Birds Up Close

A cold Sunday morning, fire in the fireplace, relaxing on the sofa with a cup of hot coffee, a pair of binoculars by my side, I am enjoying the parade of songbirds visiting our feeders. Life is good. It was a productive birding morning. My wife and I totaled 17 species between 10 a.m. and noon.

The author’s squirrel-proof feeder set up for winter feeding with white millet on the lower level for White-throated Sparrows and a variety of other seeds in the tube and on the top tray. Note the simple wire suet cage attached to the pole. Photo by Jody Walthall.

It is fascinating to observe the different food preferences, feeding behaviors, and social interactions between the species. Our primary feeder is an easy-to-clean tube feeder on a pole with a squirrel/raccoon baffle below it. We feed a blend of black oil sunflower, hulled sunflower (sometimes called hearts or chips), and safflower seed in the tube feeder. Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpeckers visit regularly.

On the tray below the tube feeder, we put out small handfuls of peanut halves and hulled sunflower along with crumbled suet cakes. The peanut halves go quickly. They are eaten by Brown Thrashers, Blue Jays, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, and Summer Tanagers. Usually, these birds grab a peanut half and fly off to eat it elsewhere. Blue Jays may stuff down four or more halves in one sitting; they are known stock pilers.

Chipping Sparrows, a common Tallahassee winter migrant, prefer white proso millet. Normally we scatter this seed on a flat stone platform feeder, six inches off the ground. Other ground feeding birds like the Rufous-sided Towhee and Mourning Dove also prefer white millet. That Sunday morning one Slate-colored Junco joined the Chipping Sparrows feeding on white millet.

A Carolina Wren fills the air with its vibrant chirps. Photo by Stephen Gensits.

The problem with feeding on an open rock is that squirrels can easily access the seed. Because we have had problems with squirrels in the attic, we try not to deliberately feed them. Instead, we have added a platform feeder with an easy-to-clean screen floor below the tube feeder tray, but above the squirrel/raccoon baffle. We scatter white proso millet all winter on this tray to the delight of many Chipping Sparrows. After the sparrows leave, we put that feeder away until the following winter. The squirrels can still enjoy anything that drops to the ground.

The suet cakes were eaten by seven species that morning: Downy Woodpecker, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Gray Catbird, Carolina Wren, Summer Tanager, and Baltimore Oriole. The Orioles, about 10 of them, also went to a special feeder that dispensed an orange slice along with grape jelly. We do not put this feeder out until we see Orioles at the suet feeder. Sometimes we attach a wire mesh suet cake cage to the pole between the baffle and the tube feeder. This is another good way to dispense suet.

Goldfinch have not visited our yard yet this year, but their food preferences are black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, and Nyjer seed. The winter plumage of Goldfinch is rather drab, a “dirty” yellow/green with distinctive black and white wings. In Tallahassee, the males will sport brilliant yellow feathers around the first of April and leave Tallahassee by mid-April going to their northern nesting areas, Atlanta to Canada. When purchasing Nyjer seed towards the end of the Goldfinch season, buy smaller quantities. Any leftover seed will not keep until their arrival the following winter.

Chipping Sparrows eating white proso millet. Photo by Sandy Beck.

To lessen your carbon footprint, rather than feeding Goldfinch Nyjer shipped from Africa or India, use American-grown black oil sunflower or sunflower hearts. This hulled seed is also favored by many birds that cannot crack open a sunflower seed such as Bluebirds, Pine Warblers, and Wrens.

Also, in relation to your carbon footprint, if you like to give your birds a special treat of mealworms, consider their source. Read the label. Most dehydrated mealworms are shipped from China. One Chinese insect farm ships 200,000 tons of dehydrated mealworms worldwide a year. They also ship 50 tons a month of live mealworms. Purchase mealworms raised in the United States for a more carbon-friendly source. They are easily raised at home as well.

I recommend feeding mealworms on a limited basis, as a special treat, not as a constant food source. Mealworms do not provide complete nutrition for insect-eating birds, as most are lacking in calcium.

Offer suet this winter to attract birds like this colorful Baltimore Oriole. Photo by Sandy Beck.

A flock of Robins also came by that Sunday morning, but they are not seed eaters and seldom visit feeders. They gorged on holly berries and took advantage of the bird bath. A bird bath with plentiful cover nearby for hiding and staging is needed by every species. Refresh water every three days to prevent mosquitoes and disease.

