Our yard is also home to a number of animals, including squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and the occasional oppossum. We have purposely maintained a wildlife friendly environment by providing shelter, water and food. Shelter is provided not only by the many trees and bushes, but birdhouses and some brush piles as well. Plantings include many species which provide fruits and seeds well into fall and winter.
A list of visitors to our yard reads like a backyard birder's who's who. During the year, we see Starlings, Grackles, Cowbirds, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Mockingbirds, Catbirds, Robins, House Sparrows, White-Throated Sparrows, Juncos, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Hummingbirds, Carolina and House Wrens, Red-Bellied and Downey Woodpeckers, Flickers, Sapsuckers, House Finches, Goldfinches, Chickadees, Titmice, Crows, Cardinals, Blue Jays and the occasional Red-Shouldered and Red-Tailed Hawk. Occasional visitors have been a Fox Sparrow, Towhee, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow Warbler.
A Catbird stops for a drink and a bath on our patio
The birdbath is heated in the winter and has a constant drip the rest of the year. We also have numerous birdfeeders of various types, to attract as many species of birds as possible. Some hold black-oil sunflower seeds, some hold mixed seed, some hold thistle, some hold safflower and some hold suet. Amazingly, we seem to be holding our own against the multitude of squirrels which live around us, though we're not doing as well against the ever-present Starlings! The Chipmunks and Rabbits get their share, as well. Did I mention Pigeons? Those rats with feathers? Unfortunately, we have them too. The Crows, too, are becoming an increasing presence. However, if there are any Grackles around, they will drive the Crows away.