18 - Friday, October 9, 1992 — North Shore News

HOM

GARDEN

NEWS photo Terry Peters

GOLDFISH COME to the surface of a backyard pond - there are a wide variety of plants avail-

| able that can enhance pond settings. 7
Attract birds with yard feeders

FOR THE amateur bird-
watcher, many an afternoon
is probably spent in a near-
by park or zoo. But why
not view these colorful fly-
ing creatures from your
home by inviting them into
your yard?

Watching birds in your own
yard is an interesting activity that
is both educational for children
and relaxing for adulis.

Learning to identify different
birds and bird songs, recognizing
bird lifestyles, and learning how
and what to feed them can teach
children io care for and respect
wild animals.

And for adults of all ages, wat-
ching birds can provide a calming
end to a hectic day cf work.

Attracting birds to your yard is
simpler, actually, than you may
think. An easy way to do it is to
provide food, especiaily during
fall and winter when natural food
sources become scarce.

Though not difficuit to make,
even a simple bird feeder can be a
time-consuming project. Ornate,
large-scale birdhouses/feeders can
be purchased, but they are costly
and more likely to be used by
long time bird-watchers.

An easier, very inexpensive op-
tion is to buy a prefilled plastic

bird feeder from a nearby garden
centre or hardware store.

These usually come filled with a
well-balanced, nutritious selection
of bird food, including sunflower
seeds, oatineal flakes and crushed
peanuis to attract a wide variety
of song birds.

And, when empty, they can be
refilled or recycled.

Hang feeders properly

After purchasing or making a
bird feeder, scout your yard for
the best areas for hanging the
feeder.

Keep two things in mind while
looking for a place to hang a
feeder: first and most importantly,
look for tall trees, house edgings
or other areas that are out of
reach of mice, squirrels and cats;
second, make sure to hang the
feeder in an area that is easily
seen from the house.

Mice and squirrels are frequent
but uninvited visitors to bird
feeders. They can be kept at bay
by stringing an inverted tin, such
as an empty coffee can, between
the tree and the feeder. To keep
cats from scaring the birds, hang
the feeder from a tree branch that
will support the weight of the
feeder and its bird guests but not
that of the cat.

And don’t hang the feeder too

close to a platform from which a
cat can swipe or lunge for the
birds.

Most avid bird-watchers
recommend two to three bird
feeders per yard to attract a bread
spectrum of bird visitors. And
moving the feeders to different
locations once or twice during the
year keeps returning birds inter-
ested and brings more birds irto
the yard.

Another attraction is to place a
bird-bath in the centre of the
yard. This will give the birds a
place to stop for a quick drink
and it offers them a chance to
relax, clean their feathers and
splash around in the cool water.

Now that your yard is set up
for hours of bird socialization and
recreation, pull up ai chair and
relax,

You may want to buy a guide
to bird-watching that will help
you identify the guests in your
yard and the beautiful sounds they
make.

Regardless, you’re now an ac-
tive bird-watcher. And, as a full-
time participant of this increasing-
ly popular pastime, you are now
entitled to use bird-watching as a
natural outlet for relieving stress,
spending quality time with your
family and enjoying the sights and
sounds of feathered friends.

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