Some folks use multiple feeders and spend considerable money on bird food. I like to keep it simple. I may use the four feeders mentioned, but when the winter migrants leave in spring, I reduce it to one feeder for the summer and fall. Only put out as many feeders as you can keep clean. They should be washed with hot soapy water and rinsed with a mild bleach or vinegar solution and then rinsed again with fresh water. Allow them to dry before refilling.

Feeding our feathered friends is an enjoyable hobby. For me, it is uplifting and educational. Keep in mind that the birds do not need the seed. You shouldn’t feel obligated to feed them. They do very well on their own in nature if good habitat is provided. And that is a topic for another day!

Create Urban Forest Diversity

Black cherry hosts tiger swallowtail caterpillars and many other species of butterflies and moths. Photo by Michael Singer.

Tallahassee is fortunate to currently have a considerable urban forest, though it is constantly being whittled away through development, storms, and fear of storm-related damage to homes. The average tree canopy is rated at 55% of land. This average puts Tallahassee close to number one in the nation for urban forest coverage. One problem with our forest is the lack of diversity in the species make-up. According to the City’s Urban Forest Master Plan three native trees (Carolina laurel cherry, water oak, and laurel oak) and one highly invasive non-native tree (Chinese camphor) are short lived, weak wood species that make up a full 38% of the forest. The long-lived sturdy live oak makes up 7% of the forest.

Loblolly pines and live oaks dominate the canopy in Walthall’s backyard. Photo by Donna Legare.

The diversity of tree species has an impact on the overall health of the forest, its wind resistance, and the food value for wildlife, from invertebrates to mammals. In terms of wind resistance, the four species making up this 38% are all considered to have very low wind resistance. If you are concerned about tree damage during a storm, choose smaller trees such as holly, greybeard, flatwoods plum, redbud, and red buckeye. The most wind resistant large trees are Southern magnolia, live oak, sweetgum, cabbage palm, pecan, and red maple.

For wildlife food, always turn first to American native species. Don’t put your entire focus on berries for birds. Berries are important seasonal sustenance for birds, especially during migration, but insects are the key to healthier food chains.

As an example, birds will eat the berries of Chinese camphor and spread seeds all around town, growing the percentage of Chinese camphor in our urban forest. Meanwhile, there are few insects that can find sustenance on this foreign tree. In contrast, native oak trees in our area can host 395 species of butterflies and moths in their larval form as caterpillars. A native red maple may host 171 species. These caterpillars are functionally soft bags of proteins for birds, lizards, frogs, and other wildlife.

White oak and fringe tree add fall color among the evergreen magnolias and pines in this yard. Photo by Vanessa Crisler.

Caterpillars are not the only insects in our native tree canopy. Thousands of species are on the leaves and branches, though we seldom see them. Many insects try to hide or use deception and stillness to survive the winter. Our resident and migrating birds search the treetops like a fine-tooth comb looking for this source of food, yet the insects are usually no threat to the tree or humans. Don’t fear the bugs! Search the National Wildlife Federation’s Native Plant Finder and enter your zip code; the site will show how many species of caterpillars use particular native plants in your area. This tool can help you select a tree for your yard.

A diverse native tree canopy is a major component of a healthy ecosystem that we need for human survival. What happens to us if we do not have trees supplying nectar, pollen, and leaf food to native pollinators? The flowers of trees such as red maple, black gum, black cherry, magnolia, tulip poplar, dogwood, redbud, Chickasaw plum, Southern crabapple, native hawthorns, and sassafras all supply nectar and pollen for bees along with hosting insects for many types of wildlife to eat.

If you have native trees in your yard, be sure to leave the leaves on the ground where they fall. Experts suggest leaving the leaves out to the dripline of the tree’s branches. Hundreds of species of insects live in the leaf litter. Some moth caterpillars eat no green leaves, consuming dead leaves on the ground exclusively. Many moths or butterfly caterpillars drop to the ground and hide in leaf litter to spend the winter in a cocoon or chrysalis. If lawn grass is beneath the tree, they usually die. Other insects merely hide through the winter, often becoming food for birds and other wildlife. Dead leaves are a critical part of a healthy ecosystem. I give you permission to be lazy – leave the leaves! If you prefer to have some open lawn in your yard, as I do, just rake the leaves into existing beds.

Silverbell in its spring glory among the urban forest at Native Nurseries. Photo by Jody Walthall.

