Editor and Senior Writer for the American Bird Conservancy, Howard Youth, practices what Saving Birds preaches - let’s all work
to help our native birds. He lives with his family in a home with a small yard in densely populated Bethesda, MD. He helps in two ways: he has created a safe haven of native plants in his yard, and he spends time on weekends attacking porcelain-berry, a horticultural plant that is so invasive that the Virginia Native Plant Society says it is making a “bold attempt at taking over the world.” At our request, he sent photos of his yard, which has hosted nesting Gray Catbirds, Northern Cardinals, Northern Mockingbirds and Song Sparrows. Avian visitors include foraging post-breeding Northern Flickers, Great Crested Flycatchers, woodpeckers and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Migrants visiting his yard include: Cape May and Black-throated Blue Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Red-eyed Vireo. His “yard bird” list (birds seen in or from his yard) stands at 124 species including the latest...a Barred Owl.
Howard’s yard is proof positive that you don’t have to have acres of land in order to make a difference for birds. If you want to help our declining bird populations, you can do the same in your yard – regardless of size.
