Gardening for the Birds: Webinars, Podcasts and Stories

 

There has been a lot of bird activity in our yard this summer. The nesting of bluebirds, swallows, robins, wrens and others has been largely successful leaving us in late summer with lots of adolescent birds hanging around. We removed the netting from the blueberry patch because we picked as much as we like, so now the birds can have a summer treat, too. It got me thinking about all the things we do in our yard to encourage birds to come and stay. That’s why the theme of this newsletter is Gardening for the Birds. I highlight two webinars that can help you be a better patron for the birds. My Gardening for the Bird Webinar goes into all the details of what you can do to encourage birds to come and stay in your yard. My Natives, Invasives and Weeds Webinar talks about the trees and shrubs that are invasive in our landscapes, how to control them and what native plants to grow instead. Much of the focus is to create a vibrant ecological habitat for creatures like the birds. Of course, I also have links to free articles on Gardening for the Birds and Removing Invasive Shrubs that can give you taste of these topics.  Look for more information on my website.

 

Until next time I’ll be seeing you, in the garden.

Charlie

 

Gardening for the Birds Webinar

 

 

In this webinar, I talk about how to structure your yard and landscape to be more bird friendly. I talk about the best ways to feed birders using feeders, why native plants are better for birds than exotics and the best trees, shrubs, and vines for natural bird food. But supporting bird life goes beyond food. I also discuss ways to create habitats in your yard to promote bird nesting, the best water sources for birds and supporting bird populations with bird houses and shelters.

 

 

 

 

More on Gardening for Birds…

 

 

Natives, Invasives and Weeds Webinar

 

 

In this webinar, I talk about the plight of our ecosystems succumbing to invasive plants. I first put the emphasis on native plants and why they are important to grow. I talk about some common definitions of native and exotic plants, how to select some good native flowers, shrubs and trees that can fill multiple roles in the landscape and when do you call a plant invasive. Then I launch into invasives and weeds. I discuss how to control annual weeds such as purslane, how to control perennial weeds such as horsetail and gout weed and how to control woody weeds such as buckthorn and poison ivy using organic and safe techniques. How do I relate this to birds in this webinar? I highlight the differences between invasive and native shrubs in terms of berry production and nutrient content as bird food.

 

Learn more about my Natives, Invasives and Weeds Webinar here

 

 

 

Gardening for the Birds Article

 

 

If you’re looking for a short summary of the topic of Gardening for the Birds, check out this article and podcast. It gives you an overview of the gardening practices you can do that will help birds survive, reproduce and thrive.

 

Learn more about my Gardening for the Birds Article here

 

Removing Invasive Shrubs

 

 

One of the key tenets of Gardening for the Birds is growing native shrubs. This article and podcast talks about identifying which shrubs are native and which are invasive, how to remove the invasives and which berry producing natives are best for the birds.

 

Learn more about Removing Invasive Shrubs Article here