Backyard Wildlife Primer
(Page 2 of 14)
September/October 1986
By Raymond Zoanetti and the Mother Earth News editors
Food is probably the easiest of the four necessities to supply; even if you have no more than a high-rise apartment balcony, you can attract birds by putting out a feeder and some seed. As much as possible, though, fruit-, nut-, and seed-bearing vegetation should serve as the major sources of food for birds and other wildlife.
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If there's little or no food-bearing vegetation on your land now, you can use feeders until you've had time to establish plantings. Beware, however, the pitfalls of artificial feeding: Overfeeding can lead to overpopulation of some so-called pest species. Also, wild creatures tend to become dependent on feeders and may starve if you don't keep the stations filled.
Water. Surprisingly, many species of birds and small mammals are able to get the water they need from dew, the foods they eat, and places where rain collects. Given a choice, though, most kinds of wildlife prefer water from a pool, pond, or stream . . . and some species require it. Most creatures, in fact, will be drawn to water more quickly than to food.
A birdbath or small, hand-dug pool usually will suffice. But if you have the room, establishing a more permanent water supply, such as a small pond, should be at least a long-term goal, since periods of drought are inevitable, and because aquatic habitat will attract various wetland species that you couldn't expect to attract otherwise. And, of course, in arid regions such as the Southwest, a small, well-vegetated pool will draw an exceptionally large number of birds and animals to your yard.
Cover. Cover is a catchall term for any form of shelter from enemies and the elements. Just as different species favor different foods, cover preferences vary: brush or rock piles for shrews . . . open forest for fox squirrels . . . pine groves for mourning doves . . . water for turtles. Cover is especially crucial near foraging areas; most foodbearing vegetation serves as its own cover, but you may need to add sheltering trees, shrubs, and grasses close to other popular feeding places such as ponds, birdbaths, and artificial feeders. Likewise, it's important to establish travel lanes — dense strips of cover such as hedgerows, shelterbelts, or other forms of obscuring vegetation — to connect pockets of habitat and allow animals to reach such areas without exposing themselves to danger.
Reproductive areas. Most species require a very specific kind of cover in which to raise a family. Some birds and mammals nest on the ground (some, such as moles, nest underground ) . . . others, such as cardinals, nest in thick brush . . . and still others-squirrels and woodpeckers, for example — require woodland. Regardless of the specific type, nesting areas are characteristically located in safe, relatively inaccessible places — which in most cases means mature vegetation. If there is little or no such growth on your land now, you may need to provide artificial reproductive cover — birdhouses, nest boxes — until you've had time to plant and establish natural stands.
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