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Natural Foods
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Food Provided by
Nature
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Not
all birds eat the same foods and the diet of
individual birds changes with availability.
The supply of preferred foods may vary due
to weather, competition and relocation (bird
irruption and full migration).
Snags and brush piles, previously
explained, play an important part in
providing sources for natural feeding.
Dead trees, fallen branches and logs are
excellent places for birds to find insects
that thrive in wood and those that aid in
the decaying process. Other insects
live under grassy and bare ground. Delicious
bugs can be found on all vegetation from
volunteer growth weeds to our best
ornamental plants. |
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Live trees, of
course, provide not just shelter, but a
combination of seeds, fruit, buds, twigs, sap,
nuts, leaves and needles. Now add to all those
parts of the trees, all the edible insects that
call trees home. Most birds should be able to
find something to snack on.
Some birds can snatch
insects from the air. Another important part of
benign negligence is the absence of bug sprays
and fertilizers. Anything that destroys
vegetation and insect activity also destroys an
important source of natural food for birds and
critters.
Weeds and plants
provide sources of nutrition provided by
insects. They can also be favorite places to
find seeds and nectar. Fruit trees and a
variety of berry bushes left unclipped and
unpicked are valuable sources of
year-round nutritious meals even when insects
are not active. Varied growths of ornamental
grasses and weed patches can be bursting with
yummy seeds and insects. Lawns can be excellent
hunting grounds for worms and ground-dwelling
insects.
Backyards should
provide food and shelter all year long. The
most wonderful thing about trees, bushes, plants
and grasses is their ability to provide that
nutrition (insect support and direct food
source) and also offer shelter for rest, safety
and family activities. |
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| Note: The above pictures
are birds that
enjoy feeder foods, but are eating
foods found in nature. |
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Name of Bird: |
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Food Choices: |
Insects, earthworms and spiders;
fruit (especially cherries) and berries;
raisins, mealworms or commercial seed
mix for bluebirds
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Plantings: |
Dogwood (tree and deciduous shrubs);
winterberry; blueberries; spicebush |
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Eating Style: |
Swoops down from perch to catch
flying prey and forage ground and low
bushes; seeks softer foods (beaks thin
and not strong) |
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Our Backyard: |
We watched only early summer
activity in 2008, but we never saw them
feed. Although we tried mealworms in a
small hanging container with sides, we
probably hung them too late in the
season. |
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...Bluebird main
page |
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Name of Bird: |
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Food Choices: |
Forages on the ground for insects,
earthworms, and spiders; fruit and
berries eaten in winter;
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Plantings: |
Being in the same thrush family as
bluebird, they share the same love of
these plantings: dogwood (tree and
deciduous shrubs); winterberry;
blueberries; spicebush |
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Eating Style: |
May appear to be listening for prey
by cocking head, but is really watching
for activity in the earth; may stamp the
ground hoping to encourage movement of
the worms |
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Our Backyard: |
We have had sightings of these
"spring birds" all year. One foraged
near a
ground feeder looking for insects or
worms (not the seed). We were enjoying
unseasonal weather the week of February
8, 2009. |
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...Robin main
page |
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Name of Bird: |
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Food Choices: |
Mostly small,
song birds, but also small mammals,
reptiles and large insects |
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Plantings: |
Removal of any
protective plant cover, will encourage
this predator of songbirds. |
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Eating Style: |
May hunt from
concealed brush or buildings to snag
birds mid-air or off feeder perches; may
flush prey by flying closely over hiding
places in bushes and treetops; or could
glide slowly on air currents, plummet in
a sudden, steep dive with wings folded
(known as a stoop), swing feet forward
and catch the surprised prey; after
capturing prey with feet, the long legs
are extended to protect the hawk's head
and eyes; the small bird is repeatedly
clawed until struggling stops; beak is
used for plucking and eating the dead
prey; small, rounded wings, flight
patterns of short flaps then long
glides, and rudder-like tails allow for
successful, fast speed chases through
woodland areas; comes to feeders just to
hunt |
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Our Backyard: |
We have the
occasional sharp shinned hawk snatch a
bird from our feeding area. Invariably
the small bird was captured just outside
any protective cover. Most visits end
when other birds sound the alarm and
sometimes with the raucous sounds and
swoops of mobbing. The hawk's success
depends on the element of surprise. |
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...Sharp shinned
hawk main page |
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Name of Bird: |
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Food Choices: |
Insects
(especially flies, beetles and flying
ants); will eat berries and seeds when
cold weather makes insects scarce
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Plantings: |
Bayberries (need
2 female and 1 male) |
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Eating Style: |
Catches most
insects in the air but will eat small
crustaceans and spiders on the ground;
feeds in mixed flocks of other swallows;
does not come to feeders; beaks open
extra wide to capture flying insects |
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Our Backyard: |
After raising a
family in one of our birdhouses, we
thought at first that mom and dad and
the kids had moved on. But scanning the
skies, often showed these birds still
there, swooping for insects. |
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...Tree swallow
main page |
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Name of Bird: |
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Food Choices: |
Insects (beetles
and grasshoppers), caterpillars, spiders
and snails and invertebrates found in
low trees or by foraging on ground
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Plantings: |
Serviceberry,
burning bush, clematis and broccoli (can
plant in flower garden) |
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Eating Style: |
Gleans food from
surfaces |
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Our Backyard: |
We saw little of
the house wrens after a family was
raised in one of our small birdhouses.
The winter wren stopped by our small
pond for a drink one day. |
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...Wren main
page |
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