Advice from birder: Get ready for fall season
18.09.11
There aren't many homes boasting this amenity: A crater in a windowsill to allow wild birds to come and go from the house, interacting with occupants. But such a looks existed at the residence of the late Elizabeth Clarkson, the well-known birder/gardener who lived with old man, Eddie, in a house now part of Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Nature on Ridgewood Avenue in Myers Park. From outside, Dia Steiger, boss director of Wing Haven, points to the second crush, near the center of the back of the house, where the opening the Clarksons created in the sill remains visual. Mary Currie, a bird-watcher who lives on Sharon Means, says the present-day emphasis on attracting birds to Wing Haven is a continuation of the Clarksons' legacy. Currie, 32, formerly worked in children's programming at the gardens and still visits. As summer turns to rely, then winter, changes will occur among Wing Haven birds - and in village backyards, Currie says. Currie says to look for the spotless-throated sparrow's arrival in October. It's a winter local in Charlotte, hanging around through April. She cites three elements for providing a bird home: food, water and shelter. There are numerous options for bird-feeding stations. "You don't have to have anything peculiarity," Currie said. Clarkson assembled makeshift feeders herself, according to Currie. "She had a ability for reusing things," she said. Currie says unadorned food is more challenging for birds to come by in winter, mainly if the ground is hard and frozen, or if it has snowed. Consider sprinkling seeds on the compass basis. Black oil sunflower seed is a good all-purpose food, appealing to many birds, said Currie. She also said to time off hummingbird feeders out through fall for stragglers. Water in birdbaths should be changed regularly, checking in winter to frame sure it hasn't frozen. Shelter might be simple, like shrubs or brushwood for coverage. Some birds may pile into birdhouses to seek hidey-hole in winter, but it's possible nothing will roost in them and the boxes will stay empty. For Currie, birding is a dearest affair. "I started birding because my mom is a birder," she said. Currie's mommy, Sissy Logan, lives in Virginia, and would pull over to the roadside on blood trips when she spotted birds, according to Currie. Currie says she likes the environmental aspects of birding and birds' loveliness. It's also a good outdoor activity. "You can be outside without being super bodily," she said.
Source: Charlotte Observer
PR Web (the papers release)Photo Courtesy of Cole's Wild 
by Thirty-One doctor Linda Kelly), a Twin Valley Coffee alms bag containing four packages of fresh coffee, and a Bird Lovers Basket containing a rules on birds, bird seed, bird feeders and more (donated by Wild Bird Unlimited of Sinking Well).
