There are
four basic necessities wildlife need
to survive: water, food, shelter and
a place to raise young. To attract more
wildlife to your backyard, consider providing
the following enhancements that provide
these necessities.
Snags and Logs
 Snags are standing dead
or dying trees. Logs are dead
trees on the ground and in the water. Snags
and logs provide tremendous habitat for
a variety of animals, from squirrels to
insects. In fact, after a tree dies, its
value to many wildlife species increases.
Snags are used by many animals for food,
shelter and perches. Wood Ducks, Osprey,
Bald Eagles, Eastern Bluebirds, Black-capped
Chickadees,
woodpeckers
and Tree Swallows are just a few of our
Lake Ontario birds that make and/or use
cavities in snags for nesting. Hawks, eagles
and owls
use snags as perches
for hunting. Bats hibernate under the loose
bark of large snags and fishers and weasels
can find shelter in a hollowed out snag.
Logs are also used by a variety of animals.
Logs that are left on the forest floor
are used by salamanders, ring-necked
snakes, and a variety of insects - which
provide food to many other animals. Ruffed
Grouse use them for "drumming" in
the spring and shrews, chipmunks, mice and
moles can find shelter and food in logs.
Logs that fall into the water are used as basking sites by turtles, water
snakes and ducks and branches sticking out of the water are great perches
for Tree Swallows, Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Kingbirds and even Ruby-throated
Hummingbirds.
 Providing snags is easy. Instead of cutting
down and hauling away your next dead or
dying tree, leave it alone. Just make sure
it isn't a safety hazard.
Try to have a variety of sizes of snags
available for your wildlife. Most cavity
nesting birds need snags at least 10 inches
in diameter at breast
height (dbh) and 20 feet tall. To attract
Pileated Woodpeckers and Barred Owls, you
need a tree at least 20 inches dbh.
Logs are also easy to provide. Just remember
to leave them where they fall and then
watch what happens. If you do need to
clear them out of a swimming area, move
them to a "natural" part of
your shoreline instead of removing them
completely.
For more information download
the Value
of Northeastern Forest Trees as
Wildlife Snags [1.14MB PDF
] chart
to find out more about which trees
are most valuable for wildlife.
Top
 Nest
Boxes
If you don't have any
snags available or you would like to attract
more cavity nesting
species, you can provide nest
boxes. Lake Ontario shoreline wildlife
that use nest
boxes include: flying and gray
squirrels, raccoons, Wood Ducks, Black-capped
Chickadees, Screech and Barred
owls, House Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, Tree
Swallows and Purple Martins. It is important
to buy or build
the correct
size nest box for the species you
are trying to attract. Visit the Nest
Box Building page for
general nest box building guidelines.
Top
Bird Feeders
Many people enjoy feeding
birds. By following the simple steps below,
you can invite a variety of
birds into your Lake
Ontario back yard all year long.
- Provide
a Variety of Food Choices.
Seed types to provide include black
oil sunflower seed, safflower,
peanuts, and niger (thistle). Suet
is another great item to provide
year round. It is easiest
to buy the prepared suet from a
store near you. This suet is made
to be used throughout the year.
You may also want to feed Ruby-throated
Hummingbirds, New York State's only hummingbird
species. You can either buy hummingbird
food mixtures or make your own. To make
you own,
mix
1 part regular
sugar with 4 parts water. Bring to a
boil for 1 minute and cool. DO NOT add
food coloring. Put the solution in a
hummingbird feeder and hang the feeder
in a place you can easily observe these
marvelous birds.Make sure you change
the solution and clean the feeder every
week - more often
if you
notice
mold forming.
 Provide a Variety
of Birdfeeders. Different
species of birds use different types
of birdfeeders. Some species such as
Black-capped Chickadees will use almost
any type of feeder, but other birds,
such as Mourning Doves, are ground feeders
and cannot feed from a tube feeder.
If you would like to attract the biggest
variety of birds, try providing the
following
feeder
types:
Hanging
feeders - These are usually
tube feeders filled with black oil sunflower
seed or thistle feeders filled with niger
or thistle seed. Birds that will visit a hanging
feeder include Black-capped Chickadees,
American Goldfinch, White and Red-breasted
Nuthatches, woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouses
and Purple and House finches.
Platform
feeders - Start with an open platform
to help attract the
birds and then put a roof on the feeder
to help keep the seed dry. You should
also make sure your feeders have holes
drilled in the bottom for water drainage.
Birds that will visit platform feeders include Northern Cardinals and Mourning Doves.
Suet
Cages -
Suet is especially attractive
to woodpeckers, nuthatches
and Black-capped Chickadees.
Suet can be purchased
in pre-made squares
and put into cages purchased
at a local store.
Peanut Feeders
- Peanut feeders are designed to hold shelled, unsalted peanuts or peanut pieces. They are generally shaped like a tube feeder and made of mesh or heavy metal with holes. Peanuts are especially attractive to woodpeckers, nuthatches and Blue Jays.
Hummingbird
feeders - There
are a variety of hummingbird
feeder styles to choose
from. Try to select one
that will be easy to
clean. You may also want
to select a feeder with
perches so that the hummingbird
can sit and enjoy a sip.
If you would like to
attract more hummingbirds
to your yard, put out
more feeders. These little
birds are very territorial
and will defend a feeder
from other hummingbird
visitors. For more information on how to make a sugar mixture for your hummingbird feeder, click here.
Keep Feeders Clean
Be sure to clean your feeders regularly.
Birds will avoid seed that has gotten
wet and moldy. To clean the feeder,
empty it and wash it with a mild soap,
a touch of bleach and warm water. Allow
the feeder to dry before filling it with
fresh seed. Empty, clean and refill hummingbird feeders weekly or more often if you notice mold forming.
 Provide Water. Even
though your property lies along Lake
Ontario, providing a water supply for
birds will help attract them to your
yard and feeders. Birds need water for
bathing purposes, to avoid dehydration,
and for digesting food because they do
not have salivary glands. Place the water supply, either a bird bath or pond, near trees
or shrubbery to provide an easily reached
perch to preen in safety. The best bird
baths have a gradual slope and are no
more than two to three inches deep.
Providing water in winter is also important.
Many natural water supplies are frozen
during the winter, so providing water
is an easy way to attract more winter
birds. Many types of heated feeder options
are available. Many heaters come with
thermostatic turn-offs in case the the
water container runs dry or tips over.
Avoid using concrete or ceramic baths
in the winter. They may crack when the
water freezes.
Sources: Lakescaping for Wildlife & Water
Quality, by Carrol L. Henderson,
Carolyn J. Dindorf, and Fred J. Rozumalski.
St. Paul, MN: Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, Section
of Wildlife, Nongame Wildlife Program.
1998.
Birdfeeding Tips: visit
the US
Fish and Wildlife Service - For the Birds web
site.
US
Fish and Wildlife Service Homes for
Birds [55KB PDF]. |
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