Transcript:

Berries and Bugs for the Blues What are some of the best ways to attract and feed Bluebirds and other native species of birds? I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Mizejewski: One of the first things that most people do when they want to attract birds is put out a bird feeder. And there's nothing wrong with that. But bird feeders aren't really habitat. They're just a supplement to the natural habitat. And there's only a few bird species that'll even visit a bird feeder. David Mizejewski is a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation and the author of the book, "Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife." Mizejewski: Bluebirds are a great example of a species that don't eat seed. They eat insects and they eat fruits and berries. so the best way to attract them and feed them is to plant native plants that are going to have berries on them and that are going to support the insects that those birds need to eat. There is a little bit of an exception. You can buy specialty feeders that offer mealworms, which are insects - they're beetle larvae - that Bluebirds will sometimes come visit. But the best way to feed the birds is to plant native plants. You can always find something that has a beautiful flower on it that's going to be great food for nectar eaters and pollen eaters like butterflies and bees, who then pollinate those flowers and then the shrub is able to produce the fruits that birds like the Bluebirds like to eat. Things like Elderberry, Chokeberries,Chokecherries, Dogwoods. So, find a good native berrying shrub and you'll be doing really magical things for the birds. We have a saying that dead trees are full of life. What happens is that as those trees decay, insects get into them. And those insects are food for other animals; everything from woodpeckers to salamanders to toads. And then those tunnels that they drill into that dead wood become nesting spots for native bees and other creatures. So, really the best thing you can do is keep them on your property. You don't have to do much else, because Mother Nature will take care of that decomposition process and make the nutrients available inside that dead log available to other species up and down the food chain. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.