields.

The key that was most surprising to me was the distance from the feeders to the windows. We have an area with three native dogwoods and several flowering shrubs among them. There are three feeders including a suet feeder. Over the years we have noticed that resident birds do fine but visiting migratory birds sometimes have trouble with window strikes. We purchased decals that are basically invisible to us but break up the window for the the birds. Window strikes are notably less. Out back, I believe we need to either add or move feeders closer to the  forest shrubs and trees as the birds tend to grab and fly to the shrubs and mountain laurel to eat. We have an increased presence of hawks in our area and that may be impacting both the bird and chip monk and squirrel population

squirrels, deer and window collisions have created a yearly re-arrangement of bird feeders. Mid-winter when the snow is deep, the deer stand on their hind legs and eat out of the hopper feeder! So I quit using two feeders. Similarly, the squirrel baffle on the suet feeder is by-passed when the snow is deep. The tube feeders are easily moved throughout the year as long as I place shepherd hooks before the ground freezes. I recently read that window decals are better "seen" by birds if placed on the outside of the windows. Two large windows are covered indoors by vertical blinds which, I hope, help to break up the sky reflecting on the glass. It's all about learning what works best under what seasonal conditions and trying to adapt to those conditions!!

Include Native Plants: I can make some improvements here. Virigina Creeper grows well here, almost too good. I have some goldenrod, but it isn't as plentiful as it used to be. I will have to continue the war on the invasive honeysuckle. Invite Biodiversity: I think we are good here. Create Vertical Diversity: Same here. Embrace Some Messiness: Offer Year-Round Abundance: Keep Bird Visitors Safe: Needs work. My windows are old schoolhouse windows and hard to reach without a ladder. I have given thought to making paint ballons if they wouldn't break the windows. The cats are a problem. They were dumped and were not feral cats. I can't take them in the house. I have put up large squirrel baffles up which seem to help. It doesn't help the ground feeders or birds in the brush. I have no idea how she got up there. The tree is too far away, no hanging branches and the pole is inside a pvc pipe balanced on a nail.

My backyard  with the native trees nd bushes  left to right, river birch, spice bush and dogwood  hard to see as leaves have fallen off . My neighbors trees look like this because the previous owner had a couple of evergreen. Hopeing that these make it through the winter and the deer. I am looking to add some of the plant recomendation for trees.

I think I've done a pretty good job of implementing the keys. I do need to work a bit hard at providing year round abundance, however. There are gaps in my blooming calendar that I need to address in my pollinator garden and I would like more diversity in bloom colors and shapes. I've removed most of the major invasives but they continually pop up and it is practically a daily task to identify and remove them.  I still have a large portion of my backyard that is covered in English ivy and I need to develop a strategy for its removal and immediate replacement with a native ground cover so I don't just have other invasives immediately popping up. I would like to have more berry and fruit producing plants. I'm finding that I can only afford to plant young plants and must wait several years for them to develop fruit. Also, many species, such as spicebush, holly and paw paw, are monecious and you have to plant at least three in close proximity to have the best chance of producing fruit.

We keep adding different plants each year as a way to increase diversity.  One big challenge is that most of these are taller flowers and grasses, but this leaves bear ground below which for the most part I weed and mulch. I would like to get away from that, but it is hard to find native ground cover plants or, if I do, to keep them going like wild ginger which can be very finicky about where it is placed.  It would also be great to find more plants that blossom in the early spring to provide more food for those early pollinators. So much focus has been on summer blooms.  

