Non-gardeners have funny ideas about what a pest is: usually something that gets into your unsecured garbage, something that has a “bad reputation,” something that they haven’t seen before and isn’t necessarily cute…
If you garden, you’ll necessarily have food and maybe some shelter for insects and wildlife — and that means you’ll have visitors. Not all of them are pests! With some experience, you’ll know which animals and insects are, and which are merely hazards of gardening. Here I discuss both nuisance and beneficial wildlife.
There are a lot of strategies to attract the animals and insects we want, and repel the ones we don’t. And sometimes, an act of welcome will reduce the nuisance effect.
For instance, putting out a dish of water for the squirrels will reduce the number of tomatoes and cucumbers they steal — because your vegetables are an easy source of water on a hot, thirsty day. They’ll go for the water bowl, so put it out sooner rather than later, and the birds will benefit too. (But you still want to put netting on your fruit!)
If you have bird feeders and trees at your home –and even if you don’t – you’re likely to have a couple of window crashes per year – and you might not know it.
Architects, builders, and the lighting-use habits of city building owners have, over the years, increased the hazards birds face, and have done little (so far, with some notable exceptions) to fix the reflections and inappropriate lights that confuse birds.
But homeowners can do a lot to help: by being careful where they hang their bird feeder (ask: what will a startled bird fly towards?) and by putting non-reflective tape and decals on windows so that birds realize it’s not a real window of sky to fly through.
Windows that have anti-reflection decals applied
Here’s what happened. Crashes tend to happen in the early morning. On April 15th at around 8:30, I was gazing out my patio door at my beloved house sparrows and some starlings, when what falls from above, but a wee kinglet. It had spread its wings as it landed next to the sill of the door. It had a better fate than if I had been a gull, as many city gulls actually do: stand around and wait for window-crashers to eat!
I swooped in and picked it up with a bander’s grip.
Bander’s grip is when you cover the bird’s back with your non-dominant hand, with its head inserted between two fingers, and only to your second knuckle. The bird is facing your fingertips, not your wrist. It leaves your dominant hand, and the bird’s legs, free to put a band on.
Photographer’s grip is with your dominant hand, and you’re gently pinching the bird’s legs.
So then I brought the little bird inside and made it a convalescence box. I fashioned a napkin “donut” to rest on, as it fell over on its side when I put it in the box. Birds cannot lie on their sides, because just like with some large animals, it’s harder for them to breathe. I let it rest, and after a few minutes it looked less stunned, so I took some photos.
Window-crashing Kinglet in a convalescence boxYou can see the touch of orange in his cap, which means it’s a maleIt flew to my chandelier (after resting)
About half an hour later, it flew out of its box and took a tour of my main floor. I filmed its flight and it seemed quite agile and comfortable, going from indoor perch to indoor perch.
When it got into my bean plants at the patio window, I had the opportunity to pick it up again. As it perched on my finger, I took photos while I carried it outside. It stayed on my finger all the way until I transferred it to a hanging honey locust branch. From there, it flew up to a branch in my tall cedar, and then it flew off.
Golden-crowned Kinglet, post-recovery
Being so close to downtown, I’ve had other migrating birds stop by to enjoy my tall tree and burbling pond. I never expected a visit from this particular bird, but I’m glad it turned out better than it might have.
This post was updated in 2024 by consolidating an unpublished 2011 trip report into it. I really didn't know how to blog back then! I also added my 2013 Big Day birding list, so it should actually be an interesting read, if you're a birder.
I’m not that much of a birder, but I do like to take on a birding challenge once in a while. I used to recognize fewer than 20 species of birds, but now it’s somewhere between 50–80.
Two years ago, in 2011, I took my first trip to Point Pelee National Park, where thousands of humans flock to see millions of migrants come in at this time of year (between April and June for the northward journey, and again around September for the southward).
Point Pelee is the southernmost part of Canada. It is the heart of Carolinian Canada, representative of an endangered ecotone — a region of similar ecology, with populations of hallmark species that interact in an ecological community. Much of the Carolinian and Mixed broadleaf forest in Canada has been needlessly destroyed by agriculture and urban development. The swath of land between Windsor and Toronto — with pockets all the way to Montreal — is heavily populated and what remains of this ecotone are only small patches and vestiges.
Canada’s 42nd parallel (42º N on the map), the furthest south we go!
I submitted a trip report for a newsletter, and I’m free to share it with you:
This is a long-running “lifestyle” blog about the pleasures of living like a farm kid in an urban context. There’s a big focus on ecology and wildlife because this has brought me joy – and this is also the greatest potential we have of restoring some balance to nature where we live.
I write practical content for people to do little projects that basically make things beautiful, but also support climate readiness (energy efficiency, heat reduction, drought tolerance, flood prevention, and more). I’m a relentlless promoter of having a live-and-let-live attitude towards biodiversity.
Comments and questions are welcome! And if you’re anywhere near the Montreal region, you can also use my “Rewilding” service to landscape your property using native plants, convert to a green driveway, and prevent your windows from killing birds.
