Ask the Garden Lady - Gardening for Birds

What types of food will attract birds to my garden during the winter months?

 

Black-Oil Sunflower Seeds are a great choice for your winter feeder.  They are very nutritious and a source of high quality protein.  The seeds have a high percentage of meat and contain oil (important for birds during the winter).  Their small size and thin shell make it easy for birds to crack open.  Look for Finches, Sparrows, Buntings, Chickadees, Titmice, and Cardinals feasting on these seeds.

 

Suet is a high calorie, energy-packed food for birds.  You can buy it from your favorite bird supply store or make you own.  Watch for Woodpeckers, Jays, Titmice, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Wrens, Bluebirds, Tanagers, and Finches sampling your suet.

 

Millet is small round seed about the size of the head of a pin.  It comes in different types including white (most popular with birds), red, and golden.  Millet is often found as part of seed mixes which are best for hanging tub feeders or hopper feeders.  Millet will attract Finches, Sparrows, Buntings, Towhees, Juncos, Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Wrens, and Doves.

 

Thistle seed, also know as Nyjer seed is a popular seed for Finches.  The seeds are small and resemble grains of wild rice.  Thistle is highly desired for its high fat and protein content.  Don’t let the name surprise you because this seed is not really a thistle at all, but the seed of the Nyjer plant native to Ethiopia.  You might find that it is a little expensive when compare to other seeds, but it is well worth it for the Finches you will attract.

 

Raw, unsalted peanuts (whole or shelled) are a great treat for many birds.  Shelled peanuts work best in a tube feeder made of wire mesh and whole peanuts can be placed on a tray or platform feeder.   Blue Jays, Tufted Titmice, Chickadees, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Woodpeckers (Hairy, Downy, or Red-bellied) are known to visit peanut feeders.

 

 

 

 

Little River Park Trail Run

 

Join us on January 12, 2008 for the 3rd annual trail run at Little River Regional Park.  The run includes a 9-miler and a 5k.  The 9-miler takes off at 9:00 a.m. and the 5k starts at 10a.m.  Go to www.trailheads.org for additional details and online registration. 

Build Your Own Bluebird Box

Building Directions:

1. Cut out the back, front, two sides, roof, and bottom.

2. Drill the entrance hole.

3. Drill the air holes on the sides and the bottom.

4. Begin to screw the box  together.  Start with one side, the front, the floor, the roof and the back (center on the back).

5. Then add the second side, which will be a swinging side door.  It should be placed about 1inch below the roof.  When securing use only three screws.  The top two screws will allow the door to pivot and swing open for checking and cleaning.  The third screw will secure the side closed and does not need to be fully tightened.  

 

NC Birding Trail

( This article was originally published in our Winter 07-08 newsletter.)

 

When folks come to Little River Regional Park to bird watch there is no telling what they may find here.  Throughout the year almost 100 species of birds can be found around the park.  Little River Regional Park serves as a great stop over for migratory birds as well as provides breeding habitats for a variety of interesting birds.  Colorful species like Yellow-breasted Chats, Blue Grosbeaks, Common Yellowthroats and a variety of warblers all call Little River Regional Park home during breeding season.  During the colder fall and winter months our year round residents like Carolina Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, and five or six species of sparrows can easily be observed.  The park offers the bird watcher a variety of habitats to explore. Anytime can be an exciting time to come and do some bird watching at the park.

To compliment our birding activities, Little River Regional Park has constructed a half-mile self-guided interpretive bird trail.  This trail weaves through a variety of habitats that is sure to produce something of interest for every bird watcher.  The trail starts at the park office where trail information  is available on the bulletin board which is changed seasonally to reflect different birding behaviors, identification, and interests.  The trail terminates behind the park’s butterfly garden and encourages users to explore the park further.

        Little River Regional Park is happy to announce its inclusion on the North Carolina Birding Trail (part of the NC wildlife Resource Commission).  The NC Birding trail is a driving trail linking great birding sites across the state.  We are proud to be recognized as a member of this trail.  For more information on the NC Birding Trail go to www.ncbirdingtrail.org and check out their website.

 

Summer Programs

James David shows off his caterpillar made during the June Discovery Club program “Caterpillar Crunch”.

 

Tiny Trekkers Faith & Grace capture tadpoles during the May program “In a Small, Small Pond”.

 

LRRP’s Mike DiFabio explains to Trekkers how flowers grow during the June program “The Reason for a Flower”.

 

LRRP’s Michelle Pesavento teaches Discovery Club participants how to identify tracks found in the park during the “Scat and Tracks” program. 

 

Little River Regional Park Program Calendar

September

Park Hours: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm

8 Natures Recyclers, Discovery Club (ages 5 and up).  10:00 - 11:30am.

 

10     Leaping Lizards, Tiny           Trekkers (ages 2 - 4)   accompanied by an         adult.  10:00 -           11:00am. 

