Go Native!

A well planted native habitat garden can attract habitat specific birds like Eastern Towhees and Field Sparrows that prefer to nest and winter in old fields and grassland edges rather than yard.

My two favorite books are Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy and How to Get Your Lawn off Grass by Carol Rubin. These are my favorite books because they talk about how lawns, exotic plants and invasive plants damage natural ecosystems and ultimately our environment. Lawns are sterile monocultures of cut grass that have little value for our local wildlife. Lawns are disturbed soils where exotic weeds like Eurasian Crabgrass and Bahia grass gets a foothold. In order to control dandelions, weedy grasses, unwanted saplings, landscaping companies and homeowners dump herbicides to control weeds. When insects like the Japanese beetle or European scarab damages or when fire ants move on to a recently mown lawn we run for the insecticide. According to toe Book Get Your Lawn Off Of Grass "A 25x40ft patch of manicured lawn uses about 10,000 gallons of water during a summer." Chemicals from lawns run off when you water your lawn or when a storm approaches. These chemicals runoff in to our storm drains, retention ponds, canals and eventually our creeks, rivers and oceans. This is where fragile ecosystems thrive and where our drinking water comes from. Lawns may be the landscaping equivalent to concrete and asphalt but landscapes dominated by exotic plants from other countries can cause just as much damage. Many exotic plants require chemicals to control pests since their natural predators don't exist in North America. Exotics from different regions such as tropical forests of South America and Asia require tons of water to keep it alive during a summer and even more work to preserve it during a harsh winter. Finally, some exotic plants from regions with a similar to ours can establish themselves in nature and take over native ecosystems. Some examples include privets, European buckthorn, kudzu and Japanese Honeysuckle. Some infestations are so bad that National Park Services and municipalities have to apply chemicals, fires or biological agents to control these pests and restore natural ecosystems.  Crape Myrtles, Asian Azaleas, Camellia and Gardenia are not invasive plants since they rarely reproduce and are suited to the North Carolina climates. However, newly imported plants often harbor exotic insects, weeds, and fungus without their natural predators. 

Wildlife 

• A property with just a lawn full of bluegrass or summer rye has almost no wildlife diversity.
•  A bluegrass or rye lawn with a few trees, native or exotic has more wildlife at a lower diversity.
• A yard lush with exotic shrubs and manicured hedges and flowerbeds is almost as sterile as a lawn.
• A native habitat patch will attract native birds, insects, reptiles and mammals due to the higher concentrations of fruits, prey and foliage.
• A yard lushly planted with native plants and water sources can support about same amount of wildlife as a native woodlot or grassland that is the same size as your yard  

 Solution

 Our lushly planted front yard garden with native and garden plants, pull up a chair and enjoy. 

In my opinion I think that our landscaping should be mostly or entirely native plants but I don't mind non invasive plants as long as they are mixed with some indigenous plants. For example, our backyard has a 50 year old Crape Myrtle, Camellias, exotic azaleas, and exotic bulbs and plants from my grandmother's garden. I grandfathered these plants in and used them in my landscape; however I completely removed all of the privet, and buckthorn, ivy, and honeysuckle and wisteria since these are noxious weeds. My mom's garden in the front yard contains both native and exotic plants and continues to provide good habitats for insects, birds and mammals. One of the best ways to add native plants to the garden is to use existing ornamental plants like azaleas and Crape Myrtles and under plant those with native sub canopy trees, ferns, wildflowers and canopy trees. In our yard, I under planted our native azaleas, woodland trees and shrubs as well as our existing or new exotics with native ferns and wildflowers. This will restore a section of the natural forest ecosystem and attract natural predators that protect the foreign garden treasures. Many insects, spiders and birds eat both garden and household pests, not to mention mosquitoes. A suburban or urban with exotic plants, manicured lawns treated with poisons will have a higher problem with pests. In addition, mammals, insects and weeds eventually become resistant or even immune to poisons, with all of the native predators and diseases dead or displaced the pest population mushroom. A yard with a few simple native plants or a full fledged habitat restoration project will still have native and exotic pests but the natural predators and competitors will help keep them in check. Example: the Asian tiger mosquito is a dangerous pest in the Southeastern United States because they spread yellow fever, canine heartworms, and West Nile virus though their bites. If a native meadow garden, a wetland garden or hedgerows of indigenous trees are added, birds, spiders, insects, and reptiles arrive due to the increased cover and the abundance of prey items. The mosquitoes become food items for birds, dragonflies and anole lizards, providing an effective control without chemicals. Native gardens don't have to be weedy fields, meadows or forests, but they can have the ornamental look while requiring little care. Our habitat has a manicured garden with both native and exotic plants in place of the lawn in the front yard. The backyard contains habitat gardens that grow wild but still look manicured. People can even grow native plants in flowerpots or raised beds if they don't have yard space. Most exotic plants are good for gardens and look great in gardens but people should include some natives as well. Avoid invasive plants such as English Ivy, privet, wisterias and Autumn Olive

