Wildlife Sanctuary Attracting Wildlife
The Brooks Bird Club signs declaring a property as a Wildlife Sanctuary are posted in every county of West Virginia, every state in the US, Canada and the Virgin Islands. This constitutes over 100,000 acres of land that are being protected and, with added improvements of providing food, water and shelter for the living creatures already there, the land is bound to flourish. The BBC sanctuary project is very rewarding for our club, we are glad that you share our interest!
The information below was compiled to help all who are passionate about nature plan and establish their own wildlife sanctuary.
Regardless of how much, or how little land is available, it can be made hospitable for birds and wildlife in your area, and by so doing, you can reverse the trend of habitat destruction.
The information below was compiled to help all who are passionate about nature plan and establish their own wildlife sanctuary.
Regardless of how much, or how little land is available, it can be made hospitable for birds and wildlife in your area, and by so doing, you can reverse the trend of habitat destruction.
Habitat
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This is simply where wildlife lives and grows, including all the elements of the environment – plants, trees, shrubs, water, air, soil, climate and other birds and animal species. Plants, especially trees and shrubs, are important sources of food and cover, yielding nuts, seeds, fruit, berries, foliage and sometimes roots that are consumed by various animals. Tree cavities made from natural decay serve as a den or nesting sites for squirrels or raccoons. Insects found on the foliage, bark or dead wood of trees are food for the woodpeckers and many species of birds. Favorite perching sites for hawks are on a dead tree or limb to spot a mouse or small mammal on which to feed.
Nesting sites and comfortable resting spots protect birds and animals from unfavorable climate and help in conserving their energy. Bouts of bad weather are especially stressful to birds, as they must maintain a constant body temperature of about 105° F; however, they do increase the efficiency of their feather insulation by fluffing their plumage. Probably the greatest variety of wildlife can be found where a brushy field joins a wood lot. This creates an "edge effect" in the language of the ecologist. It is here that a vast number of plants grow, and the greater the variety, the more varied the wildlife will be. Keep part of the open field uncut to get the proper edge effect. Also, let plants grow around a pond if you have one. A tree trunk or limbs lying partially submerged provides cover for fish, attachment sites for various aquatic insects, and sunning sites for dragonflies, turtles, snakes and insects. When trimming trees and shrubs in September, build a brush pile over a stump or crossed logs for wintering ground birds and animals. Also helpful are untrimmed rose bushes, spruces, pyracantha and pine trees (leave the lower branches for cover and protection from predators and weather). A ground hog hole furnishes a home for rabbits, skunks, opossums and other animals. They also need food, water and shelter as they live under the constant threat of starvation. The common skunk destroys potato beetles, hop miners and white grubs. The ground moles’ first choice of food is white grubs and earth worms, then insect larvae and adult insects. Incidentally, they do injure lawns but serve a useful purpose, they create a great place for chipmunks to hibernate from November to March. |
Bird Feeders
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There are many styles of feeders to choose, but one with an overhanging roof that protects the food from the weather is most desirable, since all food should be kept as dry as possible, both summer and winter. Through research it was found that the black oil sunflower seed and white proso millet are generally attractive to the most species of birds. Small grain is favored by the ground-feeding juncos and sparrows, while the mockingbirds, thrushes and waxwings enjoy dried or fresh fruit. Some birds will eat almost everything that humans eat, such as: raisins, cornbread, oatmeal, nuts, currents, apples and peanut butter. Remember, cleanliness is important at a feeding station. If you choose one mounted on a pole, place an inverted plastic flower pot a little below the feeder to discourage squirrels from robbing the food.
If snow covers the ground, add 2 ounces of coarse sand to each pound of birdseed, or provide it at another location. Birds depend on particles of grit, in the gizzard, to grind up hard seeds. The high energy mainstay of any bird feeding program is a source of fat, which is a popular and necessary winter food. Beef or mutton fat is least expensive and most readily available. It begins to melt at 70° F and quickly turns rancid, so it should be offered with caution during warm weather. If you continue feeding the year round, hang suet in a mesh bag only, because a metal holder, in freezing weather, can injure the bird’s tongue and feet. |
Making a Suet Cake
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1 cup melted suet …1 cup sugar…5 cups water…mix together and boil. Then add ½ cup flour…2 cups cornmeal…2 cups cold water. Stir until thick, then add 1 cup raisins, nuts, seeds and peanut butter (or whatever). Pour into a milk carton and cool, then cut into cakes.
