Hello Garderers, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Clemson Professor Drew Lanham gives us tips on how to attract songbirds to our yards in his HGIC Factsheet 1700. Here is the big picture – habitat heterogeneity – planting many different species and creating layers – including a little bit of bare soil for ground-nesting pollinators. Trees are the master layer – creating canopy. Native hardwoods provide cover for many canopy nesting birds and some – like oaks -- provide food, not just acorns for birds but oaks also are larval food for many lepidopteran species -- caterpillars that birds feed their young. . . Don’t forget about pines trees – my bird friends get excited when they have pine warblers and nuthatches in their yard – and maybe the squirrels will be satisfied with pinecones and leave your feeders alone (on second thought – don’t count on it but think of those critters as hawk and owl food.
How to Grow a Bird-Friendly Backyard
