Wild About Wild Life

A Zoologist will refer to a bat as a “chiroptera” which literally means “hand-wing.” If you view their skeleton you will notice that the wing has the skeletal structure of a hand, the difference being , the fingers are elongated. The bat will use these fingers to hold their food.

BAT GROUPS: Now a bat is split into two groups called either Megachiroptera or Microchiroptera, which just means large bat or small bat. The largest bats will have a wingspan around six (6) feet. These are fruit bats. The smallest has a body length of about one (1) inch and weight about as much as a penny. The bat is a mammal and the longest known lifespan of a bat in the wild is approximately 30 years for the little brown bat.

Now as for me, I am not a scientist, teacher or professor. I am just an ordinary person who has done some reading on bats and found them to be very fascinating and not at all what I thought. Because they are not what I expected, I thought I would write a little bit about them and at the same time dispel the rumors and myths associated with the bat.

There are almost a thousand (1000) species of bats with each having its own unique characteristics, features, sizes and foods, much like any other mammal. The bat is the only mammal that is capable of true flight. About 70% of the bats in the world eat insects. Some of the microbats can eat about 300 insects an hour and some can eat about 1000 insects an hour. Think about the advantages of having some bats around when you are having a BBQ and the moths and mosquitoes are out. Better than spraying a bunch of insecticides around that stink and very seldom work for long.

According to some research done by “Bat Conservation International” bat habitats are steadily declining because of man. They are doing active research on man-made bat houses and are having some very good results. One of the results they had from their research was that in central Texas they found that the bats in that area eat approximately two million pounds of insects a night. That is 2,000,000 pounds of insects each night. That is an enormous amount of insects eaten that definitely help the farmers in that area.

THE BAT MYTH: Most people are afraid of bats or have an active dislike of them. All the vampire movies around perpetuate this fear also. There are actually only three (3) “vampire bats” around and they are in South America. These bats do not suck the blood out of their victim, that only happens in the movies. Their usual food source are large animals such as horses, cattle or pigs. What they do is slit the skin with their sharp nails or razor sharp teeth and lap up the blood. A bat will drink approximately one ounce of blood a night. Scientist have found that these bats have a blood thinning agent in their saliva and they are studying this agent to be used in treating humans.

THE RABIES MYTH: Another fear that people have is that all bats are carriers of rabies. A study by the University of Florida has shown that less than ½ of 1% of all bats have rabies. It is more likely that a person will be bitten by a dog or cat that is not vaccinated. Now if a bat is found on the ground, common sense tells you to leave it alone. Bats are not normally found on the ground, so it has probably been injured or is sick. Again, leave it alone.

ECHOLOCATION:  Another story that has been heard is that a bat will gets caught in somebody’s hair.  A bat, using its echolocation, can find a little gnat in the air and grab it for food. Because of its ability to “see” with its echolocation it probably would have no problem missing someone’s hair. Now the big fruit bats, sometimes called ‘flying foxes” and a couple of other bats do not use echolocation. However these are all in the jungles and tropical regions of the world. Anyone in these areas should at least be aware of what is in these places. Another reason for the dislike of bats is that in the olden days bats were thought to be able to communicate with the spirits. This and the fact that bats are night creatures, is why they are used on Halloween and the fact is that some people still believe in the old stories.

Bats help us in many way that most are not even aware of. There are many species that can eat thousands of mosquitoes and crop destroying insects in one evening. Others pollinate many fruits and nuts that we enjoy, such as the vanilla beans, peaches, bananas, avocados, dates, figs, mangoes, cloves, cashews and agave. They also eat the insects that destroy the crops and plants. The guano or bat droppings are some of the richest manures in the world.

Bats account for approximately 25% of the mammals and live on all continents except Antarctica and a few remote islands. Like bears, bats will either migrate to warmer areas or hibernate for the winter. These bats can be helped by man putting up bat houses. They are very picky about their homes. They must roost high enough to avoid predators, the right temperatures to stay warm but not too hot and have food and water nearby.

I hope this has given you a window sketch into the amazing world of bats. They are truly fascinating creatures and great for natural insect control. If you have any questions on bats, please email me at: wildlifehouses@yahoo.com.

