Hundreds of songbirds have altered their course on the way to Canada because of Pam Wilson. They stop in her neighborhood to rest, eat and have a bath before continuing on their migration. Some stop at her street and stay the entire season. There are nests everywhere, and those who pay attention can watch babies grow and fledge.
The birds are attracted by 25 feeding stations and seven spotless bird-baths (which are heated in the winter), with plenty of safe spots for perching and raising young. Wilson began her extraordinary care of birds during a bad drought.
She saw tiny birds drinking from a puddle glazed over with the sheen of motor oil and realized she had to do something. “It’s easy to take things for granted and not really look around.” Wilson said. “We hear birds sing, but do we see them, realize how they struggle to survive in all conditions?”
During that drought Wilson put out bowls and trashcan lids full of water. Many birds came to drink and bathe. She discovered what the different types of birds like to eat and expanded the provisions: raisins for the robins, nut mix and suet for woodpeckers, black oil sunflower for Cardinals, thistle for finches and peanuts for blue jays.
Today, Wilson’s yard is registered with the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. She said even the tiniest yard could qualify as a refuge. The requirements are to have water, shelter, food and places to raise young in specific amounts.
Providing these things helps the local bird population flourish. Millions of birds die each year from the effects of human civilization, pollution, glass buildings, towers and feral cats to name a few. A Backyard Wildlife Habitat is an opportunity for just one person to offset this destructive influence in a powerful way.
“Caring for birds and other wildlife is very rewarding,” said Wilson. “Birds are beautiful to watch and to listen to and there is so much to learn about them.” Outside her window she watches a woodpecker train her young to find food. The woodpecker stuffs tiny pieces of suet into the bark of a tree, then the youngster runs all over the tree trunk finding the food like in a treasure hunt. Once grown, the baby woodpecker will be able to find bugs and worms in the same way.
Wilson said that too much perfection in landscaping is bad for nature. Her yard has a section of a downed tree that shelters squirrels and woodpeckers. She uses no fertilizer and has no carefully trimmed edges. The yard is naturally beautiful and vibrant, full of color, texture and always in motion with birds bathing, eating, preening and singing.
There are hanging feeders for birds that perch and low platforms where seed is spread out for those that prefer to eat on the ground. Near every feeder is a shrub, brush pile or small tree where the birds can hide if a predator appears. A hawk is also a frequent visitor to Wilson’s yard, and that’s why the hiding places are important. When the hawk shows up, the birds disappear into the brush until it’s safe to come out.
Then, Wilson said, “It’s like watching three big clowns come out of a tiny car at the circus; the little birds just keep coming out of the brush -- seems impossible they all could have fit in there.”
Some regular visitors to Wilson’s backyard habitat are chickadees, finches, robins and other familiar birds. She also hosts three varieties of woodpeckers, Carolina wrens, nuthatches, hummingbirds, some deer and squirrels and, until recently, an aging groundhog named Grace. Wilson, who is gray-haired, said she and Grace got old together. She has also seen more rare birds like the Indigo Bunting, warbler, vireo, towhee, scarlet tanager, owls, oriole, Eastern bluebirds and rose-breasted grosbeak.
Wilson said spring is a great time for anyone to start feeding birds. The birds are expending tremendous amounts of energy mating, nesting and feeding young when there is little natural food available.
“If people just put out a bowl of water and a handful of seed they would be making a difference,” she added. Even in winter, when water is difficult for birds to find, she advises to place a plastic bowl of water on your deck or porch and the birds will find it before it freezes. She also recommends leaving a small brush pile nearby to provide shelter and a place to nest, along with planting flowers that go to seed and leaving some bare spots in your yard for “dust bathing.”
Wilson is an Akron native who worked at Bridgestone Firestone until retirement. The area around her house used to be farmland. She said she remembers standing on her porch whistling to the bobwhites in the fields and hearing them answer back.
The fields are gone now and so are the bobwhites. The loss of habitat and clean sources of food and water are why the bird population has become endangered, said Wilson. But it takes very little effort to play a big part in helping birds survive. Those who would like advice on feeding birds may reach Wilson at . Please put “Bird Feeding” in the subject line.
