As the cold weather approaches, many birds migrate south (we’re talking about the Northern Hemisphere, of course). Movements along this ancient flyway evoke equal amounts of awe and concern in humans who think about such things. Awe at instinct and survival (for creatures so small, over such long distances) and concern that billions of birds die every year as a result. Crashing against the windows at night, and especially during the day, when the city once shone in primordial darkness. They deserve better. We can help birds on their way south, and we can also support and attract local winter residents, birds that don’t leave town when the weather turns frosty.
Here’s how:
Photography: Marie Viljoen
1. Make a pile of brush by leaving leaves behind.
Resist the urge to bag all the fallen leaves. Insect-eating birds find food such as insects, slugs, snails, other invertebrates, and small eggs in undisturbed leaf litter. It also improves soil health by accumulating leaves and allowing them to decompose, and the leafy layer acts as mulch for plants during periods of drought or drought. (See Fall Gardening: 15 Ideas for What to Do with Fallen Leaves.)
Instead of hauling away fallen branches or bagging freshly cut woody trimmings and invasive plants, create artful piles of stacked woody debris. Brush piles create shelter for birds and other small creatures and promote biodiversity within your garden. (See Habitat Pile: Turning Garden Debris into Shelter and Sculpture.)
2. Save the seed head.
There is still a perception among gardeners that spent perennials look “messy” at the end of autumn. Apart from the beauty of their backlit downy plumage, many birds also feed on the seeds of plants such as goldenrod, aster, Joe Pye weed, and ironweed. Insects such as native bees can then use the spent hollow or pith stems for winter housing.
3. Plant fall fruit for birds.
Birds eat many fruits that ripen in the fall and last into winter. In New York, I’ve seen clouds of northern flickers (usually insect-eating and ground-feeding birds) erupting from flowering dogwoods (Florida dogwood) in the fall; All the birds in town seem to visit the blacktupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) when the sour fruit ripens. Ripe. Other trees and shrubs that produce fruit in the fall and winter that are good for birds include viburnums such as V. prunifolium (be careful not to plant non-native species like linden; The plants are also happily eaten by birds, resulting in an infestation) and bayberry (Morella pennsylvanica).
Check the Audubon Society’s database for native plants suitable for your area to help birds.
4. Keep corn and acorns around.
It’s not just the fleshy fruit that attracts and helps birds. Many species feed on cones, such as juniper (also known as eastern red cedar, Junipers virginiana). Black-capped tits and great tits, which live in winter, enjoy the seeds inside pine cones. Flickers, blue jays, and some ducks eat acorns by crushing them or swallowing them whole.
