Willamette Valley's declining and endangered bird species - part 2 - action items
We can all help Willamette Valley's declining bird population in some way, even if we don't have a garden.
This is a follow up to my previous post, which introduces readers to the endangered and declining bird species in the Willamette Valley.
This second post focuses on action items. There is something in this list that we can all do, even if we do not have a garden or property to tend.
Remove Invasive Plants
Removal of invasive plants is probably the foremost action item you can take to help out our birds. Removal of invasive plants helps to control their spread, as seed from your property can spread far and wide. This is important because invasive plants choke out native plants, which are necessary to our native bird populations survival.
This means becoming intimately familiar with the plants growing on your property, and figuring out which ones are invasive, which can be a challenge to the uninitiated.
To help you identify plants, there are a few tools at your disposal.
-Apps: are quick and easy, but are very often incorrect in their assessment so be wary.
-Groups on Facebook: there are quite a few groups devoted to discussing native plants. Native plants in Oregon discussion is the first that comes to mind. Another one that I frequently use is Friends of Backyard Habitats. You are welcome to post photos of plants and ask for ID.
-The Weedwise Program through Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District is one such website where plants are profiled in detail, including best practices for sustainable removal and weed removal tools. Your local county may have very similar programs, though the problems identified here are likely to be problems throughout the valley.
-Programs such as the Backyard Habitat Certification Program will help smaller landowners identify target plants.
-Portland Plant List (PPL) maintains a list of both invasive plants and native plants.
-Note that there are often volunteer opportunities, especially in watersheds, to remove invasive plants so keep your eyes open.
Reduce Mowing and Other Disturbance
Mowing is a major disturbance to ground-nesting birds. According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, nesting season begins April 1 and ends approx July 15. If mowing is necessary to reduce wildfire potential or for other reasons, it would be best to wait until after that time.
Likewise, it is also best to limit any burning of brush piles and trimming of shrubs during that time.
Maintain or Create Snags (if possible)
A “snag” is simply a large dead tree. Many species of wildlife use snags in myriad ways: they excavate holes for nests, use branches clear of vegetation for perching and hunting prey, and the rotting wood attracts many species of insects which serve as food.
Of the endangered and imperiled birds in the Willamette Valley, the following require snags to construct their nests: Acorn Woodpecker, Western Purple Martin, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Bluebird, and the White-Breasted Nuthatch. This of course does not include all of the species that aren’t already facing threats to their populations. Note that one of the major reasons that some of these birds are declining is due to the lack of snags available to them.
Note that you will want to take care in siting your snags, as they do eventually fall. And there is also some wildfire risk - so you will want to make sure you aren’t creating snags too close to the house or near brush piles that could ignite the snag.
Creating snags, if you don’t already have one on site, is probably best done by a professional, as cutting large trees can be particularly dangerous.
For more extensive information see this Washington Dept. Fish and Wildlife brochure on creating snags.
Plant Life Sustaining Flora
As a follow up to these two posts, I’ll be diving deeply into the topic of what kinds of plants are of particular importance for birds.
I’ll be looking at: oak habitat and other insectary trees, followed by fruiting and insectary shrubs, smaller forbs, and finally grasses or other seed-producing plants.
There’s too much info to list here, so stay tuned.
Keep Kitties Indoors
Sorry to say, for all of us cat lovers, that cats are one of the main reasons for all manner of bird decline. According to Klamath Bird Observatory, cat predation on native bird populations is one of the single biggest challenges.
Get Involved
There are several organizations that I can think of with a boatload of volunteer or financial support opportunities.
Prescott Bluebird Project is out of Sherwood. They have several volunteer opportunities and accept donations that help pay for materials for bluebird houses.
The Bird Alliance of Oregon, formerly the Audobon Society of Portland, lists a multitude of ways to give financially. You can also visit their site in SW Portland, where they help rehabilitate injured wildlife. There are also educational animals and a fun store on site.
The Mid-Willamette Bird Alliance out of Corvallis has a similar program to Prescott Bluebird Project.
And there are multiple opportunities to get involved with the Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife throughout the state.
Resources that I have not already listed above:
https://sevenoaksnativenursery.com/
https://calscape.org/
https://nativeplantspnw.com/
https://xeraplants.com/
https://klamathsiskiyouseeds.com/
https://sparrowhawknativeplants.com/
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