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.