Saratoga Springs, New York

Bird Gardener:  Fall

Birds'  Winter Windfall

by Lynn Hassler

Gardening activities may be slowing down for people in many areas of the continent, but your garden can still provide natural food for wintering birds.  With a little bit of planning, it's possible to select plants that provide food for birds at different seasons throughout the year, including winter.  In very cold climes snow may cover the ground, and many natural food sources, such as seeds and insects, may be scarce.  Plants that produce berries that persist into the winter months, along with your feeders, can provide a much-needed source of sustenance for birds.  Fruits and berries may help wintering birds such as cardinals, sparrows, and finches survive winter by providing moisture as well as nutrition.

Red bellied Woodpecker

 

If you have ever seen a winter-feeding flock of robins or waxwings, you will have no doubt about the value of fruits and berries.  These birds feed intently and voraciously on fruits, returning day after day until the shrubs are completely stripped of fruit.  It is quite a spectacle.

There are many choices for fruit-bearing plants, depending on your location.  Some of the most popular with birds include various species of sumac (Rhus spp.), viburnums (Viburnum spp.), dogwoods (Cornus spp.), and hollies (Ilex spp.).  If you're a Southeasterner, try beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) or Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) for attracting bobwhites, catbirds, mockingbirds, and thrashers.  In the West, Pacific madrone (Arbutus manziesii) produces red to orange round fruits that are feasted upon by quail, woodpeckers, thrashers, and finches.  Pacific wax myrtle (Myrica californica) grows along the Pacific Coast and produces nutlike waxy fruits that are purplish in color.  The bright red berries of toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), a California native, ripen in winter and attract many birds.  In the Desert Southwest, desert hackberry (Celtis pallida) fruits ripen and attract mockingbirds, thrashers, cardinals, pyrrhuloxias, and phainopeplas.

Whatever and wherever you decide to plant, remember that planting groupings of berry-producing trees or shrubs is most effective in bringing in the birds.  With multiple plants, the berry crop will be more prolific and is more likely to be noticed by passing birds.  Plant in masses, rows, or hedges.  Leave shrubs in their natural shapes for better berry production and for better cover for the birds.

Finally, berries and fruits not only attract the eye of the birds, but also brighten the gray, wintery landscape with their colors.  If you don't have berries in your yard, think about planting some this fall.

Robin on sumac