North Beach, MD: The Ellisons
Glenn and Misty Ellison maintain a year-round bird haven in their yard in North Beach, Maryland, just up from the Bay. They focus on maintaining native plants and not using herbicides and pesticides to keep the birds happy.
What kinds of birds visit your yard?
Some of our year-round visitors are Eastern Bluebirds, Cardinals, Goldfinches, Sparrows, House Finches, Robins, Blue Jays, Mockingbirds, Tufted Titmice, Downy Woodpeckers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, an occasional Hairy Woodpecker, Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, White Breasted Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, Grackles, European Starlings, American Crows, an occasional red-wing blackbird or Eastern Towhee.
Do the same types of birds come back every year, or do your guests change?
In the summer, Hummingbirds, Catbirds, and Chipping Sparrows come by for a visit. We sometimes have Brown Thrashers.
In the winter, the Dark Eyed Juncos are regular visitors to our deck. They prefer the seed that has fallen from the bird feeder to the deck or the ground below.
As winter fades away and spring is getting close, the Cedar Waxwings will come to our holly trees. They usually stay for about 2-3 days until the holly berries are depleted.
One Fall, we had a Magnolia Warbler and a Black and White Warbler stop by on their way south. On two different days this spring, a Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks pair stopped by on their way north. We had never seen one in our yard before. The male was so beautiful. It was very exciting.
What do you make sure you have in your yard to keep the birds happy?
We keep quality bird seed in the feeders. The seed is a nut and berry blend. That keeps the squirrels happy as well. We have one bird bath and one drinking station in our yard. We have two large Holly trees that provide shelter year-round and food during the winter. We don’t use any pesticides or herbicides in our yard or garden. We have a patch of Evening Primroses that the Hummingbirds and evening pollinators enjoy. In the Fall, when the flowers go to seed, the Goldfinches will eat the seeds. The Goldfinches love to eat the seeds from our Purple Coneflowers.
We also have a Bluebird box. There is a pair of Bluebirds that usually produce at least two broods of babies per season. They got a late start this year. They also have to fight off the Sparrows that try to claim their box.
Do you plant specific foliage for the birds?
The Evening Primroses and Purple Coneflowers are self-propagating. Sadly, we had to have two dead pines taken down but plan on replacing them with Fringe Trees. The Fringe Trees would help attract pollinators to the yard in the spring when the tree has flowers. Later in the season, there will be berries for the birds.
Our yard is next to a wooded lot that is zoned as a street. The thick vegetation there provides food and shelter for the birds. That is another reason why we have so many birds that stop by.
Any advice for someone looking to get started and not spend a lot?
The bare requirements to attract birds to your yard would be bird feeders and a bird bath. Having native vegetation in your yard that can provide food and or shelter for birds is great.
