Little Green Places for Birds entries, page 2
To get back to the contest page  CLICK HERE

11. Zachary J. Henneman, Amherst, NY 

My little green place is a small section of Ellicott Creek Park located along Tonawanda Creek in the town Amherst, NY (Google Map).  There is a little island in the middle of the creek adjacent to the park, which is inaccessible except by water, making it an ideal sanctuary to raise goslings amidst busy suburbia.   Only a short swim away is lush green grass full of bugs for their babies to snack on, and I, sitting quietly with my camera, relaxing in the mid-afternoon sun.

*******************

12. Nancy Mone, Tucson, Arizona

I took these two pictures while on vacation in Arizona earlier this month.  The first picture is the portico outside the Westin LaPaloma resort in the Catalina Mountains outside Tucson.  The black flecks on the ceiling railing just above the trees are birds.  The second picture is a close up of them -- Barn Swallows.  The portico is big and shaded---with a very large fountain front and center surrounded by pretty flowers.  The Barn Swallows fly in and out taking advantage of the shade (the mid-day heat was 110) and the coolness provided by the water fountain).  There were no other birds, just the swallows and, of course, no nests (I am sure the management would not allow it and would knock any nests down ASAP).  However, the birds know a good thing when they see it----rooms at this resort start at $400 a night in season---and why not take advantage of an upscale residence rather than a hot, smelly, dusty barn. You never know where you are going to find urban birds.

*****************************************************************

13. Donald Greenwood, Ponce Inlet, Florida

Pictures of swallows resting on my Ponce Inlet, Florida condo patio/windowsill during Tropical Storm Fay, August 21, 2008, about 6 pm. I never saw so many birds before - flying, landing, etc. Thousands of swallows resting on the east-side of the condo buildings.

********************************************************************

14. Gail Becraft, Sanders, Kentucky

This is our little green space at the school I work at, Kathryn Winn in Carrollton Kentucky. It is a courtyard. For me, it is a space away from the hustle and a relaxing retreat to share with the children, birds, turtles and many other creatures.  There is a small pond that is surrounded by berry bushes, trees and grasses for the birds to nibble on. Since it is a protected area birds have little to be threatened with while here. I have seen cardinals, wrens, swallows and blue jays at times.

*************************************

15. Kelly and Juliana Lannutti, Willow Grove, PA

Our little green place is our backyard.  My 6 year old daughter, Juliana,
calls it "our Nature Center"!    It was the main reason we purchased our
home last year, and all of our hard work has been well rewarded with daily
visits from many types of birds.  After visiting a local nature center in
our area, we felt in love with this property because of all of the wildlife
we saw when touring the house.  It is a great green space for birds and they
love coming here.
There are a lot of plants that berry throughout the year and also some
mature trees that provide shelter and are great places for the birds to find
insects to eat.  We have added two feeders for additional food and a bird
bath for a water source.  It has been fun experimenting with the types of feed
the birds prefer!
We spend much of our time at home looking out at this area observing and
identifying the birds that visit us. We also have front row seats at these
windows each day to conduct bird counts and have submitted our data for the
GBBC.
We are working toward removing the invasive plants as naturally as we can.
We don't want to pull out too much too fast though because we know that
birds need ground cover for hiding spots. We also hope to add plants each
year that will continue to attract our feathered friends.
Thanks for looking at the "Lannutti Nature Center".  We love it here!!

********************************************************

16. Kathleen Whelen, El Paso, Texas

This little green place is our Certified Backyard Habitat in El Paso, Texas. Situated in the Chihuahuan Desert within the urban sprawl, our backyard is a safe haven for many native species. By allowing the native vegetation to grow and disperse seeds the birds have a continuous supply of food, shelter and nesting material. The bird shown is a curve-billed thrasher. We have several that nest in the small stand of mesquite and cactus. They are curious and not at all shy. In the summer, while feeding their young, they would readily accept a mealworm offering to supplement their diet.

***************************************************

17. Cheryl Reynolds, Martinez, CA

This little green place is a creek in an urban city that beavers have inhabited. They have enriched the creek with still ponds that have in turn become home to many birds. Green Herons, Egrets, Black Phoebe, Marsh Wrens, and Belted Kingfisher are just a few of the birds that feel welcome here.

Heidi from Worth-a-Dam in Martinez CA writes: "(I wanted) to emphasize the positive effects beavers can have on birds. Sediment is trapped by beaver dams, insects arrive to break down the organic material. Better bugs mean better bug eaters and soon there are more dense and varied fish species. Although beavers take trees, they actually practice a natural "coppice cutting" that makes tree growth more dense and brushy over time and ideal nesting habitat. This and the increased fish draws more types of birdlife. Last year we had new green heron, cormorant, and even scaup for the first time ever."

*********************************************************************

18. Bill Arrants, Brentwood, Tennessee

Here is my "Little Green Space".  I built the ponds and the little river connecting them.  The birds really seem to like the flowing water and use it a lot.  My granddaughter started calling the stream 'the little river' when she was about 6 and the name has stuck.

************************************** 

19. Theresa Beck, Bay City, MI

My little green place is my backyard. We have lots of good things for birds in our yard including a birdbath, several feeders, and sunflowers.
In this photo are the seagulls that like to stop in for lunch occasionally. On this day they were dining on day-old bread, and popcorn.
We also get this pair of mallards that stop by in the mornings for some corn. They fly in from the Saginaw River that is just blocks away from my home.

**************************************************************************************

20. ShawnMarie Mann, Dauphin, PA

This little green place is the flowerbed by our driveway and mailbox.  We plant sunflowers so the butterflies and bees have someplace to land (there is one of each in this picture.)  Birds like to sit in our flower bed because we have a birdbath nearby for water and the flowers offer protection from predators and food during summer, fall and winter. 

We always let our sunflowers go to seed and their dry flower heads give the birds a much needed snack when the snow starts to fall.