Saving Birds Thru Habitat

As a young child, Douglas Tallamy was captivated by the natural world. In his engaging new book, Bringing Nature Home, Tallamy writes of spending his summer days exploring the “wild” places near his home in New Jersey. There, he also discovered the devastating effects of development when a bulldozer buried tiny toads he had watched develop from tadpoles in a polliwog pond. Our hearts go out to the nine-year-old child as he works valiantly, but futilely, to save the little creatures from being buried alive.
When he grew up, the boy who had tried to rescue toads studied the natural world, ultimately becoming Professor and Chair of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. In the process, he discovered the extent of loss resulting from wide scale development and agricultural activities. And that is the subject of his book. But Bringing Nature Home is not another gloom and doom tome on what we humans have wrought. Instead, this engaging and highly readable book tells us how we can all be involved in turning back environmental loss in a way that will bring that wild world right into our own back yards by simply trading non-native ornamental plantings for native ones.
Bringing Nature Home is well documented and filled with beautiful and fascinating photos…all taken by Tallamy.  It includes many of his personal landscaping experiences, as well as numerous suggestions on plant choices for the rest of us.
Like Ted Williams in Wild Moments, Tallamy remains optimistic about the future of America’s wildlife. But unlike Williams, who wrote eloquently about why we should connect with, and want to save our natural world, the good professor’s book is a prescription on how we can all work to make that happen.
First published in the fall of 2007, this compelling work is now out in paperback. It is available at bookstores and nature centers for $17.95.  If you haven’t yet read it, pick up a copy at your earliest possible convenience.  Read it, and then follow the good professor’s advice by incorporating native plantings in your own landscape.

An online conversation this week about how best to teach about bird conservation focused on putting feeders out.  Virtually all participants said that bird feeding opens the door to conservation.  But there is a more effective and direct way to connect kids (adults, too) to birds and other wildlife than putting out food that may or may not help.  Get youngsters outdoors and teach them about the effectiveness of healthy habitats.  Saving Birds Thru Habitat brings in many elementary students for habitat-based field trips focused on birds.  On these field trips we stress the fact that the most important food for birds is insects.  Insects are essential for the survival of many species (swifts, swallows, warblers, flycatchers, and others) and they are crucial to nestlings.

Increasing numbers of Americans have been offering seeds, suet and nectar over the past four or five decades, a time that has seen dramatic losses in our migratory bird populations.  Among the reasons for those declines are loss of habitat and more subsidized predators which are aided by bird feeders.

At our Habitat Discovery Center, there are no feeders.  Instead, brochures for our prairie garden and woodland walk point out that insect biomass is at the base of the food web.  That biomass is supported only by native plants.  We believe that demonstrating how a native plants garden benefits birds, butterflies, frogs and other wildlife is the most effective way to connect people to conservation.

Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus), plump little shorebirds, with soft tan back and crown, and white underparts, once nested around the Great Lakes.  Sadly, this population of these winsome little birds dropped to under twenty pairs, and it was listed as endangered in the mid-1980’s.  Ten years ago, the population had climbed to just over thirty breeding pairs, but with careful and caring guidance from the US Fish and Wildlife Department, and considerable assistance from a large cadre of volunteers, there are now 70 breeding pairs.

At their low point, the birds were reduced to a small breeding population in Michigan, but as their numbers have increased, they have expanded their range.  That is great news;  this year, there were nesting plovers in Illinois, Wisconsin and Ontario.

Unfortunately, the fledge rate for this past breeding season was low.  Many chicks were underweight and did not fledge successfully.  While the reasons are unknown, it is suspected that the colder than normal weather during spring and early summer may have suppressed insect production.

We can all hope this year’s results are an anomaly, and that next year the birds will be on track to continue in the growth pattern established over the past decade.

On Friday afternoon, July 10, professional landscaper and nursery owner Brian Zimmerman was the invited speaker at the SBTH annual Nestbuilders’ reception.  (Nestbuilders contribute a minimum of $250 annually.)

Brian is not a poet, but at the end of his talk, he read the following poem, which he wrote, inspired by his love of nature and his appreciation for Saving Birds.

Why did I join?
•    I love plants.
•    I love nature
•    I love the feeling of being connected to this planet
•    I love the symphony that birds play for me every morning and through the day
•    I love the symphony the wind and the trees play to each other

•    I believe that the web of life is a circle made of many pieces
•    I believe all the pieces are only as strong as the weakest link in the circle
•    I believe the circle includes every part of this planet, from the core to the dark space beyond
•    I believe that nature is sometimes very cruel but always strives to keep the circle whole
•    I believe humans can break that circle

•    I hope that humans will understand there is a circle.
•    I hope that humans learn to step into the circle and observe instead of peering in from the outside
•    I hope that humans then realize the circle must never be broken
•    I hope the tapestry of life can forgive us our ignorance
•    I hope that Saving Birds Thru Habitat will teach us all that any loss of habitat is a loss of humans’ habitat.

