The winter bird count is one of the marquee events for our local Audubon Society chapter. It doesn’t draw as many participants as the summer count, nor does is it as highly anticipated as the potluck dinners, but the winter count provides local bird watchers with hard data about nearby bird populations. Early in December, I and other amateur ornithologists leave our warm, cozy households and venture out into the snow.
We might take a quick glance at the rustic bird houses hanging in the yard to see if any birds are hiding inside, out of the harsh elements. The key is to spread out, with every bird watcher driving to a different part of the neighborhood and making a tally of each unique species encountered. At the end we make a master list of all the birds that have been counted and compare it to previous years.
Do you want to attract more birds to your back yard? Having decorative birdhouses and bird feeders is a great way to introduce your people to nature and something the whole family can share. Having a bird friendly yard has never been more important. Nearly 80 percent of wild habitat in the United States is in private hands and an average of 2.1 million acres each year are converted to residential use.
One way to attract birds is to set your own bird feeder station. Make sure it’s close to your rustic birdhouse so that the birds can come and go to each with ease. Another way is to set up a source of clean water for drinking and bathing in a bird bath. It is fun to watch the birds flapping their wings “bathing” in the water. A third way is to providing nesting materials.
In the next few articles we will pass on to you some ideas we have found about such things as foods that appeal to birds you want to attract. Also hints about food items such as eggshells, fruits and other attractions. We will also take a look at how to provide nesting materials.