10 things anyone can do to help wildlife survive any time of the year
By Staci-lee Sherwood
Wild animals don’t come up to us asking for help because there’s little food or fresh water for them. During cold months up north and storms down south weather often plays a pivotal role in where and if there is any food available. There is no Door Dash or Uber Eats for the wildlife so we are the ones tasked to lend a helping hand. There are several easy things anyone can do. You don’t need a lot of land or even a yard. The list is easy, inexpensive and doesn’t require special equipment. Some of the DIY projects are fun and something you can do on a rainy day or with the whole family.
Water & Food
Clean water is hard to find so much is polluted by chemicals and street grime. Providing fresh water is a great way to help wildlife year round. In the hot summer months many birds need a bath to cool down from the relentless heat. It’s also a way of cleaning off any mites or ants biting them or dust that can matte their feathers.
Large glass bowls make for a simple watering hole for wildlife. Most important is to change the water daily to prevent algae from growing and to keep it free of dirt. It’s even better if you have 2 watering areas, one for drinking the other for bathing. If it’s wide and deep enough it can be a bird bath. A shallow bowl is better for small birds leery of stepping into deep bowls. Never use plastic as the heat will cause the toxic chemicals used in the processing to leach into the water.
A Muscovy Duck drinks from my glass bowl.
Many birds love raw peanuts, usually still in the shell. Bluejays, Grackles and Woodpeckers, along with Squirrels and some Ducks, are known to love them. Black sunflower seeds are enjoyed by many birds including Doves. Always get raw unprocessed organic seeds and nuts and never ones sprayed with pesticides.
A Red-bellied Woodpecker flies off with a raw peanut.
A Grey Squirrel enjoys a sunflower seed.
Just say NO to pesticides
Most chemicals are toxic to both us and wildlife. Just because they’re for sale doesn’t mean they’re safe. Europe has banned many chemicals the U.S. still uses on their food. Anything ending with ‘cide’ is formulated to kill. Unlike the commercials on TV most pesticides (herbicide, rodentcide, insecticide) kill a lot more than just their target species. Thousands of Owls are killed every year when they eat rodents poisoned by rodentcide. Herbicides kill not just aquatic plants but also the marine life . Pesticides kill insects which starve birds. Just saying NO to pesticides, is safer for you and the wildlife around you.
Natural gardens
If you have a garden or even just a small space you can plant native wildflowers and plants to attract and feed wildlife. Plant only native plants and flowers . Nonnatives species, commonly used in landscaping, does not feed native wildlife. They compete for sun, water and space with native wildflowers often killing them off. Hummingbirds, Butterflies and Moths feed on nectar from flowers while many species of insects lay their eggs on host plants. These insects are also part of the food chain for birds. An organic garden filled with native plants feeds a whole ecosystem.
Click here for an excellent resource for finding native plants state by state https://plantnative.org/nursery/
If you don’t have a native wildflower nursery near you here is a company to try
Click here to buy native wildflowers and seeds for your area
To verify the seeds/plants are NON GMO, free of pesticides click ‘show more’ for their statement. I clicked several wildflowers and they were all organic and safe to use for wildlife
For ideas on making your own garden of Butterfly/Herbs/Vegetable garden click here
A pair of Sleepy Orange Butterflies enjoying native Thistle.
A cozy home for Birds, Bats and Owls
When picking a bird house look for the most natural wood with the least amount of paint, glue, plastic and decorations. Those may look pretty but to a wild animal they don’t look inviting. Paint and plastic can leach toxic chemicals into the nest and eggs. A plain unstained unpainted wood birdhouse that’s nailed together, instead of glued, is best.
Look for a statement like this when buying a house Natural Finish: This nesting box has been treated with natural linseed oil on the exterior to help protect the wood.
No paint or varnish should be applied to the interior. Use of these finishes on the interior of the Box could deter Barred Owls from nesting. This is from JCS Wildlife Company
For Bird houses try these links:
Click here to learn how to make an excellent easy one
Click here to learn about the best nails to use
Click here to watch an excellent video on making one
A Purple Martin fledgling calling for a food delivery.
Bats can eat thousands of insects at night, including mosquitoes. They’re nature’s natural pest control and need our help to survive. Pesticides kill off most of their food which is ironic because a healthy bat population would naturally keep insects populations in check without toxic chemicals. If you live in an area that has bats consider building or buying a bat house for them to roost in. Below are links to either making your own or buying one. It can take several months before they find and decide to use the bat house so be patient.
For Bat houses try these links:
Click here to make your own
Click here for a video
Click here to buy one
Many species of Owls are cavity nesters like the Barn, Barred and Screech Owls. Barred owls prefer nesting in trees but if the box is big enough they might use it. If you don’t have a barn or shed you might want to put out an Owl box for them to use. They’re nature’s natural rodent control, you don’t need rodentcide if they’re present. Toxic chemicals used to trap rats and mice kill countless Owls when they eat the poisoned rodent.
