Invite The Birds Back Into Your Yard

The Florida Audubon Society estimates that the populations of our birds have declined by more than 80 percent in the last 50 years. Most of this is due to the gradual reduction of habitat, but as a homeowner you can help tip the scale in the other direction by reducing your lawn area and planting trees and shrubs that provide cover and food for birds.

The guidelines supplied by organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation and Florida’s Extension Service, which permit you to display a “Certified Habitat” sign in your yard (see sidebar on page 102), are useful because having a list of projects to accomplish helps define the process. Of course you can follow the guidelines to provide habitat without the certification and once you get started, you’ll probably wish to expand your habitat anyway, because once you invite birds to your property, you’ll want more – they’re beautiful and entertaining to watch.
To get started, consider these useful tips…

Read the entire article in the January 2009 issue