Welcome Birds Back to Your Yard with Native Plants
Flying High: Three Backyard Birds Making Comebacks
The latest State of Canada’s Birds report, released in 2024, brings mixed news.
Let’s start with the concerning news: birds continue to face significant human-driven threats. As a result, 36 per cent of the species named in the report have experienced significant population declines since 1970.
The good news is that 31 per cent of the species assessed are increasing and continue to thrive, which, in some cases, could be due to changes in human behaviour that better support wildlife.
Among the species making a comeback are the blue jay, eastern screech owl and Carolina wren – birds you might have spotted in your backyard throughout the year.
Blue Jay
Population trend: increasing by 1.38 per cent per year since 1970.
What to look for: thanks to our local baseball team, blue jays are one of our more iconic resident species. Their bright blue feathers and crest help them stand out whether they’re feeding on the ground or perched atop a tree.
What to listen for: keep an ear out for their loud jeer call. And don’t be surprised if you think you hear a red-tailed hawk nearby; blue jays are great impersonators.
How to support: consider planting an oak tree, such as northern red oak, to your property to supply one of their favourite foods: acorns. Blue jays regularly visit bird feeders, especially if you offer peanuts.
Eastern Screech Owl
Population trend: increasing by 2.71 per cent per year since 1970.
What to look for: Eastern screech owls are small nocturnal owls that can be found in two colour morphs: grey and red. During the day they sleep in the entrance of a tree cavity, sometimes with one eye open.
What to listen for: they are more often heard than seen, with their eerie, descending whinny that may send chills up your spine.
How to support: Eastern screech owls roost and nest in tree cavities, which can be difficult to find in urban parts of the watershed. Trees in declining health often provide these cavities but are typically removed from yards and public spaces for safety. Installing a nest box and planting native trees, such as bur oak, can help create valuable habitat.
Carolina Wren
Population trend: increasing by 7.73 per cent per year since 1970.
What to look for: Carolina wrens are small, chunky songbirds with long tails often pointed upwards. They have red-brown colouring with a long, thick white eyebrow.
What to listen for: their song is a loud, whistled teakettle and can be heard year-round – even during the cold winter.
How to support: Carolina wrens can be found hopping around young trees and shrubs hunting caterpillars and other insects. Adding plants that support a high number of caterpillars, like chinquapin oak, pin cherry and Bebb’s willow can support hungry Carolina wrens.
Taking All Birds Under Your Wing
All birds deserve a comeback and they need our support. Add bird-friendly plants to your yard to create a safe and healthy space where birds can thrive.
Pruning Oaks
Winter is the best time to prune your oak tree to prevent the spread of oak wilt disease. Ideally, pruning should occur between late-November and late-March, when trees are dormant. This prevents the flow of sap to the open cut and encourages better healing. The sap beetles that spread oak wilt are also dormant this time of year.
If pruning must occur after March, or if a tree is injured, apply a thin layer of wound paint or shellac to the wound immediately to prevent sap from reaching the surface and attracting sap beetles.
Oak trees are a valuable part of our cities and ecosystems. If you have an oak tree on your property, ensure it receives the care it needs to thrive and contact a certified arborist when pruning is required.
All oaks are susceptible to oak wilt, but red oaks are particularly vulnerable. This disease will kill infected trees. Oak wilt has not been found in the Credit River Watershed, but monitoring is ongoing. If you suspect your tree has oak wilt, report it to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and to CVC’s invasive species team.
Chinquapin Oak
Quercus muehlenbergii
With its sweet acorns, the chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) is a rare treat for any yard and is sure to attract a variety of wildlife.
In early spring, the chinquapin oak puts out dainty, green-yellow catkins. By fall, its glossy green leaves turn yellow and brown and its small, bumpy acorns begin to drop.
Care Notes
A Carolinian species at the northernmost reach of its range, the chinquapin oak is uncommon in Ontario. It prefers well-drained, rocky soils and grows best in full sun to part shade. However, it is tolerant of drought and will grow in sandy, loamy or clay soil. Growing up to 20 metres tall, with a canopy that can spread between 12 and 18 metres wide, the chinquapin oak provides plenty of cooling shade.
A Friend to All
Birds such as blue jays, woodpeckers and nuthatches and mammals such as white-tailed deer, chipmunks and squirrels feast on the chinquapin oak’s acorns. Moth and butterfly larvae feed on the leaves, attracting birds that eat insects, like wrens, warblers and vireos. Other birds, like the blue-grey gnatcatcher and eastern wood-pewee nest in the branches.
A newer addition to our woodland native plant list, chinquapin oak may be available at your local native plant nursery. Pair it with Virginia bluebells, Canada wild-ginger and thin-leaved snowberry for bright pops of colour all spring.