Winged Wonders

Brighten your winter months by transforming your backyard into an avian paradise.

Illustration: Garrett Milojevich

AS THE MOUNTAIN NIGHTS GROW COLD AND THE SUN MOVES LOWER IN THE SKY, more than a hundred species of migratory passerines (or songbirds) fly down in droves from Canada and the Cascades to converge in the Willamette Valley, joining the year-round bird population for the winter.

It’s a wonderful time for bird-watching. With the trees free of leaves, birds are easier to spot as they roam in search of food. They can often be seen congregating in mixed flocks around bird feeders and bird baths. By setting up a simple bird feeder in a safe place and stocking it with appropriate feed for the birds you hope to entice—and, most of all, by planting an enticing habitat—you can begin to build a lasting relationship with your local passerine population. The cold, dark months will bring the delight of seeing goldfinches pecking at surviving seed heads; clouds of little gray bushtits passing through shrubs, picking insects as they go; and ruby-throated Anna’s hummingbirds drinking nectar from late fuchsia flowers.

View Slideshow »

Find illustrations of Portland’s winter birds, with details about attracting them to your garden, by clicking on the slideshow link above.

According to Karen Munday of the Audubon Society of Portland (audubonportland.org), bird feeders are great—as a supplemental food source. “Birds don’t need feeders,” she says. “They need native food sources and habitat.” Here are a few basic habitat requirements:

Natural food sources. Trees, shrubs, and herbs that supply fruit, berries, nuts, flower nectar, and insect populations that are edible to birds. Different plants attract different kinds of birds. Native plants are preferable, but many noninvasive ornamentals have plenty to offer.

Water. Water can range from a pond or stream to a simple, inch-deep pan of water that’s kept clean and fresh. Running water, still water, streams, and lakes all attract different species.

Shelter. Depending on the bird, ideal shelter could include brush piles, hedgerows and shrubby thickets, fields of tall grass, weed patches, tall evergreen trees, or tree snags. An important element of shelter is safety from non-native predators—that means keeping domestic cats indoors.

Published: December 2009

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