Helping out backyard birds

[Donna]

Did I ever tell you the story about a baby hummingbird that wouldn't leave the nest? The tale was told to me by Ron The Plant Man about a time when he was working at South Coast Botanical garden.

For weeks he and crew members watched a baby hummingbird that was growing too big for his nest. Junior refused to leave, no matter how much the mother encouraged him to. Exasperated and ready for her next brood, the mother hummer finally built a new nest 10 feet away. What did Junior do? He finally flew, but only to jump over to the new nest and get it in it.

If there was ever a time of the year when we can be one with the birds, spring is a season when our gardens can make a difference.

How? Don't go crazy with the chainsaw and pruners. Migrating birds will arrive soon and local birds will begin to look for boyfriends. Your back yard will be bursting with important avian activity.

In the next few weeks your shrubs and trees will be abuzz with wrens looking for spiders, bluebirds searching for real estate and orioles on the prowl for wide leaves like banana to build their pouches in. �

"Hummingbirds are already nesting," said Dave Brandt from Wild Birds Unlimited in Mission Viejo. "And tiny hummers can nest as low as 2 feet off the ground."

There are a few ways you can help backyard birds. Best is to leave the birds alone to do what they know how to do. Lay low on the heavy pruning. You never know when you'll be cutting into a nest, even in low-lying shrubs.

Keep your yard free from string, fishing line and Easter grass. Birds are attracted to these kinds of nesting materials, but babies and mommies can get a leg caught and starve.

And don't leave dryer lint out. Birds stick to it when it gets wet. "Cotton batting is a safer nesting material," Brandt said.

All of us have found a baby bird or two on the ground. The question is what to do about it.

If the baby is weeks old and well feathered, it could be that it is just learning to fly. Landing on the ground is not unusual, and chances are mother is nearby encouraging the bird to try again.

If the baby bird is very young and not well feathered, it is perfectly safe to return it to the nest. Sometimes a rambunctious toddler falls out and mother has no way to get it back with the brood safely.

"It's an old wives tale that you can't touch them," Brandt said. �

A bluebird box can help these endangered species tremendously. According to Dick Purvis of the Southern California Bluebird Society, bluebirds have been effectively pushed out of their nesting cavities by European starlings.

What's more, perfect landscapes designed by people also mean that old trees with knotholes are harder to find than ever.

Providing a bluebird nesting box, a box that is specifically designed to allow bluebirds in but keep starlings out, has brought this pretty bird back from the brink. Follow box instructions, as bluebirds are picky about what they need to nurture babies.

And standby for lots more stories about backyard birding. Bird lovers will be pleased to know that the Orange County Register is welcoming a new guest contributor, Jennifer Meyer, who will write a monthly column about backyard birding beginning in March.

Orange County Register

[MAK]

  Lots of good information!