Questions tagged [birds]

Winged warm-blooded creatures, family Aves.

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10 votes
1 answer
2k views

How can I keep mockingbirds off potted plants (ornamental peppers)?

I have a rectangular pot on the deck full of ornamental peppers ('Poinsettia' and Chile Pequin "bird peppers"). As is typical of ornamental peppers, they're about a foot high and covered with small ...
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Ground cover under bird feeders, how to plan so no birdseed germinates?

How can we plan for the ground we have underneath our current bird feeders such that bird seeds won't grow? Situation We currently have bird feeders setup in our lawn. These feeders attract: finches, ...
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is the value of magnolias for birds?

I am building a bird-friendly garden. It is going to contain serviceberries, mountain ashes, hawthorns and dogwoods, as these plants are known to attract birds. I love magnolias, however, I've read ...
5 votes
7 answers
35k views

Is there a way to discourage blackbirds, but not other birds, from visiting my yard?

I have a couple bird feeders set up in my yard. I enjoy almost all of the birds that visit, cardinals, finches, even the occasional bluebird. But about every other day I'll walk outside to be greeted ...
6 votes
3 answers
186 views

Should I avoid hybrid species of native plants for birdscaping?

I'm trying to pick out the best plants to attract birds to my yard, and have become very interested in serviceberry trees for this purpose. Should I avoid the hybrid varieties of this species (such as ...
0 votes
3 answers
2k views

House sparrows ruining my plants. How do i kill them?

Any idea on how to Permanently get rid of house sparrows? They've taken over the bird feeders we've set up for our pigeons. Plus, they destroying all my plants and creating a huge mess everyday. I've ...
24 votes
6 answers
687 views

How can I naturally encourage birds into my garden?

We love having our garden filled with birds, thus we have put up a variety of bird feeders. We also make lots of water available for the birds. The result is a 2½ year old that can identify about 8 ...
3 votes
3 answers
864 views

Is it harmful for birds to have a house hanging on a walnut tree?

There is a belief in my area that it is not healthy for humans to sleep under a walnut tree. Is this valid for birds too? Is it harmful for birds to live in a bird house hanging on a walnut tree?
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to get rid of mynah birds?

Mynah birds have taken over my garden, displacing the natural avian fauna. I would like to get rid of them, but my being in Australia means that I can't buy a gun. Any alternative suggestions on how ...
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Prevent green parrots dominating the bird feeder

We have a number of bird feeders hanging in our garden, and a reasonable number of different, interesting bird species visit them. We regularly see Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Woodpeckers, etc., as well as ...
3 votes
1 answer
639 views

How to attract white stork (Ciconia ciconia) to a garden?

Is there any way to attract white stork (Ciconia ciconia) to a garden? I found this on the internet, but without much further info: A wikimedia photo of a man-made structure for stork's nest: (is it ...
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

How do I stop woodpeckers from killing my beloved apple tree?

I have a really old Apple tree in the yard that seems to only produce every other year. (Anybody know what's up with that?) The woodpeckers have done such a number on the trunk's bark, that it looks ...
11 votes
3 answers
4k views

How can we protect a fig tree's fruit from birds?

We have a fairly large and productive fig tree, but we never get to enjoy the fruit because the birds always get to it first. What can we do to take advantage of this tree before my wife makes me cut ...
3 votes
1 answer
547 views

Do ravens or crows cause damage to your garden?

Yesterday evening I came home from work, and I saw what happened to my small garden: At first, I was very angry. I mean, who could do that. So I asked around my neighbors if they noticed something. ...
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

Who's been eating my corn?

Pretty much all my corn is like this. The tassle ends are all eaten. I doubt the stalk would support possums, so maybe rats, or possibly birds? In NZ near the Zealandia eco-sanctuary
8 votes
3 answers
4k views

Does this bird cause any harm to the garden?

Couple of days back we had a visitor to our garden. I've never seen this bird before. Does anyone know what this bird is? And does it do any damage to the garden? Sorry about the blurry picture. Its ...
2 votes
2 answers
64 views

What kind of hummingbird is this one? [closed]

Is it just a household variety, or something special? They seem to like buddleia.
5 votes
2 answers
89 views

Keeping Pests out of Hummingbird Feeders

Is there an effective way to keep bees and wasps out of hummingbird feeders? I have a problem where these stinging insects are preventing hummingbirds from feeding?
7 votes
1 answer
281 views

Is it wise to let lonicera grow over a brush pile?