October

Park Hours: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

8 Spectacular Spiders, Tiny Trekkers (ages 2 - 4) accompanied by an adult.  10:00 - 11:00am. 

 

13     Park After Dark, Discovery Club (ages 5 and up).  6:00 - 8:00pm.

 

November

Park Hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

5 Terrific Turkeys, Tiny Trekkers (ages 2 - 4) accompanied by an adult.  10:00 - 11:00am. 

9       Little River Regional Park Under the Stars (all            ages) 7:00 - 9:00pm.

10     Fall Cleaning in the Butterfly Garden, Adult Work      shop. 10:00 - 11:30am.  

12     Leaf Pressing, Discovery Club (ages 5 and up).  10:00 - 11:30am.

 

Kid's Corner

Picnic Shelter Rentals

Two picnic shelters are available for group events at Little River Park.  The “Large” shelter holds up to 100 persons and the “small” shelter holds about 40 people.  Picnic tables, grills and trash and recycling bins are available at each shelter.  Reservations can be made through the Orange County Recreation and Parks Department at 919-245-2660.

 

Durham or Orange County Resident Rental Fees:

1-4 hours: $20.00

4+ hours: $30.00

Non-County Resident Rental Fees:

1-4 hours: $30.00

4+ hours: $45.00

 

By the Numbers - June & July 2007

The Little River Regional Park staff take daily recordings of vehicle traffic, rain fall and visitor estimates. 

Vehicle Count
Month		Year-to-date
Jun-07	Jul-07	2006	YTD
2087	1898	19,119	12,012
Rain Totals
Jun-07	Jul-07	2006	YTD
4.289 in	1.84 in	49.035 in	21.76 in
Visitor Estimate
Jun-07	Jul-07	2006	YTD
3130.5	2847	28,678.5	18.018

Summer Volunteers - Charles & Ethan

Little River Regional Park would like to thank two special young men who spent their summer vacations volunteering at the park.  Mr. Charles Logan and Mr. Ethan Norman combined to volunteer close to 220 hours of their time helping to make Little River a better place for all. 

          They spent time assisting staff with various projects such as building the boardwalk on the South River Loop Trail and installing water bars on sections of the Ridge Trail.  They also spent time watering all the trees in the front end of the park that were recently planted (an important job), picking up trash, helping to finish the group campground, keeping staff busy answering their many questions, and drinking lots of Mountain Dew. 

We will miss I-pod Fridays around here.  We wish them well as the new school year begins, Ethan will be heading to high school as a freshman and Charles will be headed into the eight grade.  Little River Regional Park thanks these two young men for all their efforts in continuing to keep the park a special place for all to enjoy.

 

Staff Corner - Larry

Folks who come to Little River Regional Park on the weekends are sure to have met Mr. Larry Adams.  If you haven’t met him, then we’re sure you have seen him around assisting visitors with questions, shelter reservations and working around the park fixing and maintaining equipment and staffing the park office. 

          Larry is currently enjoying his retirement while working part time here and just for fun he enjoys pulling his well pump out of his well to check the wiring.  Being a direct neighbor to the park, Larry started working for the park (Feb. 05) shortly after the park opened in December of 2004, but his affiliation with the park goes back long before his hiring. 

Larry was one of the earliest opponents to a proposed landfill that was considered for this land.  Those of us traveling up and down Guess Road in 1999/2000 might remember the signs in his yard calling for a halt to the landfill.  The park has come a long way since those days and Larry has become a huge asset to the park.  So the next time you’re here at the park over the weekend be sure to look for Mr. Larry and ask him lots of questions.

 

Ask the Garden Lady - Composting

Dear Garden Lady - How do I start composting?

 

Compost is the end product of a complex feeding pattern involving hundreds of different organisms, including bacteria, fungi, worms, and insects. What remains after these organisms break down organic materials is the rich, earthy substance called humus. Composting replicates nature's system of breaking down materials on the forest floor only faster.

 

This is the quick and dirty way to start a compost pile:

 

1. Buy or make a compost bin. Many county/city waste collection services now sell bins. You can also make one from wire fencing (chicken wire is too flimsy), discarded pallets, cement blocks or many other materials. If you don’t want critters stealing scraps from your pile, you might want to invest in one of the plastic bins.

2. Select a location for your bin that is convenient for you (in your yard not your neighbor’s). Placing the bin on the ground instead of concrete or asphalt helps take advantage of the earthworms, beneficial microbes, and other decomposers.  Sunny spots tend to speed up the composting process and prevent the pile from becoming too wet.

3. At the bottom of the compost bin, add a 4” layer of sticks or twigs. This helps air circulate at the bottom of the pile.

4. Gather your organic kitchen scraps like fruit and vegetable peelings, eggshells, coffee grounds, stale bread, etc. This is known as green material since it is still rather “fresh” and moist. Place this on top of the sticks at the bottom of the compost bin. Then add at least twice as much brown material, stuff that doesn’t have a lot of moisture, such as woodchips, dried leaves or grass clippings, hay, etc., enough to cover the kitchen scraps. This will help heat the pile.

