February is National Bird Feeding Month. The birds are really hoping you will celebrate because the unusual weather has wreaked havoc with their food sources. While it is nice to add feeders to your garden, it seems like cheating to me. Plus you attract the non-native birds that crowd out our native, desert-adapted birds. Instead of actively feeding with costly seed, be passive. By planting the right plants, you can create a year-round bird sanctuary. It’s easy.
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Leaving older fronds on the palm helps it use less water, saves you money, and provides nesting space for birds.
Like every living thing, birds need water, food, and a place to live. Landscape the yard so the birds have a water source, food to eat and an appropriate place to live – and they will come. The greater the variety of foods offered means the greater variety of species that will visit your yard.
Water. Water is for drinking in the desert, and optionally for bathing too. Provide clean fresh water for birds to drink. Birds appreciate anything that drips, squirts, sprays, runs, or simply holds some fresh water. Water should be located where there is enough clear area for landing and take off. Avoid placing water near predator hiding places. Birds prefer a watering site that is no deeper than two inches. While agile in flight with their two wings, many birds can be clumsy on two feet. The surface should not bee too slick and smooth.
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Female Gambel’s quail visiting a bird bath.
Food. Birds are either herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores. Herbivore birds eat seed and some fresh greens. Think large plump, ground dwellers like Gambel’s quail and doves.
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Birds require shelter and shade from the hot summer’s sun, and a mesquite tree is an excellent choice, like the one this female and male Gambel’s quail are in.
Carnivores eat meat, and include owls and raptors like the hawks as well as carrion eaters such as the vultures.
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Large trees encourage visits by large raptors, like this owl. Photo by J Clark.
Also charming are the smaller carnivorous birds, the ones that eat insects. My favorite small carnivore is the tiny olive green verdin that flits around the stems of flowers looking for tasty bugs. Many native desert birds are insect eaters. This generally does not sit well with homeowners, who prefer an insect-free environment. Just remember that ninety-nine percent of all bugs are harmless bugs. Leave the insects alone, and they will provide dinner for the birds (and lizards). Tolerate “bugs” and you can be rewarded with birds that eat them.
Finally there are the omnivores like the Arizona State Bird, the cactus wren. Primarily an insect eater, the cactus wren will also eat fruit, seeds, and occasional greens.
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The largest wren on earth is the Arizona State Bird, the cactus wren.
Shelter. After food and water, shelter is very important for birds. They need it for nest sites, for roost and rest (especially at midday in summer). They also need shelter from predators and from the weather. Just as you may not appreciate a crowded elevator, birds need their “elbow room.” Keep plants’ natural shapes as opposed to topiary shearing. Normal, open growth allows for ease of nesting and resting.
Nesting material. Hummingbirds require spider webs to hold together their nests. Summer orioles need brown palm fronds left on the tree to build their nests under. Cactus wrens are happiest with a big spiny cholla cactus for their nests.
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Can you spot the cactus wren nest in this blue myrtle cactus? They cheerfully fed their young while we loaded seven giant tour buses on their doorstep.
Ornamental grasses are used by many species to line their nests. You must learn to tolerate a little “clutter” and some dead foliage in your garden if you want to encourage birds to share your yard. Celebrate National Bird Feeding Month by at least planning a garden for the birds. In the warmer parts of the country you can start planting it now.
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Ornamental grasses look lovely in the garden plus provide nesting material for birds.
© 2014, Jacqueline Soule. All rights reserved. This article is the property of Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. We have received many requests to reprint our work. Our policy is that you are free to use a short excerpt which must give proper credit to the author, and must include a link back to the original post on our site. Please use the contact form above if you have any questions.