Simple Steps To Help Birds
September and October are peak fall migration months for the majority of Wisconsin’s songbirds. Help make their journey safe with some simple but important actions.
Prevent Window Collisions
By applying decals or screens to windows (no more than 4 inches apart), you can help birds avoid collisions. At night, dim interior and exterior lights and close blinds to minimize light pollution that disorients birds.
Provide Fresh Water
A pond, water garden, fountain or even a shallow, regularly cleaned dish of water will get lots of bird use, especially if the water is dripping, moving or otherwise making a sound.
Add Native Plants
Fall is a great time to add native plants to your landscaping. Consider adding native grasses, like big bluestem, to your garden as an annual food source for migrating birds. Native trees, like serviceberry, dogwoods, and paper birch, also provide critical food and habitat for birds. Visit the DNR’s Plant Native Plants webpage for more information.
The Swainson’s Thrush breeds across the Canadian boreal forest and migrates south through Wisconsin in good numbers. Look for their olive-brown upperparts and buffy eye ring, or listen from dusk to dawn for their single-noted flight call that sounds like a spring peeper. Swainson’s Thrushes love water sources and the fruits of native plants but are especially vulnerable to collisions with windows. / Photo Credit: Ryan Brady |
