Featured
FeederWatcher:
Janet Allen
Janet Allen has been a FeederWatch participant for four years. She learned about the project while exploring National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat program. Her yard in Syracuse, New York, was certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat in December 2000. She said that her interest in birds grew as her yard became more wildlife-friendly.
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| Janet's interest in conservation has also grown with the improved habitat in her yard. She has reserved a space in the yard for a "solar clothes dryer," she purchases 100% wind energy, she bought an electric/gas hybrid car, and she advocates for a responsible national energy policy. |
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Janet has a wide variety of feeders, which she varies depending on season or need. When she has large numbers of goldfinches or other finches, she puts up extra finch feeders. She provides mealworms for the chickadees by placing them in an old frying pan that she holds out to them. She says that if she left the mealworms out unattended, House Sparrows would eat them. |
She provides a hummingbird feeder only in early spring and late fall. The rest of the summer she relies on her native plants to attract the hummingbirds. That way, she says,"I don't have to worry about cleaning feeders!"
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Janet monitors her feeders from her family room/home office. Her computer is next to a bay window overlooking her backyard. She enjoys her view, even when she really ought to be attending to what is on her computer!
Bird feeding
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In addition to providing feeders, Janet recommends providing for other needs. She planted bushes with berries that last into winter and evergreen bushes that supply cover year-round. She provides clean nest boxes as well as a roost box, and she uses a heater in her birdbath to provide water all winter. |
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| Backyard Wildlife Habitat |
| Part of having a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat means that Janet provides food, water, cover, and a place to raise young. She also uses sustainable gardening practices, including using no chemical pesticides or fertilizers. She plants native plants to help eliminate non-native invasive plants that threaten habitat in natural areas. Janet created a web site to features her Backyard Wildlife Habitat. |
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