This image has most, if not all, of the basic components. I think, from this course, and my own experience, that multiple birdbaths/water drinking baths, are very important. Because in some areas, water is the most important. Depending on the season. Bugs supply air foraging, the earth has insects, and in the summer, there are plants. I have 3 bird baths, one with a solar powered fountain/bubbler, and another 2 water baths on the other side of my property. But only one or two seed holders. And I sprinkle berries there as well. I live near an area, where there were multiple black bear sightings, earlier this summer. So I cut down on anything that would obviously attract wildlife. And I cut my lawn diff., now. Leaving a border, with no de-weeding. This winter, I plan on an outdoor x-mas tree, with cranberry and popcorn string. As for native plants, I should, and plan on, buying potted seasonal plants. But I have not yet planted bird friendly plants. I get good activity, basic backyard birds, with nuthatches, and smaller wood-peckers. Robins, Crows, Cardinals, the usual. thx. bjk. (pic. has best native plants, and messiness. I would put in bird baths)

One thing I will do, is to place potted/jarred plants, temporarily, to offer a wide array of options. So I am not stuck with the mtx., and landscaping of garden beds. A small potted berry pot in the summer. A few spread out, with gravel around it. And in the winter, an outdoor x-mas tree, with seeds scattered on or near the outdoor x-mas tree. x-mas tree temp, in a base/holder. I am a little lazy with full landscaping. My bird garden is kind of visually cool, but not expensive.  I will use, for ex., the old berry/popcorn string on the outdoor x-mas tree. And will but seasonal potted/jars on the lawn. like a MAACO paint job. cheap, but it looks good.

I have had success, with putting cut, or whole, oranges, and/or tomatoes, on branches. Pierced like a ' shish-kabob.' It offers a visual highlight, and the birds peck them, and the oranges and/or tomatoes attract flies, so that gives the birds an opportunity for air foraging. Similar to an ORIOLE bird feeder. I also have 2 birdbaths, and a dug in branch, for Hairy or Downy WoodPeckers. And a bird bath for seeds only. Next up is some plants, and maybe a bird bath accessory.   btw, HEIRLOOM tomatoes, look the coolest. I do not put many out, they are acidic. And the water baths I put out,   outnumber the seeds and snacks, to control squirrel and wildlife intrusion. To try to, anyway.

I agree with some of challenges mentioned by others:  I had no idea how to identify what I had as native, non-native, or invasive.  It turns out one of the bushes I have is a non-native Quince shrub, but it's been there for 40 years and is well behaved and doesn't spread.  It also feeds and shelters several species of bird and bee.  Another plant I found was an invasive burning bush, so the challenge will be safely removing it without dispersing seeds.  Locating your local cooperative extension or Master Gardeners is a real help; they're often very willing to take a look at what you have and help you plan.  I think I have a lot of good layers of plants, but one challenge I have is ground cover.  I can't do large areas or my dog will just run through it like it's grass, so I think I'm going to have to intersperse it with higher plantings to discourage a "lawn" like appearance for her.

There were several points that surprised me in this section. I assumed feeders close to the house or windows would be more dangerous for birds and so avoided them. And, I have been thinking about adding berries to our native plants but did not factor in when they would be edible. Those two points really stood out. And, I need to give more thought to water for birds close to the house, especially since we have such hot summers and very cold winters. Picture is of our abundant bunch grass and limbs left out over the winter for bugs and birds. That one is easy! :-) One of the challenges I have is recognizing when a new plant that shows up is native or invasive. This week I found two. One was a pretty early wildflower that my SEEK app identified as a yellow fritillary. Pretty! The second, though, was a canaigre dock (aka wild rhubarb) that seems to be both a native plant but also in the family of knotweed, an invasive species around here. I'm not sure what to do with it ... maybe contact our noxious weed board?  I'm already battling thistle, tumbleweed and prostate knotweed (knapweed?).  In our ag community and on multiple acres it's important to catch new problems before they take over. Sadly, I keep learning that the hard way.

I've been interested in habitat restoration for several years so the keys weren't a surprise to me.  I've incorporated all the keys, but not to the extend I would like.  In particular, I'm working on getting rid of more lawn.  The hardest thing to do is embrace some messiness, without interference.  One example, the wild flowers growing on a bank that I specifically didn't mow, were kindly mowed by a neighbor who thought my mower must have broken.  Also, I would like true natives not cultivars.  It's taken a lot of time to find the few that I've planted.

