My Garden is Blooming Birds

By Betty McKeown

I decided to help nature along three years ago by planting a butterfly/bird garden. I chose several native plants which do well over in Osceola County where I live. The coral honeysuckle loves to grow and grow and soon the length of my fence will be covered. So when I spotted painted buntings in the garden this spring I was thrilled. Then three Easter Bluebirds moved in and they raised a brood in the birdhouse Norm had built and put up. Then two Great-Crested Flycatchers decided to make another birdhouse in the garden their home and are busily raising three young. It has been so much fun watching how hard these birds work to raise their young. I timed the Bluebirds arrival with food for their young to about every five minutes. The Flycatchers beat that with coming and going every four minutes. The Flycatcher babies have been fed a steady diet of dragonflies, grasshoppers, and even a large butterfly. Today, June 5, the babies are coming to the door of the birdhouse opening their mouths wide and mom just comes and drops the food in. The dad has been good about supplying bugs too. If he isn't around when she comes she'll sit with the bug in her mouth and call and call for him. I also have several Mockingbird nests in the garden and yard and though these birds sing beautifully they are bullies as they constantly go after the Bluebirds. But the Bluebirds are no shrinking violets as they knock off any bird having the audacity to sit on their birdhouse for even a minute.

I've whiled many hours just happily watching my bird families do their thing. So remember any help you can give the birds does count. They need nest boxes, food and shelter and if it takes us to provide it why not? It pays many unexpected dividends not the least of is the diminishing number of bugs in the yard.