First of seven videos from the National Wildlife Federation about establishing a Certified Wildlife Habitat at your home or school. Naturalist David Mizejewski discusses the four components of establishing a wild bird habitat (food, water, cover, and place to raise young), as well as the importance of planting native plants.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/certified-wildlife-habitat-gardening-for-wild-birds/
As I write this, I can look out my window and see a busy house sparrow going from the birdfeeder, to the suet feeder, to the blossoms of the pineapple guava bush. The sparrow eats a few sunflower seeds, takes a few pecks from the suet, and then yanks on the sweet fleshy petals of the red and white guava flowers (Feijoa sellowiana).
Bees and other insects seldom visit the guava flowers and they are pollinated almost entirely by birds. As the bird yanks on a petal, the pollen is shaken from the stamens onto the pistil and fertilization takes place. I first noticed this with mocking birds, and then with Hooded Orioles. Today is the first time I’ve seen a sparrow doing this work. The sparrow may not know it but he (she?) is making sure that I’ll have a good crop of guavas this fall.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/garden/birds-bugs-and-allergies/
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