Backyard
Winter Roosts and the Brush Pile
The cheapest and most effective backyard habitat improvement is a heap of branches in a corner. The state of Ohio recommends them. Tidy neighbours object.
Section
Backyard
Feeder hygiene, the right seed, nest boxes, the suburban hummingbird year.
Backyard
Planting for the Birds You Already Have
A landscape architect in Asheville spent six years converting a half-acre lawn into a bird-supporting yard. The species count tripled. The water bill dropped.
Backyard
What the Cat Takes from the Yard
A camera-trap study in three Massachusetts towns put numbers to the household cat's contribution to backyard bird mortality. The numbers are not small.
Backyard
The Water Feature as Bird Magnet
A heated birdbath in a Cleveland suburb produced more species in one winter than the same yard's feeders had produced in eight.
Backyard
The Suburban Hummingbird Year, by Month
From the first April male at the willow bud to the last October female at the salvia, the ruby-throated year in a single Massachusetts yard.
Backyard
Nest Box Plans for Eastern Bluebirds
The North American Bluebird Society's standard plan has not meaningfully changed since 1978. A retired carpenter in Vermont explains why.
Backyard
Which Seed for Which Bird, Settled
Project FeederWatch has been asking the same question for thirty-eight winters. The answer is shorter than the seed aisle suggests.
Backyard
Cleaning a Feeder Properly, with Reasons
Salmonellosis kills more backyard finches than cats, and the prevention is a five-gallon bucket, a brush, and a Saturday morning rhythm.