Alternatives to Invasive Exotics

English Ivy- Virginia creeper, Muscadine Grape, Carolina Jessermine
Privets- Yaupon Holly, Highbush Blueberry, Carolina Cherrylaurel
Buckthorn- Southern Crabapple, Native Hawthorns, Carolina Rose
Chinese Wisteria- American Wisteria
Pampas Grass- Switch grass, Purple Love grass, Cattails
Tree of Heaven- Red Maple, Staghorn Sumac, Black Locust
Chinese tallow tree, Popcorn Tree- Elderberry, Southern Crabapple
Nandina- Beautyberry, Winterberry Holly, Inkberry


  







Winter Flocks

This is a Mourning Dove that photographed from my porch with my new GE Digital Camrea.
1-20-2011 

I took this hungry robin eating Red Tip Berries from the end my driveway 50ft away.
1-20-2011

For four days, Friday January 20, Saturday January 21, Sunday January 22 and Monday January 23 2012 flocks of American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Blackbirds and Starlings visited our neighborhood and my backyard habitat. There were at least several thousand birds around the area that weekend. The flocks of birds were seeking late winter fruits from native and exotic plants like privet, red tip, holly, and persimmon as well as the last remaining dogwood or red bay berries. The flocks of birds also visited our water feature and marsh garden in flocks of ten to twenty. Among the flocks of robins, blackbirds and starlings were several species of warblers, Hermit Thrushes, Bluebirds, Baltimore Orioles and Eastern Phoebes. Our regular birds such as chickadees, titmice, native sparrows and cardinals visited both the birdfeeders and the natural food sources in the area. Our backyard looked like a scene from Hitchcock's film The Birds. I was hit by three chickadees on Sunday morning when they were fighting over some sunflower seeds or even the front yard nest box. Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice and Red Bellied and Pileated Woodpeckers are among the first birds to begin their courting behavior. The ethereal whistles of the Carolina Chickadee and the repetitive peter peter notes from Tufted Titmice are early signs of spring. Chickadees are among the first birds to breed in most regions, for example, Carolina Chickadees began to nest in February in some areas.

 

Watch the video by clicking on this link

https://picasaweb.google.com/105631164771623441362/January262012#5701989133596896178 

Preparing for spring

Two Northern Cardinals in a Shingle Oak
with fresh spring leaves

January and early February is the perfect time to prepare your bird feeders, gardens and nesting boxes for spring. I usually mow my meadow garden between December and early February to spread the seeds and provide ample light for reemerging perennials and seedlings. It is good to leave at least a few stalks from last year's vegetable or flower garden to provide food and seeds for animals. White throated sparrows, field sparrows, chipping sparrows, towhees and wrens often use the dormant grasses and weeds as shelter. In addition, many insects, spiders and reptiles overwinter in or under dead vegetation or fallen leaf litter. As spring grows closer, most of the dead stalks should be mowed down, or death-headed to encourage new growth. If possible, do not send all of the dead plant material to the curb or fire pit, dead leaves, sticks, and grasses are used in bird nests. Rake some or all of your leaf debris under your shrubs and trees to protect woodland plants, attract snails and insects for birds and to maintain moisture around your trees. January and February is a good time to install nesting boxes and clean out old bird nests or rodent and wasp nests from bird houses. Old nests often have residual parasites from last season and may encourage bumble bees, wasps or ants to move in. This is also a great time to repair damaged parts of nest boxes, install new features like metal flashing, baffles and mesh floors. Keep in mind that Carolina Chickadees and Eastern Bluebirds can nest as early as February in North Carolina. I usually clean out boxes at the end of each brood or at the end of the season if bluebirds move in. Depending on the season, habitat and natural food availability, January is a peak time for bird feeders. Many wild seeds and fruits that the birds have been feeding on since the fall are depleted and most of the insects are inactive or active only on warm days. Keep your feeders and suet cages stocked at all times to keep attracting birds. Don't forget about water sources too, this is also a great time to clean or upgrade birdbaths because the birds and other wildlife will find it quicker in the winter since natural water is scarce. 