As our city population grows, we clear cut and bulldoze hundreds of acres of stately trees for apartments, houses, parking lots, and roads. If you have open space for trees in your yard, you can help make up for this loss. There are too many beautiful and useful species of trees to mention. Some large trees to consider are winged elm, Southern red oak, white oak, Shumard oak, swamp chestnut oak, basswood, mockernut hickory, and bald cypress. Rather than the smaller non-native Drake elm or crape myrtle, choose blue beech, hophornbeam, silverbell, hoptree, Hercules club, American olive, or redbud. Choose a tree based on your soil and sunlight conditions.

Trees, especially live oak and pine, give Tallahassee a sense of place. They are so valuable for multiple reasons: preserving our mental health; cooling our streets, parking lots and homes; creating beauty; sequestering carbon; controlling erosion; naturally feeding wildlife.

Every yard matters and every tree counts. What you plant in your own yard makes a difference to the local food web. If you have room for more trees in your yard, winter is the best time to plant.

Be a Plant Patriot

The word patriot is used quite often in conversations today in our politically divided country. It seems both sides of opposing views believe they are the patriots, and the others are anti-American.

There is one issue facing our country on which we can all agree. It is an aspect of our lives over which we can have complete control. It is an action we can take to improve our country’s natural environment. It is the simple act of choosing to use American native plants in our landscapes.

Every plant in this landscape except for the lawn is native to North Florida, from the trees to the shrubs to the wildflowers. Photo by Donna Legare.

We need to go beyond our personal desires. Rather than selecting a flower color because it is our favorite, choose a plant for its value for bees. Rather than wanting variegated foliage for a splash of color, use a plant that supplies winter food for birds. Rather than a plant whose colors coordinate with the drapes in your living room, go for a plant that will support high protein insect life which is the necessary food for baby birds and countless other animals.

For instance, most favored bee plants are American natives. They range from diminutive wildflowers to huge shade trees. Not only are nectar and pollen important, but the timing of when it is produced can be critical to the survival of our pollinators. Examples are goldenrod, purple coneflower, wild azaleas, native blueberry, red maple, basswood, and Chickasaw plum.

For winter bird food, plant wax myrtle, bluestem palmetto, red cedar, winged elm, and yaupon holly. I love watching cardinals, catbirds, mockingbirds, and hermit thrush eating bluestem palmetto berries in our yard.

Native plants play a critical part in producing insects which, in turn, feed birds throughout the year. Native plants can be added to your existing landscape, or you can make space for them by removing invasive plants such as nandina from your yard. You may even want to make room by removing ornamental landscape plants that do not serve an ecological function. Choose a sparkleberry, greybeard, American plum, or redbud tree instead of a crape myrtle. Choose a mixed row of wax myrtle, Simpson’s stopper, saw palmetto, and yaupon holly instead of a loropetalum hedge.

This caterpillar is eating sassafras. The mated spicebush swallowtail female lays her eggs on spicebush, sassafras, and red bay which are all native to North Florida. Photo by Donna Legare.

Most of a moth’s life cycle takes place in the canopies of large trees. We ground-based humans are seldom aware of the insects living their lives in the tree canopy. Dr. Doug Tallamy, in his book Bringing Nature Home, informs us that there are 543 species of butterflies and moths that lay their eggs in the canopies of all the oak species in our country. In plum and black cherry trees native to North America, 456 species of mostly moths begin their lives. The eggs hatch into caterpillars which are basically soft bags of protein, the perfect food for growing baby birds. The other side of this story is that if you have a Chinese tallow tree taking up space in your yard, only three species of moths are known to use the tree in North America. If you had a crabapple, 311 species may use it.

There are two ways to be an American plant patriot. First is to add American native plants to your landscape, from wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, and small trees to towering shade trees. All of them have an important part to play which helps wildlife flourish. Our nation’s natural ecosystems have evolved over the eons with plants and animals living in a beautiful balance.

Secondly, learn to identify invasive plants such as Chinese tallow, ligustrum, Japanese privet, wisteria, coral ardisia, skunk vine, nandina, and others. Try your best to remove them from your yard. Have a zero-tolerance policy toward invasive plants. If unchecked, these plants will push out native plants and we will slowly become the United States of European or Asian Plants. Let us keep our natural and urban areas American.

Your yard in an urban or suburban setting can be critical for the survival of wildlife. Urban areas suffer the most from invasive plant infestations. Chinese camphor and ligustrum trees now dominate the tree canopy of some of our older neighborhoods.

Whether you are in the city, suburbs, or countryside let us all pull together and remove invasive plants and replace them with American native plants in our yards and gardens. Be a Plant Patriot!