Brian owns Four Season Nursery in Traverse City.  A wonderful source of native plants, his nursery’s website can be found here:  http://www.fourseasonnursery.biz/

On the afternoon of Sunday, June 28, the Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay hosted Disney Studio’s film “Earth” as a fundraiser for SBTH.  Those who have not seen this phenomenal undertaking should make every effort to do so, and they should see it at a theater on a big screen.  Small screens simply will not do justice to the exquisite shots of our planet from space, or the incredible struggle of Damoiselle Cranes attempting cross the Himalayas – beating against a violent cauldron of wind currents – or captivating scenes of a mother polar bear exiting her winter den with her two cubs as they take their first tentative steps in the vast Arctic outdoors.

The showing was followed by a wine and hors dourves reception, with entertainment by gifted pianist Wyatt McDonnell.

The fundraiser was a great success, with many thanks to the Bay for hosting the film, to Silver Tree Deli for accommodations for the reception, to Chateau Grand Traverse for donating their wonderful wines, to Evola Pianos in Traverse City for the use of the electronic piano, to Wyatt for his terrific music and to Four Season Nursery for native plants used to decorate the reception room.

Eensy weensy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
Eensy weensy spider went up the spout again

Most of us have sung that little ditty to a child at some time in our lives.  It’s a sweet song, designed to show that spiders aren’t horrors of the dark, but rather just living creatures dealing with the vagaries of life.  When we see a spider, perhaps it would help to think of eensy weensy trying to get up the inside of a waterspout before we run to grab a can of insecticide.

Or maybe we should remember that wise arachnid, Charlotte, heroine of A. A. Milne’s fabulous children’s tale Charlotte’s Web.  It was Charlotte, after all, who saved the life of runt piglet, Wilber, by making him famous writing clever things about him in her web.

And then there’s the writing spider herself.  Named, it is believed, for Charlotte-like intricacies of her web (or, perhaps, for the hieroglyphs drawn on her tiny back), this little spider is just over half an inch long.   Imagine what her life is like, weaving a complex web and then waiting for a meal to just show up.  If no insect wanders into her web, then she has no food.  However, many of those insects that do become spider meals are those we find to be pesky, such as mosquitoes, flies, gnats and cockroaches.  Insect control is the writing spider’s job, and she does it very well.

Before we grab that can of insecticide, or call the guy with the spray truck, we should also remember that spiders are part of the food web for birds.  Avian species like Ovenbirds, thrushes, and that wonderful woodland songster, the tiny Winter Wren, thrive on spiders.  If we could put a camera at the nest of the above birds, we would see that they feed lots of spiders to their nestlings.  And remember that hummingbirds secure their nests with spider silk.  No spiders, no hummingbird nests.  No nests, no next generation of hummers.

We should also keep in mind that spraying spiders does not get rid of them.  While the numbers may be temporarily reduced, these fascinating members of the insect world will still be there, doing their important work.

So the next time a spider comes into your world, appreciate it for what it is.  If it is inside your home, capture it in a jar or glass and haul it outdoors.  The Winter Wren nesting in your woods will appreciate your thoughtfulness.  So will your female hummingbird when she gets ready to build that nest.

During a bird survey of the Leelanau Conservancy’s Lighthouse West property on Sunday, our group of five came upon one of the hordes of eastern tent caterpillar tents that have appeared across the region.   These caterpillars (also referred to as “bag worms”) are native to our continent and do not harm healthy trees or shrubs. They a natural part of our ecosystem, providing food for both black-billed and yellow-billed cuckoos.

On Sunday morning, our survey group had an opportunity to watch a black-billed cuckoo feeding from a tent filled with worms.  Because this is a big year for the tent worms, it should be a good year for cuckoos.  Since black-billed cuckoos are declining, this outbreak may give them a boost.  People who have tent worm caterpillars on their properties might want to think about the cuckoos before grabbing a can of insecticide.

Also spotted was a common nighthawk sleeping on a branch.  While cuckoos depend heavily on insects, nighthawks depend exclusively on insects.  Cuckoo and nighthawk populations are declining.   Efforts to eradicate insects are undoubtedly contributing to those loses.

Garlic Mustard is a rapidly spreading invasive alien plant that is displacing native woodland wildflowers in forests from the eastern seaboard to the Rocky Mountains.   This plant eventually dominates the forest floor, displacing virtually all native herbaceous species in as little as ten years. As it invades woodlands, spring ephemerals such as trillium, trout lily, Dutchman’s breeches, and jack-in-the-pulpit disappear along with other flora upon which our native depends.

The problem with this bioinvader is the same as it is with other non-native plants that have spread across the continent:  they do not support the ecological structure of the habitats they move into.  Non-native plants do not host the insect biomass required for birds, amphibians, fish and some reptiles and mammals.  Moreover, wildlife species that depend on early flowering plants for needed pollen, nectar, fruits and seeds are deprived of these essential food sources when garlic mustard replaces native vegetation.

There are two modes of spread: an advancing front and satellite population expansion by seeds, possibly facilitated by birds and small mammals. Unlike other plants that invade disturbed habitats, garlic mustard readily spreads into high quality forests.

