Turn your backyard into a bird paradise
February 24, 2012
Mark Cullen
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Winter in Canada may be long, but it seems shorter to me thanks to the activity of birds in my yard. As I peer out the window of our kitchen, I am grateful for the birds that visit the seed heads of the ornamental grasses that I let stand over the winter. I am so glad that I resisted the temptation to cut them down in the autumn.
My suet cage is forever emptied in winter. The Downey woodpeckers love to hack away at it this time of year as they do their best to accumulate fat and carbohydrates to keep warm.
Soon enough wild birds will have lots of natural feeding options in the yard and around the neighbourhood besides my 12 feeding stations.
If you have problems with unwanted birds raiding your suet cakes, try using an upside-down suet cage. Woodpeckers love to feed on their backs, most other birds do not, especially “bully birds” like grackles and blue jays.
Birdfeeders
I recommend that you keep your birdfeeders full this time of year, especially when there is a snowfall. Note that many birds will kick out the corn in search of their favourite seeds, like high-quality millet, black oil sunflower seeds and peanuts. Bird seed producers love to load up their mixes with cracked corn as it attracts the bird-feeding public; it is cheap, but it isn’t worth much.
There are some good quality birdseed mixes around for an attractive price, but take a good look at the ingredients before you commit to buy. And remember that it does not matter what you think of the mix — it only matters what the birds in your neighbourhood think. To be more accurate, it only matters what the birds you want to attract really think. Personally, I am not big on morning doves or grackles. The former lack colour and are the poachers of the wild bird world. The latter are just bullies and I had enough of them in grade school (the bullies, not the birds).
As for the myth that feeding the birds this time of year creates an unhealthy dependency on your feeding station, that is so much baloney. If they are disappointed by the selection of seed in your yard, they will go hunting for available seed in the wild. In many cases, they have the option to go next door or down the street to the home of another generous gardener.
Peanuts
I put out a peanut feeder — the kind that takes shelled peanuts — to attract blue jays and woodpeckers. They love this feeder so much that I created a problem with Downy woodpeckers hacking away at the bark of my Skyline locust outside the kitchen window. They removed so much bark that I was beginning to worry about the health of the tree. My solution was to wrap the main trunk with a stretchy tree wrap that is impregnated with a black tar-like substance. It worked like a charm. I was pleased with myself and my $5 solution.
The Downies continue to frequent the yard, adding their own characteristic colour, activity and squeaks. That’s right; they don’t chirp, they squeak. You will indentify them without lifting your head when you are out doors, thinking at first that a neighbour really needs to put some grease on a wheel.
Speaking of peanuts; I enjoy the blue jays that arrive in search of whole peanuts (for bird consumption, never salted). I no sooner lay a bunch down on a platform outside the kitchen window and one giant jay announces that they have arrived. The whole neighbourhood of jays then arrive in droves. Swooping and squawking at each other, taking their turn at the feeding platform until they are all gone.
They remove each peanut and take it to the high branches of a tree and peck out the good stuff, dropping the shell to the ground with a perfect little hole in it, where it fertilizes the garden below it come spring. Then they take the peanut meat and jam it between the branches of trees all over the neighbourhood for later consumption. I am told on good authority that this sustains them through snow and cold later on. And they do remember where they did the peanut-jamming.
I do not like blue jays enough that I feed them peanuts all of the time. They are big and bossy. So I wait until we are expecting company and, without exception, visitors notice and exclaim over the busy blue jay population.
As our garden matures (it is in its sixth year now), the “winter garden” is more interesting than ever. The evergreens and blue holly look so much more attractive than a flat yard of snow. And the bright red crabapples that remain on my Malus Red Jade look fantastic. Soon (usually in March) the birds will find these appealing too.
Use Salt Alternatives
As the snow piles up here in the country, I am reminded that most municipalities still favour the generous use of salt on many of our roads. There are fewer things more toxic than salt where your plants are concerned. If salt-treated snow has been pushed onto your permanent garden plants, I recommend that you shovel it off to prevent damage. When you are tempted to use salt on your driveway or walkway, try Alaskan Ice Melter instead. It is much safer around your plants when used according to directions.
Canada Blooms
And finally, a reminder that the biggest horticultural event of the year is only a few weeks away. Canada Blooms features many new additions this year. The largest garden and flower festival in the country begins Friday, March 16 and runs through Sunday, March 25 — twice the length of previous editions. Now that it is co-located with the National Home Show you will have even more reason to want to go; admittance to both events for one ticket price. Watch this column in the New Homes and Condos section of your Star for more details in upcoming weeks. Go to www.canadablooms.com for details.
Question of the Week
Q: I planted gladioli for the first time last summer. When I dug them up in the fall there were new tiny pea-sized bulbs. Can I plant those and will they grow and mature into proper bulbs?
A: Yes they will. That’s how the gladiola bulbs are formed. They start out as small babies. Gladiola bulbs often form these bulblets around the basil plate. Store the bulbs until May and plant them in the garden. By mid-summer the bulblets will have produced some leaves but no blooms. They will bloom in their second year.
Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author and broadcaster. You can sign up for his free monthly newsletter at www.markcullen.com, and watch him on CTV Canada AM every Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. You can reach Mark through the “contact” button on his website and follow him on Twitter @MarkCullen4 and Facebook. Mark’s latest book, The Canadian Garden Primer, is available at Home Hardware and all major bookstores.