For more information on how you can house bats in your neck of the woods, simply visit: http://www.wildlife-houses.com/index.php?cPath=15

As all birders know, binoculars are a very important part of the whole birding experience. Binoculars display bright images and many are the result of fully multicoated optics, working to increase light transmission throughout the optical system. When purchasing a good pair of binoculars, stray away from going with a cheap pair. It has been overwhelmingly proven that birders who purchase low budget binoculars, end up spending more money in the long run. The best thing to do is to put some money aside and get a very good pair of binoculars on the first purchase, rather than spending more money in the end with a drawer full of sub-standard, never used binoculars. Phase correction, a coating on the prism surfaces, further improves the color fidelity, quality, and contrast for sharp imaging that is especially noticeable under low light conditions. Let’s take a look at some features that you should consider when buying a pair of binoculars.

DESIGN:  There are many parts to a set of binoculars and you may not be familiar with the names. You want to make sure that the binoculars are equipped with rugged roof for the prism. Other features to the binoculars would to be sure they are weatherproof, dust proof, an internally fog proof in their design along with an internal focusing mechanism, o-rings at all open points and argon gas purging. This seems like a mouthful doesn’t it? All of this just for a good pair of binoculars.

CASES: When purchasing a good pair of binocs, ensure that it comes with a custom-molded case just for that set. This will provide protection for the binocular when they are not in use. For an easy carry in the field, make sure the carrying case has a clip on the woven nylon neck strap for easy usage.

LENS COVERS: A good set of binoculars should come with two tethered objective lens covers and a one piece rain guard that covers the eyepieces. For convenience, the rain guard should be attached to the neck strap where it is within easy reach of the user. All you have to do is simply  slip the neck strap through the attachment point on the rain guard before connecting the neck strap to the binocular.

Many things can happen while out on your birding adventure. The more protection that you have for your binoculars, the better. You pay a lot of money for these, and it’s best to have all the protection you can so they will out last you!! Waterproof binoculars are best for those that may need to cross streams to get to a higher point for vision and or to move to a different camp site. There are various precautions you can do to protect your small binoculars for later usage.

ADJUSTING THE EYE CUPS: The eye cup adjustment is a very, very important part of your birding experience. It is more than just focusing the lenses, but there is a proper way in which to do so in order for you to maximized vision from your binoculars. Most all eye cups on binoculars twist up and down so any viewer can take advantage of the long eye relief and enjoy comfortable, full-field viewing.

If you’re wearing eye glasses or sunglasses, you should retract the eye cups. If you are not wearing eye glasses, then you should extend the eye cups. The twist-up eye cups are built on a solid frame, tapered to fit the contour of the eye, and covered with rubber.

ADJUSTING THE IPD (Interpupillary Distance): The interpupillary distance (IPD) is the distance between the centers of the left and right eye pupils. Match the IPD of you eyes to that of the binocular by rotating the binocular barrels inward or outward until you see a single image that is free of shading.

FOCUSING THE BINOCULAR: One of the best ways to focus the binocular is to choose an object that is about 20 yeards away from you and follow this two-step process to properly adjust the focus. Be sure to stay in the same spot until you have adjusted both the center focus and diopter.

• ADJUST THE CENTER FOCUS:  Start by closing your right eye or covering the right objective lens with your hand. Focus your left eye on the object and adjust the center focus wheel until the image is in focus. Leave the center focus in this position as you adjust the diopter.
• ADJUST THE DIOPTER:  Start by closing your left eye, or covering the left objective lens with your hand. Look through your right eye and adjust the diopter (ring found on the right eyepiece) until the object is in focus. Make not of this diopter setting in case you need to set it again. From this point on, you will only need to use the center focus dial.

CARING FOR THE LENSES:  Maintain the optical brilliance of your binoculars by keeping the lens surfaces free of dirt, oils, and dust. Don’t forget to make good use of the rain guards and tethered objective lens covers to protect the lenses when not viewing. Also make sure you store the binoculars in your carrying case when they are not in use.

Remove any dust or grit from lenses before wiping. Use a can o pressurized air or soft camel hair brush like an acrylic optical brushes. They work quite well.

Clear lenses of smudges, fingerprints, or eyelash oil. fog the lenses with your own breath and wipe them with the non-abrasive lens cloth included with the binoculars. Other cleaning options include cleaning fluid and optical paper can also be used. However, you should never use facial tissue, heavy cotton, or flannel clothing on lenses. These materials can scratch the lens surfaces.

This should help you get along when purchasing, caring for and viewing your binoculars. One brand that is very good all the way around is a company called Vortex. Vortex builds their optics based on past and present customer satisfaction. They also carry what they call a VIP – Very Important Person. Should your binoculars require  service, regardless of why, they will repair or replace the binocular at no charge to you.

