Garden For Wildlife

This Bird's Impressed!

Cindy recently got our yard certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

To get certified, you need to provide sources for food, including native plants, seeds, fruits, nuts, berries and nectar; water, including birdbaths, ponds, water gardens or streams; cover, such as thickets, rock piles, or birdhouses; and places to raise young, such as dense shrubs, vegetation, nesting boxes or ponds.

The Rest Of The Birds Are At The Feeders

We definitely have the native plants in the yard and in the canyon part of the yard, and with all the bird seed we put out, there's always plenty of food.

Or At The Birdbath

Cindy keeps the bird feeders and the bird bath filled,  and there are always plenty of customers at the feeders.  The house finches and sparrows eat the mixed seed from the left feeder, the Lesser Goldfinches flock to the Nijer seed in the right hand feeder, the Scrub Jays eat the suet in the hanging feeder and the Towhees and Mourning Doves compete with the squirrels for the seed that falls on the ground.  Once in a while we get a glimpse of the shy California Thrasher, another ground feeder that lives in the chaparral.

And, of course, the dominant Hummingbird fiercely guards the hummer feeder from the competition, although there's always plenty of food in it and plenty of flowering plants around as well.

We chose the fancy sign, but then decided we'd better put it in the back yard because of the number of thefts of markers and plaques around town lately.  But then, the back yard is where most of the wildlife hangs out anyway, so they can enjoy the sign, too.