5. Keep adding stuff to the pile, making sure to cover the green material with lots of brown material. Once your bin is full, you can just let it sit and stew until everything decomposes into that rich, dark, earthy-smelling humus. Or you can turn the pile with a manure fork or shovel every week or so. This will help to aerate the pile, reduce odors and shift the heavier compost towards the bottom of the pile. Once the stuff at the bottom of the pile turns into humus, it can be removed for use in the garden or wherever the soil needs a boost.

 

3rd Annual Little River Bluegrass Festival

This free festival on Saturday, September 29^th  is sponsored by the Orange County Recreation and Parks Department and Durham County. The festival will be held at the Little River Regional Park from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Gates open 10:00AM.  The festival will be held rain or shine, bring your chairs and blankets. Food vendors will be on site. For more information call 919-245-2660. http://www.co.orange.nc.us/RecParks/index.htm

STAGE SCHEDULE

12:00 – 12:40     Chuck and the Waggin Ears

12:45 – 1:25 Constant Change Bluegrass Band

1:30 – 2:15 Al Batten and the Bluegrass Reunion

2:20 – 2:55 Starlite String Band

3:00 – 3:45 Chuck and the Waggin Ears

4:00 – 4:45 Constant Change Bluegrass Band

5:00 – 5:45 Al Batten and the Bluegrass Reunion

 

Summer Trail Projects

Little River Regional Park staff completed two trail maintenance projects this summer. Approximately 100 feet of boardwalk was added to a section of the South River Loop Trail. This portion of the path would remain wet and muddy after it rained causing trail users to go off-trail to avoid the mud. To help hikers stay on the footpath and prevent the creation of a new path, the boardwalk was built over the problem area. Some tricky sections to build around were several large trees and two curves as well as tying in the new boardwalk with an existing bridge. 

 

 

 

 

 

The other project entailed adding 6 water bars to an access road on the Ridge Trail between the North River Loop and Homestead Trail sections. Maintenance and emergency vehicles use the road to reach more remote sections of the park. Rainwater traveling down from the ridge was eroding the pathway, making it difficult for vehicles to traverse the entire road. The raised 4x6” water bars run across the path and will divert water running down the road off to the side and into the woods. Eroded areas were filled in with pea-sized gravel, covered with dirt and graded to allow water to follow the slope of the hillside.

 

Little River’s Newest Addition

Park staff is proud to announce the opening of our newest attraction - a group campsite.  Over the past year staff and numerous volunteers have been hard at work transforming a portion of the park into a campsite.           

       Last fall park staff began construction by clearing the entrance trail and central area.  Then in the winter, with the help of Alex Griffis an Eagle Scout hopeful and Scout troop 400, five tent pads were installed.  More improvements came in the spring with the addition of the water hydrant providing potable drinking water, campfire rings, picnic tables, and lantern hooks.  Over this pass summer finishing touches were added to prepare the campsite for its fall grand opening.       

The campsite is open to groups including boy scouts, girl scouts, 4-H clubs, youth groups, and camping clubs.  We do not offer walk-in camping or camping for individuals.  The site can accommodate from 6 to 30 people.  For groups camping with children we ask that there be at least one adult per 10 minors.   

The campsite is available on weekends from February 1 to November 15.  Groups can camp from 1 to 3 consecutive nights per reservation, not to exceed 3 nights per calendar month.  Reservations are required and must be made 30 days in advance.  Reservations are available through the Orange County Recreation and Parks Administrative office located at 300 West Tryon Street in Hillsborough (919-245-2660).  Applications may also be picked up at the park office and hand delivered or mailed to the Administrative Offices in Hillsborough. 

Quick Reference:

· Fee: $50.00 per night with a $100.00 security deposit

· Open on weekends from February 1 to November 15   

· Minimum group size: 6, Maximum group size: 30

· Amenities include: tent pads, fire rings, potable water, picnic tables, lantern hooks and restrooms

· Reservations are required and must be made 30 days in advance

· No vehicle access to the campground

 

LRRP Mailing List

Would you like to receive information about programs, trail work days and events at Little River Park.  Send an email to Erin at littleriverpark@co.orange.nc.us to be added to the LRP mailing list.  

 

By the Numbers: March - May 2007

The Little River Regional Park staff take daily recordings of vehicle traffic, rain fall and Visitor Estimates. 

 

Vehicle Count
Month			Year-to-date
March-07	April-07	May-07	2006	YTD
1659	1629	1729	19,119	8027
Rain Totals (inches)
March-07	April-07	May-07	2006	YTD
2.798	3.876	1.83	49.035 in	15.047
Visitor Estimate
March-07	April-07	May-07	2006	YTD
2488.5	2443.5	2593.5	28,678.5	12040.5