Best to you as you head out on your birding adventure. For more information on where you can purchase a good pair of binoculars, simply visit www.wildlife-houses.com . Happy Birding!!!!

Wishing You And Your Families A Very Happy And Safe Thanksgiving!

From The Birdhouse Guy

We’ve heard the song, “Who’s that doggie in the window“. We’ll maybe you are singing, “Who’s the birdie at my feeder”. This is a big question that runs through many of those who have set up feeders in their backyard network. Don’t be discouraged. In my experience, the most expert of birders are great companions in bringing along those who are beginning. This may be you. It takes time to identify birds as some of them do look fairly similar, especially from a distance. We hope that this article will help you to better identify birds at your bird feeding station.

To identify wild birds is an art in and of itself. But with persistent practice, you will be able to identify wild birds too. The challenge of being able to identify wild birds is one of the thrills of most bird watcher’s. The art can be very overwhelming and, at times, frustrating, but there are some great tips to help you with the challenges that come with identifying birds in your backyard.

There are not only tips in wild bird identification, but also some questions that you will want to ask yourself when you come upon an unidentifiable bird in your neck of the woods.

1. Looking At A Bird.  The most important piece of advise that I could give any beginning birder, when identifying an unfamiliar bird is to look at the bird and not at the bird identification guide in your pocket. I’m not saying that you should not pack one, you should, but that shouldn’t be the first thing you flip to.  One good reason, among a few, is that by the time you get your handy, dandy bird guidebook out, the bird may be long gone, but you will still have your field guide. Get a quick impression of the bird you are trying to identify and ask yourself some questions.

• What the the most noticeable thing about this bird? How big is the bird? Three features you should notice right away are:   Appearance (color), Size and Shape.  For an example you could take the Cardinal. Right away you would see that he is read, black, medium tall with a fairly squared top head.  A general impression of the avian visitor you are observing is a great starting point in  identifying back yard birds, or any other bird for that matter.
• Bird Bills ~ Experts have taught to pay particular attention to the birds bill. Bill shape and size often indicate to which family a bird belongs. A bird family has been defined as, “Made up of bird species that are closely related and share many characteristics“.  An example of this would be the sparrow. They have short, thick bills. Mockingbirds have long, thin bills, and typically have a downward curve to them.
• Bird Wings ~ Is the back of the bird darker or lighter than the head or the belly? Are there spots, streaks? What is the pattern of the wing notches, and color of the primaries on the upper wing? Wing Bars, which are the pale tips of greater and median secondary coverts on the wing. Are the wing bars present or not?

Flight patterns are another way to identify birds in your backyard network. Some birds, such as finches and woodpeckers, rise and fall as they intersperse flapping with gliding. Their flight patterns differ from, say, birds of prey. They tend to have their own flight style. Red-tailed Hawks fly with deep, regular wing beats or soar in circles on broad wings. Whereas the Sharp-shinned Hawk give just a few stiff flaps and then glide. Falcons fly with powerful beats of their sharply pointed wings. I think you get the idea. Once a bird launches, you can get a feel for what kind of bird it is simply by attitude, rhythm and movement. Do they bounce, or glide? What is their approach to a feeder? Like the robin, who will bounce up to a perches verses the mockingbird who flutter’s when they come upon a perch.

The ideas of identifying birds are endless and we certainly would not be able to post them all here. I hope that some of the traits to look for when you are bird watching, will help give you some points to look for when identifying birds. Remember that you should try and identify the bird first, before breaking out your hand book. The bird may soon be gone, but your hand book will be with you for the remainder of the trip. Let us know what types of birds you have spotted in your neck of the world by contacting me at: www.wildlifehouses.com

As always, Happy Birding to you and yours from The Birdhouse Guy!

Many of us pride ourselves in home made goodies. It’s fun to make home made goodies for our local avian friends as well. Whether it’s bird suet, artificial cavities, or hummingbird food, it can be very fun and challenging to prepare a tasty meal for those we are wanting to attract – birds. There are, however, some things to think about when learning how to make hummingbird nectar.

When considering hummingbird feeding, one thing to be mindful of is cloudiness in your hummingbird feeder. This “cloudiness” is caused by nasty bacterial development, which can be expedited by warm sunshine piercing its shiny rays into your feeder, thus hitting the slowly fermenting hummingbird food formula, better known as sugar water.  A good starting point for this bacteria to take root is when your water and solution harbor impurities. This fungus can formulate in the sugar water, where you may not find it as much in your wild bird feed.