Garlic mustard was introduced from Europe, likely for its supposed medicinal properties and for use in cooking. It naturalized and is now widely distributed throughout the northeastern and Midwestern U.S. from Canada to South Carolina and west as far the Rocky Mountains. It grows in upland and floodplain forests, savannas, yards, and along roadsides.  Although it is largely shade-tolerant, generally requiring at least some shade it occasionally tolerates full sun.  It cannot tolerate acidic soils. The invasion of forests usually begins along the wood’s edge, and progresses via streams, campgrounds, and trails.

For information on eradicating an infestation on your property, see the Wisconsin DNR website.  Scroll down the page to the heading “Controlling Garlic Mustard.”

Several years ago, the educational director of a state Audubon Society questioned my assertion that only native plants host the insects that support our migratory birds.  We were both attending the International Wildlife Conference in Columbus; one might reasonably assume that those in attendance would already understand that fact.

But the young man who served such an important role not only didn’t know it, he doubted it.

“Do we really know that’s true?” he asked.

We do know it is true.  Unfortunately, it seems to be a new concept, even for many who work in the field of conservation (such as the above biologist).  Dr. Douglas Tallamy, who chairs the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at University of Delaware, explained the disconnect when I interviewed him about his book, Bringing Nature Home (Timber Press, Inc., $27.95, 2007).

Tallamy confessed that during the very time he was studying the relationship between native plants and insects in college, he was busy filling his personal landscape with non-native ornamentals and cultivars.  He added that his epiphany; the moment the light came on about the importance of native plants only came after he and his wife purchased ten acres of old Pennsylvania farmland for their home.

The property was overgrown with alien plants like autumn olive, multiflora rose, and Japanese knotweed.  The vegetation was so dense that they had to cut trails in order to get inside of it.  One day, he took a walk to look for insects.  He was dismayed to find none except on the handful of native plants that struggled to survive under the stranglehold of invasives.  It was a defining moment for him.  He began to present programs to educate the general public about his discovery.  It was a rediscovery, actually; he already knew that our indigenous herbivorous fauna (insects, amphibians, mammals, etc.), with few exceptions, either cannot or will not eat plants from other continents.  He just hadn’t applied the concept to his own property.

In his book, Tallamy talks about the “insect biomass” which is the base of the food web.  A full 97% of all terrestrial birds (birds that live on land as opposed to seabirds like puffins) require insects during some part of their life cycles.  Nestling birds must have protein-rich insects in order to develop.  No bugs, no baby birds.  As well, many amphibians, reptiles and some mammals depend on insects.  Only native plants support this biomass.  Thus, whether we are homeowners, trying to create a little habitat for the wildlife around us, or an agricultural interest or corporation attempting to improve the land under its control, the message is the same.  If you use a variety of native plants, you will provide a haven for vastly more members of the wildlife community than if you don’t.

It’s important to bear in mind that migrating birds do not simply need the right habitat for nesting.  They must also have good places for winter homes (using shade-grown coffee helps provide that) and good stopover sites after their trans-Gulf crossings (your back yard can fill this part of the equation).

Our role is to join Dr. Tallamy in educating people to the fact that if it isn’t native, it might be beautiful, but it simply is not habitat.

Several years ago, the writer of a piece in the New York Times Garden Section said that conservationists and native plants lovers decry non-native plants out of some kind of horticultural xenophobia. The author further maintained that proponents of native plants present a danger to domestic gardens by discouraging the incorporation of exotic species. This assertion is not only mistaken, it’s silly. It is unlikely that we’ll see cultivars and alien flowers, shrubs and trees disappearing from nursery shelves – or from gardens – any time soon, so non-native plants will likely be with us for a long time to come.

The real danger is to our native flora, which is the foundation of our food web. Renegade garden escapes such as creeping myrtle and English ivy blanket forest floors in many areas of the Midwest, smothering spring ephemerals and destroying forest ecology. Tamarisk trees choke western wetlands, and Japanese honeysuckle strangles New England woodlands. The above alien plants were introduced as ornamentals. Other reasons for alien introductions include tamarisk (”salt cedar”) and kudzu, both widely used for erosion control and misguided conservation efforts such as autumn olive, which was promoted for birds. As these aliens have swamped entire regions of the country, biodiversity has diminished significantly.

We are all aware that many of our most beautiful migrating songbirds, including orioles, warblers and tanagers, are in decline. We also know that these losses are the direct result of habitat loss. But how many of us give a second thought to how we have contributed to that loss by what we choose to plant in our yards? Many birds – especially migrants – as well as amphibians, butterflies, some reptiles and a number of mammals, depend on insects for their nutritional needs. Too many people, including the author of the earlier mentioned NYT piece, do not realize that those insects are hosted by native flora. Every alien plant, whether landscape choice or garden escape, reduces the available insect biomass required by birds and other creatures.

Each of us can make a difference for birds whose numbers are falling. We can do that not by filling feeders with birdseed, but by providing the right kind of habitat for them. And habitat means native plants, not just native flowers but native trees, shrubs, grasses and ferns.

A significant number of our songbirds depend heavily on insects for survival, and all of them must have insects for their young. Baby birds require protein to develop; that protein comes only from insects.

Do your part. Incorporate native plants in your personal landscape. Remember:  If it’s not native, it’s not habitat.