Simple Tips to Help the Birds in Your Backyard
By Dan Shapley
The Audubon Society has released a list of 20 common birds that have suffered drastic declines in the past 40 years. Here are five tips you can use in your neck of the woods, to help keep birds from disappearing:
1. Plant native, flowering plants to attract the three B's of a healthy yard: birds, bees and butterflies.
2. Forgo the lawn mower and let part or all of your land go wild with wildflowers and grasses.
3. Provide water, shelter and nesting sites with natural or commercial bird baths, wood piles, natural holes in tree trunks and other cavities for nesting.
4. Provide a variety of quality seeds for birds, and clean your birdfeeder regularly to avoid spreading disease.
5. Don't use pesticides. They can directly affect birds, as well as kill weeds that produce seeds or insects -- both of which are food sources for foods.
For more tips, see this excellent online Audubon guide
Gene Dempsey, City Forester
Environmental Services
Office - (954) 828-5785 Fax - (954) 828-4745
Think before you print!
