I get asked frequently, "What can I do to get birds of prey to come to my yard?"
My short answer is this: Nothing. There's not one single thing that will make raptors come hang out in your yard. If the food is there, they will be there, too.
And here's the long answer:
There are many things that you can avoid doing, to help the local wildlife.
*Pesticides: Don't use them. Introducing poison to the environment makes the whole food chain fall apart. If you poison the insects, smaller birds and animals (bats, for example) who need them for food will go without. Moving up the food chain, the larger birds and animals who need the smaller ones for food will go without.
Using pesticides can also destroy the populations of beneficial insects, the ones who control the populations of the damaging insects. Then, there is a boom in damaging insects, and then you need more pesticides. See how it works?
*Fertilizers: Don't use them. Why encourage your grass to grow faster and thicker, only to have to mow it more frequently? And fertilizers have a bad habit of not staying right where they are placed. After a heavy rain, fertilizers will run down into nearby streams and ponds, causing an algae bloom, killing off fish by cutting off the oxygen supply, which cuts off the food supply for animals and birds who eat fish (Bald eagles, osprey,etc.) BALANCE.
*Dead or dying trees: Don't cut them down if they aren't endangering your house.
Here's a short list of birds who use cavities to nest in:
Woodpeckers
Chickadees
Tufted titmice
Barred owls
Screech owls
Saw-whet owls
Barn owls
American kestrels
Wood ducks
Bluebirds
Swallows
Wrens
Nuthatches
In fact, there are 85 species of birds in North America who use cavities, not to mention all the mammals. And since the majority of cavity nesters are insectivorous, they play an important role in controlling the populations of tree bark-eating pests. Once again, it's all about the balance.
Your lawn: Don't trim it completely. Leaving areas overgrown, even in small portions, can help the populations of prey animals, i.e. mice, rats, snakes, insects etc. A tidy, perfect lawn will not attract anything. Prey animals need the cover of tall grasses and brush piles, and if the prey animals are not there, the larger predators (Raptors!) will not be there either. And perfect, pristine lawns are boring and no fun to look at. If you shudder to think about prey animals, such as mice, being near your house, plan an area away from buildings and fill it with native plants. Create a brush pile when you trim your bushes and trees.
Example: On our property, which is in a subdivision, we have allowed a large area to grow tall, and have added native plants and we also have numerous brush piles. (we call it the "prairie experiment). And we have been rewarded with 6 raptor species...barred owl, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and Cooper's hawk.
Humans as a species have really messed things up. We alter the environment to suit our needs, with very little thought to the needs of wildlife. Think about what you are doing, before you do it. Local changes don't stay local. Do some good for nature.
Start today.
My short answer is this: Nothing. There's not one single thing that will make raptors come hang out in your yard. If the food is there, they will be there, too.
And here's the long answer:
There are many things that you can avoid doing, to help the local wildlife.
*Pesticides: Don't use them. Introducing poison to the environment makes the whole food chain fall apart. If you poison the insects, smaller birds and animals (bats, for example) who need them for food will go without. Moving up the food chain, the larger birds and animals who need the smaller ones for food will go without.
Using pesticides can also destroy the populations of beneficial insects, the ones who control the populations of the damaging insects. Then, there is a boom in damaging insects, and then you need more pesticides. See how it works?
*Fertilizers: Don't use them. Why encourage your grass to grow faster and thicker, only to have to mow it more frequently? And fertilizers have a bad habit of not staying right where they are placed. After a heavy rain, fertilizers will run down into nearby streams and ponds, causing an algae bloom, killing off fish by cutting off the oxygen supply, which cuts off the food supply for animals and birds who eat fish (Bald eagles, osprey,etc.) BALANCE.
*Dead or dying trees: Don't cut them down if they aren't endangering your house.
Here's a short list of birds who use cavities to nest in:
Woodpeckers
Chickadees
Tufted titmice
Barred owls
Screech owls
Saw-whet owls
Barn owls
American kestrels
Wood ducks
Bluebirds
Swallows
Wrens
Nuthatches
In fact, there are 85 species of birds in North America who use cavities, not to mention all the mammals. And since the majority of cavity nesters are insectivorous, they play an important role in controlling the populations of tree bark-eating pests. Once again, it's all about the balance.
Your lawn: Don't trim it completely. Leaving areas overgrown, even in small portions, can help the populations of prey animals, i.e. mice, rats, snakes, insects etc. A tidy, perfect lawn will not attract anything. Prey animals need the cover of tall grasses and brush piles, and if the prey animals are not there, the larger predators (Raptors!) will not be there either. And perfect, pristine lawns are boring and no fun to look at. If you shudder to think about prey animals, such as mice, being near your house, plan an area away from buildings and fill it with native plants. Create a brush pile when you trim your bushes and trees.
Example: On our property, which is in a subdivision, we have allowed a large area to grow tall, and have added native plants and we also have numerous brush piles. (we call it the "prairie experiment). And we have been rewarded with 6 raptor species...barred owl, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and Cooper's hawk.
Humans as a species have really messed things up. We alter the environment to suit our needs, with very little thought to the needs of wildlife. Think about what you are doing, before you do it. Local changes don't stay local. Do some good for nature.
Start today.