 

Late Winter To do List 

• Install new bird houses (especially purple martin housing and bluebird boxes) 
• Clean, modify or repair existing birdhouses 
• Mow habitat gardens and clip back perennials for next spring 
• Begin to sow seeds for wildflowers 
• Plant any trees or shrubs if you haven't done so 
• Keep feeders filled 
• Clean and maintain birdbaths and prevent them from freezing 

Cavity Nesting Birds 

Great Crested Flycatcher in flight singing
dawn song
April 2011

Eastern Screech Owl- February to March 

Barn Owl- Anytime especially winter 

American Kestrel-May to June 

Red Headed Woodpecker-June-September

Red Bellied Woodpecker-March-September

Downy/Hairy Woodpecker-March-April

Pileated WoodpeckerMarch-May

Flicker-March-July

Great Crested Flycatcher-May-June

Purple Martin-Early March 

Tree Swallow-April 

Carolina Chickadee-February to April 

Tufted Titmouse-March to July 

White Breasted Nuthatch-March-April

Brown Headed Nuthatch-February to April 

Red Breasted Nuthatch-February to March 

Carolina Wren-April-July 

House Wren-May-July 

Winter Wren-March-April 
European Starling-March-April

Prothonotary Warbler-May-June 

House Finch-May, July, sometime September

House Sparrow (Pest) Anytime but usually March to September    

Greenfield Lake Park Cape Fear Audubon 1-14-2012

This was the first time I used my New GE Camrea during a Audibon Trip.
This is a veiw of the lake through three young cypress trees 1-14-2011 

I attended an Audubon Society bird walk on Saturday January 14th 2012 at 8:30am. My friend Mac attended the tour with me. When we arrived there were four other people, the leader was a guy from the Northeast. Walk about a mile along the loop when he got a call from the president of the Cape Fear Audubon who was with a second group of people looking for the tour. We were told to meet at the parking lots near the bathrooms but there are two bathrooms at Greenfield Lake Park. We met at the parking lot near the playground and began our tour.  The rest of our group met at the bathrooms by the boat docks and walked in the opposite direction trying to find us. Mac ran back to meet the other group and tell them were we were. Mac than got in his car and drove to our position to direct us to the large bridge. The other half of our group met us there and we continued our tour. We saw 42 species of birds and stayed out there until 11:00am.

Weather- According to a handheld thermometer  

·         37 degrees F at the start of the walk

·         52 degrees F at the end of the walk

·         Average Temp 43.5 degrees F 

·         Humidity 43-45%

·         Clear skies 

·         Calm to light winds

 Reported Birds

Canada Goose

X Goose (mix breed between a Canada Goose or a Snow Goose)

Mallard

Wood Duck

Bufflehead

Ruddy Duck

Hooded Merganser

Pied Billed Grebe

Double Crested Cormorant

Annhinga

Osprey

Cooper's Hawk

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Ring Billed Gull

Mourning Dove

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker 

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

Blue Jay

American Crow

Tufted Titmouse 

Carolina Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Brown Headed Nuthatch

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Golden Crowned Kinglet 

Cedar Waxwing

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

Pine Warbler

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Northern Cardinal

Swamp Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White Throated Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Common Grackle

Red Winged Blackbird 

Backyard Habitat Restoration Project 1A



Above is a female mockingbird feeding a skipper caterpiller to a recent fledgling from a nest in our exotic camellia bush. This caterpiller came from our front yard meadow garden which attracts grassland and woodland animals. This is an example of what native plants can bring to our yard. 

 

One of my largest projects that I completed during my teen years was not school related or involved volunteering or a job it was working in my yard. Since my mom told me about the Backyard Habitat show that the National Wildlife Federation did in 2008 when it came on Animal Planet she has always recommended that we create a backyard habitat and certify it. It took several years for my mother to convince me to clear the brush and vines in the backyard and restore the garden. After participating in some Audubon tours and classes at the State Park, learned about invasive plants and how they damage a natural ecosystem. It was disheartening to find out the Wisteria climbing in to the woods and the dense patches of Ivy was a invasive import that has little wildlife benefit and can strangle the native trees in our neighborhood. I also found out the woody growth and the "meadows" in our backyard consisted of exotic privet, buckthorn, Japanese Honeysuckle and Popcorn tree. Our garden once contained native plants, herbs like mints, Prairie Phlox and Gladiola and Irises from my Grandmother's Garden. I wanted to salvage these plants because we inherited house after she passed and I want to preserve a piece of her garden. Our goal was to have no lawn by the end of this process and we slowly converted our front lawn in to a flower beds and meadow gardens. The week after going on summer vacation after completing the tenth grade, me and my mom started clearing out the backyard. I cut down all of the wisteria and treated with bush begone bush killer. We also removed most of the privet, ivy, honeysuckle, all of the buckthrorn and popcorn trees. We also mow the area, cleared the former flowerbeds of exotic grass and shrubs and salvaged all of the native plants and garden survivors. One that weekend we removed 95% of the invasive plants and cleared out four beds. Over the next year we eradicated or reduced the rest of the invasive plants except for the tall glossy privet trees and unwanted sweetgums and maples that sprouted along the fences. As we cleared out the gardens we moved most of the garden plants and wildflowers that were in the way of the tools or pesticides. Once the weeds and invasive plants were under control I started using salt and vinegar to control the sprouts of wisteria, autumn clematis, and honeysuckle. Although less destructive than chemical treatments  vinegar quickly shutdown the plants but can permanently alter the soil's acidity. Once I got my hand saw I began cutting down the large privet trees one by one and used the shovel to dig up the younger trees or Chinese or European Privet shrubs. In 2011 we added several plant communities including old field/ early succession, meadows and a prairie/Savannah bed. Before we cleared out the yard there was one cedar bluebird house from a hardware store, now there are five nest boxes for chickadees, bluebirds, wrens, flycatchers a martin house, mason and bumble bee shelters and even a bat house. This project saved a 50 year old crape myrtle, native redbuds, cherrylaurels and red mulberries as well as a potted southern crabapple tree. Without human intervention the vines would have strangled these trees and damaged the native canopy trees. This projects has brought new species of wildlife to the neighborhood and encouraged others to plant a small patch of wildflowers or native trees.

