A male Common Yellowthroat.
by Annie Milionis, Morrisville Bird Town PA Coordinator
Attracting birds to your yard is a terrific way to enjoy watching them! Feeders are a great way to attract birds but even better is to plant your yard with native plants that provide: food, shelter and places to build nests to raise young birds. 96 % of our songbirds feed their babies, caterpillars and insects. These insects and caterpillars have evolved over time with our native plants, resulting in these insects’ systems evolving to tolerate certain chemicals in the specific plants that each type of insect or caterpillar uses as food.
You can greatly increase the number of bird species you see in your yard by planting native plants, shrubs and trees. Some Morrisville Borough yards have already successfully converted to mostly native plant species and have seen the number of bird species sightings rise from about 25 to over 118 species sighted, including many Warbler, Vireo, Grosbeak and other species seen during spring and fall migration. Planting native plant species helps to: fight fragmentation; loss of habitat due to development; provides food, shelter, cover, places to raise young; provides homes to the insects that birds rely on to raise young; and increases biodiversity.
Many of our native bird species do not use nest boxes, but build nests in native shrubs and trees. Of those species, many build nests anywhere from 4 – 15 feet off the ground in shrubs and understory trees. They need protection for their nests and babies so a continuous, connected grouping of shrubs and understory trees offers that as opposed to one or two single shrubs or understory trees separate from each other and placed around a lawn.
Some species require mature shade trees for nests and others require cavities which can be found in mature trees or in snags. (Snags are trees that are no longer living, but are still standing.) Once young fledglings leave the nest, they depend on these same shrubs and trees to provide protective cover as they learn to fly and forage for their own food.
When designing a garden for birds, think of all of the natural layers of plants seen in nature: groundcovers, vines, perennials, grasses, shrubs, understory trees and canopy shade trees. Consider adding a native shade tree species to your yard. Oaks are a great choice as they are a keystone species (a keystone species is an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem. Without its keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether.). Other great native shade trees to consider are: Black Cherry, Pine, Birch, Poplar, Basswood, Spruce, Beech, Ash, Chestnut, Hawthorn, Hickory, Maple, Elm, Walnut, Eastern Red Cedar, American Holly and Willow.
If your yard is very small consider native understory trees, which only reach about 15 – 30 feet tall. Some great understory trees are Dogwood, Redbud, Serviceberry, Crabapple (get one that bears fruit; birds love it!), Fringe Tree and Alder. Shrubs are critical habitats, for nesting sites, as well as food sources, and for bird species that eat fruit. Native shrubs to consider for your yard include, Viburnums, native Roses, Elderberry, Blueberries, Buttonbush, Dogwoods (Red-twig, Silky, Grey), Hazelnut, Common Ninebark, Winterberry, Staghorn Sumac, Spicebush, Sweet Bay Magnolia, and American Beautyberry.
Native vines can also provide nesting sites, cover and food- Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine,
Dutchman’s Pipevine, and Virginia Creeper are great choices.
Perennials are another layer to add to the garden to attract more birds. They provide seeds and are host plants to insects needed by the birds to provide food to nestlings. Some perennials to plant for birds include Purple Coneflowers, Sunflowers, Milkweeds (Asclepias), Cardinal Flower, Black-eyed Susans, and more!
When gardening for birds, one should reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers which can be harmful to birds, pets and can negatively affect organisms throughout the ecosystem. Consider reducing the amount of lawn in your yard as maintaining a healthy lawn often requires a great deal of water, fertilizer and some pesticides plus lawn provides very little in the way of food, habitat or cover to any other organisms. Also rake the leaves off of your lawn and into your garden beds or under trees and shrubs as a natural source of mulch, and fertilizer that also provides habitat for overwintering insects that are beneficial to birds and the environment.
Remember, late summer and fall are an excellent time to plant trees, shrubs and perennials, as well as in the spring!
Morrisville Borough sits adjacent to the Delaware River which is part of the Atlantic Flyway, a major migratory path for birds and insects, (think monarchs and other butterflies). The location makes the Morrisville area a natural rest area for migratory birds in both spring and fall.
With its location in mind, it was only natural for Morrisville to become a member of the statewide, grassroots, growing initiative- Bird Town PA which is umbrellaed under the Pennsylvania Audubon Society. Morrisville Bird Town PA was formed by local school students in the Morrisville School District, and their Teacher Elizabeth Glaum-Lathbury with help from another teacher, Kevin Jones, and has evolved to now be resident driven. It is the only Bird Town PA in the state that has been recognized on the legislative floor in Harrisburg.
The group hopes to attract more local, resident membership and actively work with other like- minded borough and other organizations and residents to promote birds and a healthy environment for birds, pollinators, wildlife and people.
For more information on gardening for birds, join Morrisville Bird Town on Facebook. Our Facebook group is a great source of birding tips, science-based information, a place to share bird sightings, ask birding related questions and more! Join the group as they make Morrisville even more welcoming to bird species and help ensure a healthy environment for everyone!