Douglas Tallamy, world renowned and influential ecologist/entymologist, urges Americans to go native and go natural. Many people shorten this and call it 'ReWilding'. For a great article on his philosophy, read all about him in the Smithsonian magazine. For tips on ReWilding your own garden, read on. What is ReWilding? ReWilding, returning your landscape back …
How to Turn Your Old Christmas Tree Into a Wildlife Magnet
Recycling a fresh cut Christmas tree into a bird feeding station is the ultimate repurposing of your Christmas decorations. Setting up my old tree next to my bird feeders gave me hours of enjoyment watching birds feeding, chirping, and feasting - not to mention the squirrels pigging out! Just watching the squirrel antics kept us …
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Suet Is For the Birds!
Baby, Its Cold Outside! A popular song says it all! Birds are declining in record numbers and need our help. Birds have many strategies to survive without our help but as a concerned birder, I like to think that my practice of feeding them nutritious food tips the balance in their favor during extreme weather. …
For the Birds – Recycled Christmas Tree
Taking ornaments off of my Christmas tree this season, I thought what a shame it would be to put it out to the curb for shredding into mulch. Wanting to make another use out of this hard working tree, I decided to decorate it with a bird buffet. A bird buffet and a dog buffet! …
The Great Backyard Bird Count 2019
The 22nd annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) started Friday, February 15, through Monday, February 18, 2019. Visit the official website at birdcount.org for more information or The Audubon Society but continue here for the event highlights: A citizen science event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of …
Extreme Weather Strategies for Birds
Birds have many strategies to survive without our help but as a concerned birder, I like to think that my feeding them nutritious food tips the balance in their favor during extreme weather. Mortality during extremely cold weather is much greater for birds and it has been proven that bird survival improves with ready access …
When Not to Kill a Hornworm
Tomato Hornworms are really big green caterpillars that can munch through and devastate your vegetable garden. Giant brown moths lay pearl-like eggs on your tomato, pepper, or eggplant, from which the big green monsters will hatch and start to eat voraciously. The juicy grass-green caterpillars can strip a plant overnight and then start demolishing the fruit. Frass & …
Hedgehog Haven
On a recent trip to the UK, I visited St Tiggywinkles Animal Rescue near London to see the how the European Hedgehog is faring. Found across Western Europe into Scandinavia, reports from the last several years indicates that this native species is declining in much of the UK because of a variety of stressors. Don't …