Native Plants for Better Backyard Birding

Description

Sharing our outdoor living spaces with wildlife can be very rewarding. Birds enhance our appreciation of nature, provide endless hours of entertainment, fill our lives with songs and sounds, and many species consume insects. Use of native and water-conserving plants, water features, and bird feeders can enhance existing landscapes and gardens for both migratory and residential birds. It’s a beneficial relationship where everyone wins! Join us for a special 2-hour program by expert birders Kathy and Matt McCoy. They will discuss how to make your yard more attractive to birds including plants that provide the most benefits, landscape features, and feeders which are appropriate for our area. Judicious use of non-native plants can also be beneficial. Attracting birds also means providing safe spaces and clean feeders away from predators, domestic cats, and diseases. The McCoys will suggest methods to protect your birdy residents who share your property. We invite families, beginners to experienced birders, gardeners, and landscapers as the McCoys have information for everyone. One highlight of this evening’s presentation is a demonstration of a hanging bird feeder which doubles as a planter! A few completed feeder/planters will be drawn as door prizes and all participants will receive directions to make your own feeder/planter. The McCoys are active Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society members, participating in the annual Christmas Bird Counts and leading birding field trips. Kathy and Matt retired to Port Angeles from Boise, Idaho where Kathy was a wildlife biologist specializing in wildlife habitat relationships for a variety of private and public entities and Matt was an ecologist for the Bureau of Land Management, working there for over 40 years. Together they have over 70 years of experience working with wildlife and birds and helping others enjoy them as well. The Green Thumb Education Series, sponsored by the Washington State University Clallam County Master Gardeners, is held in-person on the second Thursday of each month from January through May, and September through November. Scheduled presentations are subject to change. Visit the WSU Extension Clallam County website calendar at https://extension.wsu.edu/clallam/master-gardener-calendar/ for the latest information on upcoming presentations. For questions, call 360-565-2678.