Feeders should be up by October and don’t forget that once feeding has begun, it is important NOT to STOP until spring or at least through March, since by that time much of the winter food supply is gone. If you have a hummingbird feeder, the correct mixture is 1 cup sugar and 4 parts water boiled and cooled. DO NOT use honey as it will damage the beak, also stronger sugar water will cause fungus growth in their stomach. Clean the feeders thoroughly each time you refill. |
Water
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All birds and animals need water to survive. This can be obtained from ponds, streams or lakes, but more often from dewdrops, raindrops, puddles, snow and moist fruit. However, these aren’t always present when needed, so a birdbath or pond may attract a greater variety of birds and animals than any food that you may provide. Heating elements can be used to keep the water from freezing, or try a few pieces of charcoal, or a small amount of glycerin in the birdbath. Birds are cautious when approaching a source of water and like to perch nearby, then drop down for a quick drink and a splash, followed by some preening.
Convenient sources of water and food are vital factors in choosing where to raise their young. Infant birds can eat 1 ½ times their weight each day and the parents often carry water in their beaks for their young, so that is another reason for water to be near at hand. |
Plantings |
How you plant is important to provide the overlap of fruits and flowers, so that food will extend throughout the year. If your land is already in a near natural state with a nice variety of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers, you have a very fine start so do not destroy anything already there.
Choose varieties appropriate to your climate and growing conditions. The best time to plant is spring or early fall. Check the height of plantings, so the taller ones will be in the back area. Deciduous trees such as beech, oaks and maples, along with a mixture of evergreens, white or red pine, Norway spruce, etc., make an excellent edge around the property. Shrubs are more important than trees, because they grow faster, supply food, cover, and nesting sites for wildlife that live near the ground. If only one shrub can be used, choose the autumn olive, then add crab apple, hawthorn and dogwood, all of which produce ideal food for the birds. The ground cover layer consisting of ferns, mosses, grasses and a variety of wild flowers, provides habitat for ground birds, insects, box turtles, snakes, toads, mice and other animals. Annual flowers such as sunflowers, asters, daisies and marigolds have late summer seeds for fall and winter feeding of many seed eaters. Blackberries are one of the first "Pioneer" shrubs to invade old fields and are great along a fence row, which often serves as a wildlife travel lane throughout the property from one cover spot to another. Other good edge row plants are pyracantha, greenbrier, wild grape and bittersweet, which are good for food cover and add beauty to the land. The box elder and hackberry trees bear seeds that stay into winter. Birds and animals choose their menu from a wide variety of resources that nature provides. Strong flyers like the swallows and swifts feed on the wing by catching flying insects. The owl’s moving under leaves, and catch it in total darkness. A bald eagle can spot a rabbit 2 to 3 miles away. Lawns with closely cut grass are always an excellent place for robins to feed on the earthworms and other foods. The most convenient place for many homeowners to enjoy wildlife is in their own backyard. When food, cover and water are available, some wildlife is sure to be present. |
Nesting Boxes
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Nest boxes are for breeding, cover and roosting in the winter months. The boxes must be in the right location and height to encourage the species in your area. Bluebirds prefer the box in the open, no more than 4 feet from the ground and on a post, also only 4 boxes per mile. Purple martins like their house mounted 16 feet in an open field and near water. Encourage this bird as it will devour all the mosquitoes in the area. An entrance to a barn invites swallows, robin, phoebes and Carolina wrens to nest. Best friend a farmer can have is a nesting Barn Owl, since a family of 7 requires 100 rats, mice and small vermin daily.
The entrance hole on the bird houses vary in size, so it is an important factor when encouraging a certain species to nest. The roof should be hinged for easy cleaning in February with a biodegradable detergent to kill lice, mites or other vermin. BEWARE OF INSECTICIDES because they are detrimental to "all" in the natural world. You will find when you have nesting birds on your property, you will have an abundance of song to enjoy. Patience is necessary when it comes to creating and maintaining a wildlife habitat. |
Interested in joining the BBC's Wildlife Sanctuary Program?