We would like to introduce our visitors' backyard habitats! If you have a backyard habitat that we haven't recognized, please send us an e-mail to tell us about your garden so we can share it with everyone and to hopefully encourage others to create their own backyard habitat.
Karrel and Jeff Buckingham - Florida
Karrel
has put together a beautiful
website so
that we can explore her backyard habitat with her.
J. Sutter - The Coast of Maine
My backyard habitat is well established. There are some woods and a salt
water river along one side, a brook with a swampy area through the middle and an
open 11 acre field. There is a big pine tree close to the house, as well as
shade trees.
There are numerous sunflower feeders, suet feeders, thistle feeders, four bird baths, many blossoming trees and flowers. There are also oriole and hummingbird feeders and fresh orange halves. They are here summer and winter, it doesn't matter. Not all of them, but birds of some sort. Also, three old crows have come looking for corn and dry bread for several years.
There are milkweeds that the monarch butterflies like, as well as other flowers.
During our dinner a few nights ago we watched a zillion yellow finches, chickadees, nuthatches, purple finches, hairy and downy woodpeckers, bobolinks, juncos, grackles, starlings, sparrows, tree swallows and then along came two rose-breasted male grosbeaks, the mama grosbeak, followed a few minutes later by the male cardinal, and to top the whole thing off two male orioles arrived. And I nearly forgot all the red-winged blackbirds, who love the swampy area, and the gentle mourning doves, that I like to hear coo. They have bath time at night and all day, too.
There are numerous other birds. One of the funniest was the mocking bird who started his mating dance on the roof. He would sing and then he would hop up in the air. He went from the roof to the top of the flag pole, still singing and dancing. I don't know if he was successful, but he certainly was putting on a good show!
Once in a while we see the peregrine falcons and eagles. Not eating at the feeder, but the hawks can certainly riddle a bird in a hurry.
I am sure I have omitted some of the birds, like the bluebirds that are just down the road. We have bluebird boxes and have had them several times, but the sparrows got the boxes this year. At least they eat mosquitos.
Too bad I can't deduct bird food from my income tax! They do become pretty dependent.
Jeanne
I love to garden but I work too so I don't have as much time as
I would like to spend in our yard. Our lot is 60' x 120'. We have a garage
24'x26' and a 2 bedroom home. The rest of the yard is filled in every crack and
cranny with trees, flowers and bird baths, including a pond 24"x 8' x 17'.
I have planted a butterfly bush, corn flowers, 4 Aspens, a white birch tree, a
pear tree, a plum tree, 2 grape vines, trumpet vine and other things that I
think the butterflies and birds would like. I have also made butterfly (2) and
bird houses (15) for the yard and every one of them are full of birds. We have
also seen different butterflies coming and going. In the early mornings our
yard is full of birds singing and flying about bringing the chicks food and I
have seen so many cute and funny things going on. We have about 39 goldfish (6"-10")
in the pond and 3 Koi along with a couple of bull frogs and I have seen dragon
flies come to visit at many different times. The Grandchildren love to feed the
fish and watch the birds. Our yard is small but very busy and I enjoy it very
much!
L. Jones
We live in the suburbs of Louisville, Ky. You wouldn't believe
my backyard. Our house is 20 years old. We built it and everything in the
backyard we put there. We have two fish ponds with 28 goldfish that are five
years old. Two bird baths, four birdfeeders, a peanut feeder for the squirrels,
three butterfly bushes, lots of hostas and lirope. We get all kinds of birds
from the very common robin and cardinal to hummingbirds and rose-breasted
grossbeaks. I was standing in the yard, watering the cardinal creeper vine a
few days ago and a hummingbird came within two feet of me. I also have
chipmunks, about six or eight raccoons that eat on my front porch at night and
two baby oppossums. I can't imagine ever moving from here. From the front our
house it looks like any other subdivision house. In the back it is an escape to
nature.
Coy, Sharon, & Tami Staton
My
parents bought a home a few years back that was completely barren both front and
backyards. The only thing they had was grass. Since that time they have added
many trees (including fruit tress), shrubs, bird feeders, bird bathes, a
fountain and plenty of bird houses. In fact my father has found a new hobby in
making alot of the houses himself. Yesterday my mother counted at least 15
different types of birds in their backyard. They recently bought the home next
door that I live in and that was as equally barren as their home and we have
combined back yard and are beginning the project of making my home and friendly
for the birds as theirs. This also brings plenty of pleasure to my 4 year old
daughter who has come to love the birds and gardening as much as her Mother and
Grandparents.
Tami Staton
Ashdown, AR
Barb Kelley
I have one half of an
acre at the edge of woods, that is cleared. It includes: 250 gallon pond with
waterfall and fountain, 2 bird baths, hickory, oak, and other full sized trees,
small service berry, crabapple and magnolia trees. Also plantings of butterfly
bush, rose garden, dropmore scarlet honeysuckle vine, hollyhocks, sweetpeas,
zinnias, bee balm, yarrow, astilbe, mountain laurel, hosta, and many more. It
contains 3 hanging bird feeders with mixed seed, black sunflower, striped
sunflower, and thistle seed. Also 3 hummingbird feeders, 1 platform
birdfeeder, 1 purple martin house, 3 wren houses, and 3 blue bird houses. Also
2 deer feeding stations.