A male Orchard Oriole singing atop our neighbor's pine to attract a mate.  A sign of a healthy ecosystem within a residental area.  

  

A new frontier in knowledge Birding

On a cool rainy Saturday on January 2006 I was looking for spiders under a bookshelf in my mom's living room when i came across a book with a white plastic cover and  a green bird. The spine of the book said The National Audubon Society Guide to Eastern Birds. Out of boredom I flipped through the book thinking its was going to be another boring book with out pictures. At that time I only read books that were about insects, spiders, coral reefs and aircraft. As I paged through the book I saw the entry about the Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch, Prairie Warbler, Yellow Warbler and the most colorful of all, the Green Jay and Painted Bunting. After seeing the color photos of these birds I became hooked on bird watching and began reading the book. I found out that some of the birds that I admired were either found in Southern Texas, Southern Florida or are strays that enter from Mexico or West Indies. However, many of the birds were in North Carolina or in most of the United States. I knew the cardinal was the state bird of North Carolina but I did not think there were common and I only remember seeing them at my mom's feeder during the winter. Once I found out that the Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak and even the Painted Bunting can be found in Wilmington North Carolina I began searching our yard for birds. I gave out after several minutes of searching because I could not tell the brown birds and gray birds from each other and there are many brown and gray birds in that book. I went to a class at Halyburton Park (A local park with a education center) that was taught the Cape Fear Audubon Society. I learned the most common backyard birds in the area and when they are in our region. That class helped me find the Cardinal and Indigo Buntings that were abundant but prefer to stay in bushes or trees. That October me and my mom found the hanging platform bird feeder and brought a small bag of wild finch seeds. We waited a week and a male cardinal was the very first visitor to the feeding station. Chickadees, House Finches, Morning Doves and Dark Eyed Juncos began to visit the feeder and our porch. An Evening Grosbeak and some goldfinches arrived that winter along with the first squirrels. Over the years our feeding station has expanded from one tray feeder to several feeders with different types of food. Today our feeder station has a double tube feeder inside a metal cage, a double suet feeder, a sturdy plastic bird table and several ground and treat feeders. Now there is a second feeder station along our driveway and the entire outside area in our yard is a native plant habitat ornamental flower garden and a organic orchard and vegetable garden. Over the years I have participated in Audubon hikes and events and participated in many bird, plant and conservation groups and organizations. I feel that studying and observing birds has helped me to expand my interest and gave me a reason to follow my mom and my sisters idea of restoring and expanding our garden.

Facing the fears of nature

                             Facing the Buzzy Terrors

When I was a kid I always liked to study and observe nature but my fear of bees, wasps, flies and hummingbirds prevented me from going out the enjoy this. I also feared freak lightning storms on summer days. I found out that learning about what I fear helps me face my fear overtime. It took several years and some help from my mother to get me to go to Carolina Beach State Park after the last experience with horse flies and deer flies. After I faced my fears of flying insects and realized that they will not sting unless you provoke them and only horse flies, mosquitoes and deer flies bite i began to admire these insects and provide habitats for them in the garden. Today I build mason bee, Carpenter bee, paper wasp and bumble bee nesting structures to attract these beneficial insects to the yard. All of these insect pollinate the garden and wasp catch caterpillars and aphids that can be detrimental to a vegetable garden. 

First Day WIth Nature

When  I was four years old I was in my backyard with my family in Wilmington NC. My mother and my sister was working on the garden when i saw some insects in the garden. My mom said these were Rolly Pollies and they roll up. Most field guides call these arthropods pillbugs and they are crustaceans. I was fascinated by these insects and began to keep them in jars. The critters did not survive the night and died the next morning. At that time I was afraid of bees, wasp or anything it files but I had an fascination with beekeeping. The noise of the male Carpenter Bees along our wooden fence scared me, especially when they dive after their rivals or a passing person. Later that year I wanted to have an ant farm because I also liked watching ants as they move across the sidewalk. From that year onward I began to enjoy nature and wanted to have a career involving nature.