susan

I find watching birds a very relaxing activity, but I never really thought of the environmental importance birds provide.  Birds help population control of other living things in the environment. They are the cleaners of the land as they eat the rotting carcasses.  They are the pollinators of flowers.  I have watched the bird species increased in my yard for the last 20 years.  When we moved into our house in the city 20 years ago, the yard was all turf with a couple peony plants and a lilac shrub with little bird activity.  I have planted evergreens, trees, and different height flowering shrubs.  I still have a little turf  in the yard.  I leave the fall leaves in the flower and shrub beds and shredded some leaves to save for mulch that I put in the beds mid summer.  I have different feeders suppling different foods such as safflower and sunflower seed, orange halves, suet, sugar water.  Now I have humming birds, all different kinds of sparrows and finches, orioles, robins, doves, thrushes, chickadees, sapsuckers and a Cooper’s hawk that comes through to help control the the over abundance of house sparrows(just to name some).  I may not be able to control the destruction of the environment of the area around me but I can provide an area for birds(and monarchs) to thrive in my little oasis.

Very active morning. In addition to the regulars I have in the yard, cardinals, finches, sparrows, doves, robins, I had a male and female rose-breasted grosbeak, a hooded warbler, a common yellow throat and 3 male Baltimore orioles.  Very fun to watch.

Squirrels are my biggest problem as well. Not only do they raid the feeders, they destroy them.  I thought of getting a squirrel feeder, but I fear I would attract even more and they would still raid the feeders.

I am new to bird watching but always enjoyed sitting outside or looking out my window at all the different birds that come to my small lot in Milwaukee, WI and try to identify what kind of birds are in my yard. The group that is most prevalent in my yard is the song birds. But, I also have a raptor, morning doves and hummingbirds.  I have to say the hummingbird is my favorite bird. I could sit and watch them all day. Today I seen a small bird with a red crown hopping in the canopy of the Cornelian Dogwoods which are in full bloom now. I have identified it as a red-crowned kinglet.  I do have a lot of birds that migrate through.  I maintain my yard as naturally as city ordinance allows.  I leave the leaves in the flower beds and I have many layers of woody plants(trees, shrubs and ground cover) and evergreens.  I provid different varieties of food for them and water. During the growing season, I plant flowers specifically for hummingbirds and monarchs. I look forward to learn more about birdwatching and identification, especially by song. There are many times I do not see the bird but hear their beautiful melody.