Birds entertain while helping gardeners

Few creatures can be both as wondrous and as pesky as birds. From the beautiful and agile hummingbird that graces the summer flower garden to the first robin in the spring, birds are a welcomed sight to most gardeners and outdoors lovers. Throughout a long Maine winter, birds can serve as a refuge — a reminder that life flourishes gracefully, however harsh the northern New England climate.

Attracting birds to the landscape is a yearlong hobby that reaps great reward. Not only are birds pleasant to watch throughout the winter months, but they serve as pollinators and as insect and weed control during the summer months.

The ability of birds to control insect pests in our garden provides for an interesting analysis of garden ecology. Research has shown that birds consume as much as 90 percent of a given cabbage moth population. Think about it: no exposure to pesticides, no additional work for the gardener, no environmental damage and food for the birds to boot! Studies have shown that the use of pesticides in a similar situation only provides 95 percent pest control. In addition, by using pesticides we run the risk of acquiring pesticide resistance in the insects. Fortunately for gardeners, insects don’t become resistant to birds.

In her book “Silent Spring,” Rachel Carson discusses the damage to the environment that has been provoked by the abundant use of pesticides. She cites one of the signals of this damage as the loss of birds (as demonstrated by the lack of birds’ songs in the spring). Well, we can aid in the conservation and preservation of these creatures right in our own back yards.

Birds are attracted to landscapes because one or more of their three basic requirements for sustaining life are provided for: water, food and-or shelter. Some of these basic needs may already be provided for in your landscape. Others may be easily added on. Trees, shrubs, flowers and homemade shelters can bring the benefits of birds to you and your garden.

Birds enjoy the fruits, nuts and seeds generated by many trees and shrubs. Some trees and shrubs that birds dine on can provide delightful additions to the landscape, while others, such as the staghorn sumac, can get unruly if not carefully maintained. Crabapples, hawthorns and mountain ashes provide food for multiple species of birds and provide us with the benefits of beautiful spring flowers and colorful fall clusters of fruits.

Vine and shrub berries are the preference of many birds. Bayberry, Japanese barberry and Virginia creeper add to the landscape as well. Shrubs such as the rugosa rose, Russian olive, snowberry and viburnum provide excellent habitat for birds year-round.

If shelter is what you would rather provide for your feathered friends, a trip to the library will help you determine what size and shape nesting boxes are required for various birds. If you have primarily one species of bird on your property, you may also want to research that species before you choose a spot to place the nest. Terrain can play an important role in whether or not birds choose to reside in your homemade nest.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Please send your horticultural questions to: Gardening Questions, 1243 State St., Veazie 04401.