Birds bring delight to our spaces as they animate the garden with their songs and antics. They’re also beneficial because they prey on pest insects. Our staff birding expert Dan Alexander will discuss plants that will provide a bird-friendly habitat. Join us for this informative Webinar!
Outline
Understanding gardening’s impact on birds
- Choosing a gardening aesthetic impacts wildlife
- What the garden provides to birds
- How to encourage the garden to provide resources
- No-no’s
Classes of Birds in the garden
- Resident birds in the Bay Area
- Migratory Birds
- Non-native Birds
Appreciating the importance of insects, arachnids in the garden
- What do birds eat?
- How to encourage a healthy mix of insects
Fungi, other parasites (Mistletoe) and lichens are important, too
- Food
- Construction materials
Trees
- Native Oaks are number 1
- Yes, you can grow Madrone in your garden
- Other trees
Shrubs
- Toyon
- Manzanita
- Ceanothus
- Ribes
- Berberis
- Mahonia
- Non-Native
Vines
- Native grape (bonus: Fall color)
- Pipevine (Bonus: butterflies)
- Clematis
- Honeysuckles
Grasses and Flowers
- Wildflower tubs
- Seed mixes
- Seed Balls
- Seed sources
- Plant in the Fall
- Planting native grasses from seed
Further Reading
- A good bird guide book (I use The Sibley Guide to Birds but there are many good ones. Online guides or apps on your phone can be helpful too. The Merlin bird ID app from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is particularly good.
- Sloat Garden Center: www.sloatgardens.com/learn
- Douglas W. Tallamy, Nature’s Best Hope Timber Press (2019)
- Douglas W. Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home Timber Press (2007)
- Judith Larner Lowry, Gardening With a Wild Heart U.C. Press (1999)
- Judith Larner Lowry, The Landscaping Ideas of Jays UC Press (2007)
- Kate Marianchild, Secrets of the Oak Woodlands (Heyday 2013)
- Home Ground Habitats: http:www.homegroundhabitats.org
- Birds observed at Regional Parks Botanical Garden in Tilden Park, Berkeley: https//nativeplants.org/birds-in-the-garden/ 10. California Native Plant Society: www.cnps.org 11. Larner Seeds: www.larnerseeds.com