One of the ways to slow the process of fungal activity when feeding hummingbirds is to add the sugar in boiling water. At this point, you’ll want to wait until the water comes to a boil before turning off the heat and letting the solution cool down to room temperature.  Should you have any remaining hummingbird food mix left, you certainly will want to refrigerate it.

A few additional tips that will help to maintain your humming bird feeders and the solution they behold.

• Fill your feeders with just enough solution for a day or two so that the humming birds will drink it before it spoils
• When cleaning your hummingbird feeder parts, soak them in hot, soapy water each time before refilling them. There are special brushes and pipe cleaners to help you reach those place that are hard to get to.
• When considering a bird feeder location, placing your hummingbird feeders out of the sun and into a shady area. This helps to keep fungus and bacteria from taking advantage of your feeder.

For more information on Hummzinger hummingbird feeders, hanging or window hummingbird feeders, simply visit:  www.wildlife-houses.com

It has been said, that if anyone desires a wish to come true they must first capture a butterfly and whisper that with to it.  Since a butterfly cannot make a sound, they cannot reveal the wish to anyone but the Creator. So according to the legend, by making a wish and giving the butterfly its freedom, the wish will be taken to the heavens and be granted.

There has been much butterfly pictures and information, as well as books about butterflies. Interests include, but are not limited to butterfly and caterpillar, Monarch butterfly photos, to questions about butterflies. Although they seem very fragile, they are indeed very sturdy and one of the most ubiquitous creatures on the planet. If you’re on a hunt for the greatest variety of butterflies, look no further than the rain forests of the Amazon basin, but they also live in the deserts, in the vast and treeless area’s of the arctic tundra and also can be found in your neck of the woods or in your backyard!

If you can believe it, there are about 20,000 kinds of butterflies! That’s an incredible number isn’t it! I want to know who the guy or gal is that took the time to count them all. This accounts for nearly twice as many butterfly species than bird species. There are many kinds of butterfly species, but the most diverse cycle of butterflies can be found in Central and South America with on or about 7,500 species alone! That is a whole lot of different types of butterflies isn’t it?

According to Jeffrey Glassberg, there are roughly 4 different types of butterfly behavior that you will find when hunting for or observing these beautiful little creatures. Lets take a look at a few of them here, shall we?

• Basking ~ Did you know that butterflies are cold blooded? There little bodies depend on ambient ( Mixture of moisture and particulate matter in the earth). When it’s cold out side butterflies, like you and me, want to get warm, therefore they begin to employ two different basking strategies. What are those strategies you ask? Well, one is to land on a rock in the sunshine and open up their beautiful wings. This allows the sun beams to warm them up! There is another type of basking, called lateral basking! Have you ever heard of such a thing? This is where the butterflies do the opposite of the first exercise. They actually close their wings as they bask in the sunshine, tilting their bodies toward the suns rays.
  

  (©PeterMacdiarmid/GettyImages)

• Hilltopping ~ Hilltops are a great place for butterflies to meet other singles! Yes, singles! Concerning butterfly mating, it is a great social place for these little creatures believe it or not. the males of many of the butterfly species, can be found high atop a hill in the local area. Males, in turn, look for some pretty girls to scout out some handsome boys. You catch the drift here?
• Mud Puddling ~ The cycle of butterflies includes congregating at damp areas. Especially the male butterflies. This is a way for them to retrieve nutrients because they imbibe salts along with the water. Other ways that the butterfly can do this is by taking nutrients from dead animal carcasses of even from animal scat.
• Territories ~ As with other creatures or animals, butterfly male species are known to stake out territories, which they patrol by flying back and forth in a given area. Something we may not have guessed with these little, precious, harmless butterflies is their objective. You’d think the primary objective would be to drive away other males of the same species. Well, believe it or not, some aggressive individuals will “attack” all butterflies or even birds. WOW! Vicious little things, aren’t they?

Many people have asked the question, “How long does an adult butterfly live”? some small blues may live less than a week, while large brush-footed butterflies, such as the mourning cloaks and monarch butterflies, may live up to  about nine months. Most adult butterflies can live about two to four weeks, if they do not fall victim to predators such as birds, lizards, praying mantises and spiders.

For more information helps on butterflies, simply visit:  http://tinyurl.com/6k7mm2x

If you have planted a garden and or have a pond or water attraction built into your backyard network, then you are well aware of the fact that these items also attract the unwelcome pests like bugs and mosquitoes. The first think people may do is expend some sort of common pesticides or pesticide poisoning. There are many, many good reasons to NOT use these chemical pesticides to rid your yard and garden of pests and bugs.