We put in a native plant garden in the front yard this year, and the biggest beneficiary wasn't the birds- it was the (recently declared endangered) monarchs. We had loads of caterpillars on the plants even in the first year of planting the milkweed. Native species benefit bugs too!  

We’ve done a good job of creating a bird-friendly habitat, with a plethora of native oaks and shrubs, biodiversity, and vertical diversity. I would like to add more berries. We have a dedicated space behind our feeders that is “messy” and we leave our leaves on the ground as long as we can stand it. I’m eying a small, dying tree that I’m hoping we can leave in place. We have plenty of water, hiding places, nesting places, etc. I’d like to reduce the amount of lawn space, and every year we chip away at it a bit. What frustrates me most is that when I go to my local plant stores they carry so many non-natives and I often can’t find any native plants at all, or they are not marked. It shouldn’t be so much work to purchase native plants, and nurseries should be doing more to educate those who may have no idea how important native plants and biodiversity are for our birds and our environment at large.

• Include Native Plants
  • We have native plants throughout our land, but I have quite a few Mesquite trees (Devil trees) to remove. They act pretty invasive even though plenty native to dry regions and will continue to make it difficult on native species to survive due to their ability to outcompete other native plants and can make massive changes to vulnerable ecosystems if not careful. I will keep the main one, for instance, due to providing sufficient coverage and insects for birds and other creatures, but the smaller new growths have no purpose other than choking out other native species due to their water consumption.
• Invite Biodiversity
  • We have numerous bird species that are permanent residents or continuous visitors during non-breeding times [E.g., Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis), Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus), Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor), Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis, Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata), Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos), varying Blackbirds (Icteridae), American Robins (Turdus migratorius), Yellow-Rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata), Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis, especially during hard, unexpected freezes), House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura), Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris, most surprising for us), Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), Rock Pigeons (Columba livia, Common), Ruby-Crowned Kinglets (Corthylio calendula), et cetera]. With the varying level of phytodiversity, we have different sources of food that satisfy those from grain- and berry-lovers to insectivores and all in between.
  • I definitely do want to continue introducing more native-specific bird-loving plants and removing any I learn are invasive, et cetera.
• Create Vertical Diversity
  • We have had a variety of overgrown grass clump sections to brush to downed trees and limbs to the fully-grown woodland trees and forested trees themselves. Now, I want to specifically focus on adding a variety of bird-specific and native-specific plants for this region while slowing removing any that end up being non-native, especially invasive.
• Embrace Some Messiness
  • We have never been big on trying to combat leaves due to being near so many trees, but we will simply sweep them off of our concrete path areas, et cetera, but those leaves simply end up piling up with the other leaves already on natural ground. The winds tend to naturally move leaves into piles away from the areas we would prefer them not to be anyway. Nature seems to work with us a lot. We also make use of letting grass grow up naturally in many areas, especially in our pasture where we only mow a perimeter around it while leaving the massive center section growing free with wildflowers, which I really want to do more with this by planting more native wildflowers, including planting the two species of Texas Bluebonnet that grow out here (Lupinus texensis, mostly this one, and Lupinus subcarnosus) in a very specific area for their protection.
• Offer Year-Round Abundance
  • I want to continue studying this more. This is the main reason for wanting to add more native plants, so I can really focus on the year-round availabilities, because we do have a thriving bird population here during the non-breading season in Texas.
• Keep Bird Visitors Safe
  • Our windows are very obvious for bird visitors due to the design and multiple framing breaks on them, but we also use window feeders, since they are very easy to keep fresh and clean, as well as they break up the windows even more and give another safe place for birds away from squirrels and the prying eyes of predators, as we have many trees around our abode, as well. The Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) and other very small Passerines really love these little feeders, supporting the wee ones!
• Edit:
  • I do want to incorporate more varying bird baths (low and high) as a part of vertical biodiversity, but I would also love to work with solar-powered fountain pumps or drips or whatever to facilitate more water movement to attract more birds and keep the water healthier in between cleanings and freshening. I currently have basic, small glass bird baths in shaded areas near feeders.