Any tips for trees, shrubs, or other features that attract chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers rather quickly? (2 Viewers)

[Jefrs]

And they usually get to the spillage before the mice and rats.

Unwelcome rats are attracted to excessive spillage and food waste (we had a problem with houshold food waste not being collected often enough and only bagged so not kept in rat proof containers, sorted). If there is a lot of waste rats will get there before ground feeding birds and the squirrels. Mice and voles are especially fond of seed plantings and will have all you beans. You rarely have mice where you have rats. Once rats are established they are difficult to eradicate, by shooting, poisoning, traps or terriers (captured rats have to be humanely destroyed here, not released). Rats are prevalent in barnyards. Remove all their food.

 

[Avon Avians]

Unwelcome rats are attracted to excessive spillage and food waste (we had a problem with houshold food waste not being collected often enough and only bagged so not kept in rat proof containers, sorted). If there is a lot of waste rats will get there before ground feeding birds and the squirrels. Mice and voles are especially fond of seed plantings and will have all you beans. You rarely have mice where you have rats. Once rats are established they are difficult to eradicate, by shooting, poisoning, traps or terriers (captured rats have to be humanely destroyed here, not released). Rats are prevalent in barnyards. Remove all their food.

Almost miraculously, we've never had a rat problem. We've gotten deer mice and flying squirrels where we used to live, and we still have some deer mice here, but no rats and no house mice. I don't know why, but maybe it's because our town is largely surrounded by uninhabited woodland. Rats are closely associated with the travel of humans.

 

[Jefrs]

Almost miraculously, we've never had a rat problem. We've gotten deer mice and flying squirrels where we used to live, and we still have some deer mice here, but no rats and no house mice. I don't know why, but maybe it's because our town is largely surrounded by uninhabited woodland. Rats are closely associated with the travel of humans.

Dunno, here rats are mainly associated with farm barnyards, feed stores, hay, chickens and cattle, but not pigs as pigs kill them.

Anyway, imo it was the local council not getting a handle on waste collection, putting food scraps out for fortnighly collection in biodegradable bags throughout the summer was so not going to work. Now they've switched to special bins and weekly pickup problem solved. But it did mean they got into the greenhouse and destroyed it despite trapping, and we couldn't put bird feed out so we lost the birds we had attracted. Some are returning to fatten up for winter.

 

[Elkhornsun]

Birds want cover to protect themselves from predators. The chickadees, juncos, sparrows, and towhees, frequent my property where I have planted Australian honeysuckle, four varieties of sages, ceanothus, butterfly bushes, and rosemary (upright type). The denser the plant cover the more comfortable the birds will be and better protected from neighbors' cats.

In my area deer are a problem and so I needed to go with deer resistant varieties and wanted perenials that were not deciduous. Local nurseries should be able to help you. In my area there is only one nursery with a good stock of native plants and that has inventory in the fall, the best time to put new plants in the ground.

Most important is amount of sunlight and amount of drainage in selecting plants. If an area does not get full sun then many varieties will not thrive. If the recommendation is full sun or shade then it is really a plant that needs full sun part of the day to grow well.

 

[Avon Avians]

Birds want cover to protect themselves from predators. The chickadees, juncos, sparrows, and towhees, frequent my property where I have planted Australian honeysuckle, four varieties of sages, ceanothus, butterfly bushes, and rosemary (upright type). The denser the plant cover the more comfortable the birds will be and better protected from neighbors' cats.

In my area deer are a problem and so I needed to go with deer resistant varieties and wanted perenials that were not deciduous. Local nurseries should be able to help you. In my area there is only one nursery with a good stock of native plants and that has inventory in the fall, the best time to put new plants in the ground.

Most important is amount of sunlight and amount of drainage in selecting plants. If an area does not get full sun then many varieties will not thrive. If the recommendation is full sun or shade then it is really a plant that needs full sun part of the day to grow well.

Yeah, thanks for the advice! We are currently in the process of planting more trees and shrubs to improve our backyard habitat. It is definitely true that cats affect the way birds and squirrels behave, namely by causing them to be elusive.

 

[Elkhornsun]

Start with native shrubs that are fast growing. I planted purple hopseed and Pacific myrtle on my property and they grow 2-3 feet each year. After 4 years I have several hopseed bushes that are more than 12 feet in height. The plants attract insects for the birds to feed on as well as producing seeds.

 

[Avon Avians]

Start with native shrubs that are fast growing. I planted purple hopseed and Pacific myrtle on my property and they grow 2-3 feet each year. After 4 years I have several hopseed bushes that are more than 12 feet in height. The plants attract insects for the birds to feed on as well as producing seeds.

Any suggestions for shrubs, grasses, and ground covers sufficient to conceal small mammals such as rodents and shrews?

I'm worried the neighborhood cats might kill the chipmunks and short-tailed shrews that spend their time hanging around and hiding in the neighbor's rock pile (near our property).