Nature has a built in pest elimination system. Wild birds and bats are natures best pest control companies to control pests. Insects play a major role in the cycle of nature, from the largest to the smallest of backyard networks. Other people may hire pest control services using pest control products which can to eternal damage to the plants, animals and even family members as well. One of the major problems chemical pesticides verses the organic pesticides is that they really don’t know when to stop destroying and killing. It’s like winding up a mechanical destroyer from a science fiction movie that has not emotion, will or decision making capacity. All it knows it “engage me and I will kill”.

With this destruction going on, what happens is that natural and beneficial insects will be destroyed, which may give rise to a more difficult pest problem, especially if you just sprayed and killed the insects natural insect predators. Pesticide use will continue to lessen as gardeners and planters are mindful of the great benefits of natural pest control and stay away from traditional pesticide use. If you’re trying to get total elimination of your pest control problems, you never will. Chemical pesticides may dissolve the problem temporarily, however if a formerly sprayed pest returns to your neck of the woods, they may be more resistant to chemical pesticides in the future.

It’s also to keep in mind that electric bug zappers also work in the same way of the pesticides albeit different in the fact that you are not spraying, but are still eliminating a very rich resource for local birds and bats to munch on. One thing that people fail to realize is how the bug zapper works and how they fail to attract the intended targets – mosquitoes! Here’s why. Electronic bug zappers work by attracting insects that are looking for a mate at night and are attracted to light.

A mosquito on the other hand, find their nightly meal of blood from mammals by smelling the carbon monoxide that all mammals exhale. They are not attracted to light and therefore miss being killed by these bug zapping devices.

If you want to engage in do it yourself pest control, set up some bat roosts in your yard along with some artificial bird cavities. This will enhance your backyard net work, naturally control pests and incorporate natural pollination in your yard as well.

Now that we are in full swing with our wild bird feeding stations and artificial cavities, it’s a good time to be thinking about how to maintain a clean and healthy area for your bird feeding station. Whether you have installed tube bird feeders or a wood bird feeder housing your wild bird feed, good area beautification and feeder maintenance is always a plus! Let’s take a look at some of the things that we can do to keep a healthy and clean bird feeding station.

Give Hanging Feeders A Good Shake Before Refilling: If bird feed or other bird seed like thistle and the like is compacted in the bottom, pour it out and thoroughly clean up your bird feeder. You can use anything from a spoon and spatula which is perfect for removing old seed from your platform, tube bird feeders and hopper feeders before refilling.

To Clean Bird Feeders, Remove All Old Seed: There is a nice skill to this one. Simply soak feeders in a light water/ bleach solution – 9 parts water to 1 part bleach and scrub well. You can use a bottle brush to clean tube feeders. After the cleaning, simply rinse and allow to dry thoroughly before refilling. This is big in glass bird feeders as well.

Contamination Issues : To avoid contamination, limit ground-feeding directly below the hanging bird feeders and/ or perches as well. Be sure to frequently rotate ground- feeding areas as well.

Rake Up Time: As you well know, when wild birds begin to really “dig in” at your feeding station, husks and hulls from the bird seed will accumulate below your wild bird feeding area. You want to keep an eye on this and ensure that you rake and remove these hulls and droppings. In the stead of these, after the raking is complet, simply spread bark or wood mulch below the bird feeders. These areas become highly soiled and the need to replace with new mulch is a must when endeavoring to keep and maintain a healthy and clean bird feeding station.

Weatherproof Feeders: Whether you live in the south where it can be extremely humid, or in the north west where the climate is soggy and wet, be attentive to what you weather situations are in your neck of the woods. In humid or wet conditions, you should consider only feeding from weatherproof feeders. You need to check frequently for mold. There are a few ways to prevent this. One is to only put out as much wild bird feed as will be eaten in one day. The other idea is that you can pick up some products on the market that can be put in the feeder, with the bird feed, that will control the mold content in the feeder. Please be attentive to this as it can make your birds sick and or they will not return to that feeder.

Personal Hygiene: Last, but not least, take care of YOU!! Be sure to thoroughly wash your hands, with soap and warm water, after handling and cleaning your bird feeders. This will help stop the propagation or spreading of potential disease that may be hidden in your feeder.

We hope great success for you and your avian friends this season as you feed and build up your backyard network. As of this writing, we are building a bird sanctuary with feeders, flowers, trails, artificial bird cavities, pond and brush piles. I hope to post some cool pictures of before and after when we complete this. Have fun, be safe and don’t forget your sun screen!

