Birds of the Hackensack: The
Birds of YOUR Yard
By Ivan Kossak
One of the things that had opened my own eyes to the natural world was the rich variety of bird life that I suddenly became aware of locally. I used to think that someone would have to travel to the Amazon Basin or some equally exotic locale to find such brilliantly colored birds such as Scarlet Tanagers or Great Crested Flycatchers. Over the years I have been delighted to find out that this is not true. In fact, I have seen each bird I’ve mentioned above (with the exception of the Pied-billed Grebe which is a water bird) either in or above my own yard. In fact, my "yard list" now stands at 85 species seen. It would only be fair to mention that I do live outside the Hackensack Watershed, but my yard is almost terminally ordinary; and, I believe it to be representative of virtually any yard found in Northern New Jersey. Even in winter, a substantial variety of birds can be found in our area. The annual Hackensack-Ridgewood Christmas Bird Count, most recently conducted last December 16, yielded 82 species.
A birdbath can also attract migrants as well as local birds. Most of the neotropical migrants (birds that winter in the tropics but migrate north to breed) are primarily insect eaters; but this does not mean you need to breed mosquitoes to attract migrants to your yard! A variety of native plantings from trees to shrubs and flowers will usually house enough non-pest species of insects to draw in many bird species. Those insects are just the banquet needed to fuel the next leg of these birds' trips to their nesting grounds. Birdhouses can also attract local breeders such as Carolina and House Wrens, White-breasted Nuthatches and Black-capped Chickadees to your yard. This can give you the added bonus of observing aspects of avian behavior such as courtship as well as feeding and fledging young. I can still remember vividly the trials of a young Blue Jay (successfully) learning to fly in my back yard as his or her parents chased away the seemingly omnipresent squirrels that were harassing the youngster.
If you enjoy watching and studying the birds in our area, do not overlook the possibilities of your own yard. Many hours can be enjoyed observing the very species that are written about in area newspapers as well as in these pages. Hugh Carola would be more than happy to include your observations in his field notes section in each Tidelines. You may even find the next rarity and be featured in Birds of the Hackensack. |
In past editions of Tidelines, I
have written about specific bird species found in our watershed - from the
majestic Bald Eagle to the diminutive White-throated Sparrow; from the
brilliantly colored Baltimore Oriole to the muted tones of the Pied-billed
Grebe. In those essays, I typically mention some prominent parks in our area
where these birds can be found. However, I have been somewhat remiss by
neglecting to mention the wide variety of avian life than can be found in the
average suburban yard. Indeed, I have found that many birders were introduced
to their hobby by observing the birds that appeared around their homes:
American Robins heralding the arrival of Spring, Northern Cardinals lending a
splash of color to a gray Winter's day, or perhaps, a migrant such as an Indigo
Bunting or Black-and-white Warbler just passing through.
Of course, feeding certainly helps
attract birds. In fact, even birds that do not typically eat at feeders can be
attracted by the activity of multitudes of feeder birds. For birds that are not
seed eaters, flowering shrubs can provide both food and shelter from predators.
In fact, the presence of raptors (such as Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawks) is
evidence of the success of your feeding program as another link in the food
chain frequents your property. It is important to keep any bird feeder clean
and the food fresh to prevent the spread of disease among your feeder birds.
During the warmer months, this is especially true of hummingbird feeders. If
the water in your hummingbird feeder is not changed every two to three days,
the sugar in it can ferment causing the hummingbirds using it to become
intoxicated and die.