I have a sizable brush pile in my yard, 5m x 5m (16ft x 16ft), height 2m (6.5ft). Even a colony of sparrows lives in it. I toy with the idea of planting a Lonicera caprifolium (https://en.m.wikipedia....
8 votes
2 answers
263 views

Is it ok to screw nesting boxes to trees?

I have a bunch of nesting boxes for small birds I am putting up. I am just wondering what is the best way to attach the boxes to various trees. I have seen screws used but I am not sure about that. I ...
4 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is Prunus padus really so toxic?

I am amending my yard with plants attractive for birds, and I noticed Prunus padus as one of such plants. However, on multiple sites I found info that it is poisonous for humans if the fruit is ...
5 votes
1 answer
3k views

How do I get rid of mice without hurting the birds that might feed on them?

I live in the country, so I've got mice that like to come into the house when the weather gets cold. The mice have learned to avoid the traps that I put inside the house, so I need to step up to ...
3 votes
1 answer
3k views

Looking for a way to repel crows from our gardens, without scaring all the other birds [closed]

Many of us experienced our gardens invaded by large flocks of crows, ravens, or similar birds. They tend to dominate bird life in such areas, reducing overall garden biodiversity. In my case, crows ...
2 votes
1 answer
173 views

Juniperus virginiana and producing berries

As you may have noticed from other questions of mine, I am in a process of transforming my yard into a bird garden. (This is a long-term multi-year enterprise). One of the most attractive plants for ...
1 vote
1 answer
645 views

Purple Sprouting Broccoli recovery from bird attack

OK, I planted out my Broccoli earlier this year without realising that the birds love to snack on the leaves. They skeletonized the leaves, leaving only the veins on some of the larger leaves. I've ...
4 votes
1 answer
356 views

Recommendations for climbers that'll climb by a walnut tree

I've got a large walnut tree (Juglans regia), and I am happy with it, I just want to improve further that part of my garden to be more attractive to birds and butterflies. My idea is to plant a ...
11 votes
5 answers
2k views

Bird-friendly weedkiller for patio?

Here in the UK we have many garden birds that feed from the small cracks in our brick-paved patio. Unfortunately, those small cracks are also full of various weeds and grass at the moment. What is ...
3 votes
0 answers
37 views

Should I assist or deter birds from a popular yet problematic location? [closed]

For three years in a row a nest has fallen from this tree in my backyard the last weekend of April. The prior 2 years were robins but this year it was something new. Not knowing birds well but ...
8 votes
4 answers
567 views

How can I keep birds off my berries for cheap?

What methods have you seen work other than the standard netting over a plant for keeping birds off plants like blueberries?
6 votes
2 answers
97 views

How many trees are needed to attract birds as significant pests?

If I grew a bunch of large fruit trees of a sort very, very desirable to birds (robins, mockingbirds, etc.), out in the middle of nowhere where few birds had previously dared to roam (no trees besides ...
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

How can I grow sunflowers that will produce seeds in the shells, for my pet bird?

I grow sunflower plants where the flower is not pollinated, and they produce empty seed shells. How do I get the plant to produce seeds shells with a seed inside?
6 votes
3 answers
238 views

How can I predict the best time to put a hummingbird feeder outside in the spring?

I live in Illinois (Zone 6) where I'm sure the hummingbirds still migrate south to overwinter since they stopped visiting my hummingbird feeder sometime late last fall. Now that spring is here, the ...
6 votes
3 answers
3k views

What birdseed can I use to attract native birds in Houston, TX, that won't attract squirrels?

I'd like to know what kind of bird seed would be good for the birds in the Houston area without attracting pests or creating a harmful environment for my garden. I've tried going to the local pet ...
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can woodpeckers damage a pecan tree enough that it won't produce?

A couple of Red-bellied woodpeckers have been paying regular visitors to my pecan tree this winter. Is this an indication of possible insect infestation on the tree? Is it possible they could damage ...
4 votes
0 answers
105 views

Nesting box cleaning [closed]

I was building a nesting box to encourage birds in my garden. It worked, a week ago a family of Blue Tit moved out after a stressful time. I'm curious so I got up to box to check what they left. I was ...
7 votes
1 answer
125 views

What types of fruit are most likely to be eaten by vertebrate pests?

So there are tomatoes in my backyard, and for some reason, nothing seems to eat them even though lots of birds visit the backyard, which surprises me. Do birds and rodents (mice and squirrels) have a ...