How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Garden (National Wildlife Federation)
It’s Going to the Birds
At the Zoo in Your Backyard exhibit, there is a yard that serves as a study site for Neighborhood Nestwatch, a program run by the Zoo’s Migratory Bird Center.
If you visit, you'll see some of our tools, including several nest boxes and a table with nets, tools and notebooks. In this yard, participants study gray catbirds, song sparrows, northern cardinals, American robins, and other common backyard birds.
In gardens and backyards throughout the Washington area, Zoo scientists are working with families to learn what’s happening to local birds.
What's in It for You?
A chance to get to know the wildlife in your backyard a bit better!
Programs like Neighborhood Nestwatch wouldn’t be possible without the helping hands of backyard "biologists."
These citizen scientists are keeping a watchful eye on and learning all about the birds that build nests in their yards. They also have the chance to make a difference by reporting what they see to Zoo scientists. Their information helps scientists solve critical questions regarding the survival of backyard bird populations.
What's in It for the Birds?
Many backyards, like the Zoo's Nestwatch site, have just what birds are looking for:
- Plants in which they find food,
- Sheltered nooks for nesting, and
- Nearby water.
Add a variety of plants, and more bird species will show up.
What Can You Do to Protect Birds in Your Backyard?
Household cats may itch to get outdoors, but once in your backyard, say goodbye to the birds there. Outdoor cats kills hundreds of millions of birds every year.
To protect birds, keep your cats indoors—"purrfect" company for you and safer for birds in your backyard.
When Zoo scientists used transmitters to study young gray catbirds, they noticed something—the impact of domestic cats. In areas with more cats, more young birds died, and many had been eaten. Where cats were less common, more birds survived.
Also, avoid using pesticides and herbicides in your yard and garden. Harmful chemicals will eventually find their way to birds through the berries and insects they eat.
