OCTOBER MEETING:
Wednesday, October 20th.
Meet at 7:00 PM in the Bean Museum Auditorium on the BYU Campus.
Our speaker will be Brian Curry, an
expert photographer who will show and
discuss some of his bird pictures. Brian is from Syracuse, Utah.
Bring your friends.
FIELD TRIPS:
Saturday, October 16th.
Led by Bryan Shirley
If anything good shows up we'll chase it, if not we'll just stay fairly close to home.
Meet at 8:00 A.M. at the Orem Center Street Park & Ride.
Saturday, October 23rd.
Led by KC Childs
We will go check Deer Creek for loons and gulls and ducks.
Meet at 8:00 A.M. at the Orem Center Street Park & Ride.
Reed’s Ramblings
by Reed Stone
There never seems to be a dull day in my yard. In the spring it is the
new migrant with their color and songs. In the summer it’s song, territory and
rearing of the young. In the fall it is time again for migration and the
frustrations of faded and immature plumage. Each phase brings its challenges and
rewards. One ever present challenge is - there is always an exception: a
misguided migrant, a unique color phase or an out of character behavior. Each
and every exception stimulates my interest. Each phase of the season attracts
different birds and behaviors. Last month it was my Hawthorne berries that
created so much avian activity. Right now it is the brilliant orange berries on
the Mountain Ash. Last night there was a cascade of ROBINS descending on the Ash
tree with a mixture of HOUSE FINCHES, CHICKADEES and one lone SCRUB JAY. The
phyrocantha with its ripening fruit seems to be next on the menu. Cotoneaster
berries are starting to show. The purple Oregon Grapes are looking a bit tasty
also.
Now for a bit of reminiscence. About eleven years ago when I purchased 100
evergreen seedlings my sweet wife gave me a kind of a skeptical smile, as if to
say; at your age you will never see them as trees. Being determined I went ahead
and planted them anyway. Today they average about 18 ft. tall and have produced
cones for several years. And they provide good cover for my fine feathered
friends.
I have endeavored from the first to make the "yard" attractive to birds. First
it was the evergreens. They were followed by other plants that welcome birds
either for cover, food, nest building, perching and it doesn’t hurt to have a
river and large trees in the back yard either. I keep a special row in my garden
that is referred to as a nursery row. It is in this row I plant starts clipped
from plants I would like in my yard. I started the Cotoneaster from a clipping I
obtained at the Provo Temple by permission. I started grapes from clippings.
Today they are providing cover and protection from neighborhood cats as well as
food. The trumpet vines are from a pod of seeds I picked from a neighbors vine.
Today I have some Elder Berry seeds curing so they will be ready for planting
next spring. I also plan to raise some Sun Flowers and leave their seeds out for
the birds to feed on.
The list goes on. I purchase some plants and propagate others. Plants in the
yard that attract birds because of the food produced include: two species of
Oregon Grape, Hawthorne, Potowatome (wild) Plumbs, Cotoneaster, Grapes,
Pyrocantha, Mulberry, Mountain Ash, Burr Oak, Scotch Pine, Honeysuckle and
Barberry. One of the nice things about these plants is that they mature at
different times of the year. Keep in mind also that their blooms attract birds
because of the insects that are pollinating the blooms. Birds also feed on the
nectar. We are often twice blessed by fruiting plants not to mention their
personal beauty.
I will continue to use my feeders, especially the suet feeders. I think I have
2nd and 3rd generations of Downy Woodpeckers visiting for the suet. When you are
upgrading your landscaping think of the birds and the enjoyment you will have
when the birds grace your yard.
SEE MORE IN 2004!