For Owl boxes try these links:
Click here to make your own for Barn Owls (if you have Barred Owls suggest just making a larger size for them)
Click here to make your own for Screech Owls
Click here to buy one (they have boxes for several species of owls)
Keep natural homes available like dead trees (snag)
Many species of Owls, Woodpeckers and Birds are cavity nesters. Some species, like the Pileated Woodpecker, hammer out a new nest every year. Once their chicks have fledged it’s used by other species to either nest in, use as a sleeping den or hide out. Other species look for cavities already carved out since they don’t make their own nests. Woodpeckers prefer dead trees and branches except for the endangered Red Cockaded Woodpecker. They’re the only Woodpecker species that nest in living trees. Dead trees don’t just provide nesting habitat they’re a great source of food as many insects live on or in dead trees. As they decay they enrich the soil keeping the ecosystem healthy. If you must cut down a dead tree wait till after nesting season, late summer, when the tree is not home to young that can’t survive or fly on their own.
Two Barred Owlets look out from their snag (dead tree) home.
A male Downy Woodpecker feeds his chick. This is a dead branch on a living tree. It had several holes from where this pair had previous nesting homes.
Many species like to perch up high so they can survey the area for food or predators. If you have any dead trees cut down leave stumps in place. If you don’t any stumps you can put something out for wildlife to perch like a manmade stump.
A Northern Bobwhite perches on a dead tree stump.
When to do exterior home repairs
Wait to schedule exterior home repair till after nesting season if it can be avoided. Many birds might be nesting in your chimney or under a roof tile or under the house if there’s a crawl space. Some birds might even nest in a large door wreath. Before doing repairs look to insure no wildlife has made a home there. If they have and repair is urgently needed contact a wildlife rehabilitator for help in relocation. Never call animal control they only kill the animals never relocate.
If you have nesting wildlife and can wait please do.
Leave nests, burrows and eggs undisturbed
Some species will make a nest in a wreath hanging on your front door, bicycle basket or in your garage. All of these I’ve seen over the years. Moving a nest with eggs is never advisable unless it’s in immediate danger of a fire or flood or some other emergency. Animals look for a safe place to nest they don’t know it might be inconvenient for the humans they live near. I have a pair of Doves that made a nest above my car in a carport for the past year and raised several chicks successfully.
Other animals might burrow in your yard, so before you mow the lawn walk the property looking for tiny burrows so you don’t mow over them. Insects typically lay eggs on plants, flowers and trees. Sometimes they lay eggs on a structure like the side of a house or beam. They rarely do any harm and hatch in a couple of weeks. Some Ducks make a nest and lay an egg every day. During this time the female leaves the eggs unattended until she’s done laying , then incubates them for a month. If you have Ducks and see this don’t assume the eggs are abandoned or not viable especially if you see increased egg laying or the female nearby. Just let nature takes it course.
A pair of Doves made their nest on a beam in a carport. It’s a safe place away from predators and shielded from weather.
Before pruning look for eggs and caterpillars on leaves, especially under the leaves where they stay hidden from predators. Some eggs will be laid on stem or even flowers. These are the Butterfly host plants and food for newborn caterpillars. Moths prefer to make a cocoon buried in the dirt or attached to a structure. Their cocoons can measure up to a couple of inches and usually a drab brownish color making them easy to miss. Before digging up a plant look to see if there are any cocoons buried, just below the top layer. If so the cocoon can be easily moved and reburied.
Newly hatched eggs and newborn caterpillars of the Southern Tussack Moth. The entire group of eggs is about ¼ inch and barely visible. The eggs were laid on a wall of a building and caused no damage.
Easy to miss tiny eggs of Butterflies and Moths. The underside of leaves and stems of their host plant is where most eggs are laid. Eggs aren’t much bigger than the tip of a pencil. These are Zebra Longwing Butterfly eggs.
Caterpillars are designed to blend into their surrounding and are often green, brown, cream or yellow. They eat as they crawl around the plant and are less than a ¼ inch when hatching. These are Pluto Sphinx Moth caterpillars.
Pets and wildlife
Pets are an important part of the family, but wildlife is just as important. Free roaming Cats should be kept inside since they kill between 2- 4 BILLION birds a year. Our wild bird population, especially our songbirds and ground nesters have plummeting populations. Death by cat is #1 and pesticide use is #2. If you must let your Cat out put a bell on their collar which alerts wildlife and gives them a fighting chance. It could also save your cat’s life by alerting distracted drivers
Keep kitty indoors or use a bell collar to help alert wildlife of their presence.
Keep trash secure
By securing your trash you can save wildlife. If you have a garage keeping it in there until pickup is an option. Installing straps that lock is another. Secure trash is important to prevent wild animals from thinking human food is available. it also prevents rotting food from being thrown around where ants, roaches and maggots congregate which leads to bigger problems.
For those living in Bear country a fed Bear is a dead Bear so don’t teach them that lesson. If it prevents Bears then it prevents other wild animals from opening it.
Click here to read about several different ways to secure trash
Help from the experts
Keep the number and location of local wildlife rehabbers, animal rescues, sanctuaries and hospitals available. These are the people who would know what food to put out, how to avoid conflict and how to help injured wildlife. Some animal hospitals will also treat wildlife. There are rescues that specialize in caring for wild animals that can no longer live in the wild due to injury or disease but still need a home. For starters Audubon has a chapter in most states and can provide information about a variety of topics relating to helping wild Birds .
Click here to find a chapter near you
COEXIST
Thank you for all your concern about wildlife and nature. I live in Florida (native) and it is under assault from development and greed. Anything you post about how to educate us to oppose the destruction of the environment is greatly appreciated.