For more information on bird feeders and bird seed, visit www.wildlife-houses.com Happy Birding!

Bird seeds have been a major staple for wild birds forever. Now days, it is pretty easy to set out bird seed and or buy bulk bird seed. Awhile back, the only seed that was really available was sunflower bird seed. They had the thick-shelled seed with a gray stripes going down them. Since then, black-oil sunflower seed has been the big hit since back in the days. We want to look at what the scoop is with wild bird seed, whether you are buying the seed or if you want to go more natural, by growing the seed yourself. Here’s the scoop!

Grow Your Own Birdseed:  If you take the time to plant bird seed in your backyard, it will grow and produce more bird seed. One of the most famous forms of seed growth is the sunflower plants. However, there is another type of bird seed that you may not have considered and that is the safflower. With its spiky stems and prolific seed production, you’ll really enjoy the amount of bird seed that just one plant produces. Many people leave these flowers in the field for the birds to enjoy. Then there are others, who take the challenge and harvest safflower and sunflowers and store them in a cool, dry place until they need it for winter bird feeding. Some other seed producing plants that you may want to add flax, marigolds and poppies to the mix as well.

Black-Oil Sunflower Seed: These seem to be a bit more popular now days than the traditional sunflower seeds. These are smaller and have a thin, papery shell that produces to the smaller bills of sparrows, goldfinches and juncos.  A good idea is to crack the wild bird seed before you buy as they could contain something called Indian-flour moth larvae. Ensure that the shells are well filled and free of insects.

Sunflower Seed: Consider sunflower hearts as a part of your wild bird feeding program in your backyard network. Just about every bird species will east sunflower bird seed at your posted feeding stations. Hull-less sunflower hearts are a real good feed for the weak billed birds as well such as Siskins and Wrens. Remember that sunflower hearts are 100% edible and they last much longer in a feeder than the black-oil bird seed. They can become quickly waterlogged, so make sure that you only put the hearts in suspended feeders or in open feeders so that they stay attractive to the wild birds.

Mixed Seeds: Lastly mixed seeds or also known as wild bird mix, is a vital ingredient of a feeding program. All mixes can be different. Ensure that you know what kind of bird you are trying to feed. Niger, or thistle seed is a good seed if you want to bypass germination and it not becoming a weed when it hits the ground. Goldfinches are attracted to these as well.

I hope you will be successful in attracting the kinds of wild birds in your neck of the woods. Now you know the scoop on sunflower bird seed and wild bird seed as well. For more information on how you can order your bird seed on-line, visit:  www.wildlife-houses.com/index.php?cPath=17&page=2

Happy Bird Feeding To You From The Birdhouse Guy!

Sometimes we find that we have a little time on our hands and/or we are wanting to do something with our hands. There are some simple and cool ideas for building up your backyard network without taking a lot of time and money. We want to explore some of these things that will benefit your well being, as well as the well being of your local wild birds and wild life in your neck of the woods. I hope you find these beneficial in your “free” time. Happy Gardening!

Start Your Own Nursery – This is something easy and once you get it going, will be self sufficient. All you do is set up a tilled soil area and string a line between two mounted poles. The idea is that your local avian birds will fly in, land on the line after feeding. We know that many local wild birds eat seeds. Some out of your feeders, no doubt as well. As these eaten seeds make their way through the birds’ system, they will defecate, or “poop”, into your newly tilled area. This natural process will allow you to reap some really cool benefits. Like getting more plants to grow in that area! What you are doing is what is called “manipulating the system”, but in a natural way, by getting the birds to drop the seeds where you want them. You are using the laws of nature to bring about a garden in your favor! Brilliant isn’t it?

We have all done figuring by percentage haven’t we. Well this works no different. When you till and expose the soil below the wire, you are increasing the percentage of seeds that will germinate. When you couple that thought with the laws of nature, in a few months, you can transplant these seedlings to other areas of your backyard network. So in essence, you and the local wild birds have made it possible to plant and transfer plants naturally!  There are a few things to be aware of when doing this and they are: 1. String the wire above head height and away from any paths that you or others may use. 2. Watch your seedlings for invasive non- native plants such as: Russian Olive and Japanese Honeysuckle as they will quickly take over your yard.

For more information on how you can get ideas for your backyard network, simply visit:  www.tinyurl.com/3r8htj3

Happy Gardening!