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Happy cats and safe wildlife. Life in dead wood. Get certified...
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Nature Scoop February 2018

Suet Feeder
If you have a tree die, leave it for logs (on the ground) or make it into a snag (standing) for wildlife to use for food, cover and places to raise young. Carpenter bees and birds nest in them, insects find cover and birds eat the insects. Make sure that it isn't a safety hazard and is in line with local regulations. To make it into a snag, shorten or cut off the limbs and cut the tree short (15 feet or less). Check it often to see that it is sturdy and won't blow over in storms. See how a group created a snag here.

If you want to have your yard certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Habitat, its website has changed. The online application is here.

Tread lightly, I'm warned as I talk about cats and wildlife. However, to quote David Mizejewski, "We created domesticated cats and have imported them around the world... in numbers that often far exceed the numbers of native predators. It’s up to us to prevent and solve the problem." I've had a well-fed pet cat come into my yard and bite the heads off of birds. It doesn't even eat them. It's not the cat's fault. I love cats. Unfortunately, birds do not recognize the sound of a bell as a predator. The only way to keep birds and other small wildlife totally safe is to keep cats indoors.

I have lived with cats all my life, and have always kept them indoors. Since I created the habitat in my yard, the cats love to look out the window: Cat TV. You can buy videos for cats to watch, but why not let them see the real thing? I created my habitat so there is something different to look at from each window. I placed stands in front of each window so the cat can lie down and watch the action outside. I play with my cats using toys to give them exercise, and they are happy. Here is more information.

Good news: A law to plant native plants came out of a weather disaster, Hurricane Sandy. New Jersey passed a law that only native plants can be used to green their highway system moving forward. Your state can too. Read how.

Toni, Habitat Ambassador Volunteer, Please explore my website www.backyardhabitat.info


Tips for Your Yard

-  Tips for high-quality winter bird food from National Wildlife Federation
-  During the frigid weather, feed fatty foods like like hulled sunflower seeds, suet and peanuts
-  Keep feeders and heated water full for ready access
-  For your planning, did you know that a mature tree strategically planted by your house can save you up to $200 in energy costs per year? Plant evergreen trees on the north to block cold winds year round. Plant deciduous trees on the south because they shed their leaves to let in winter sun
-  Help Robins with cut-up dried fruit like cranberries (don't use raisins, which are toxic to pets) or hulled sunflower or pieces of suet and frost-free water
-  Put up bird houses in mid-winter when birds are looking for places to live
-  Please dispose of discarded cigarette butts, which are toxic to wildlife
-  Skunks are mating in late February and have poor eyesight, so please watch the roads for them


Nature News

Snowy Owls - an irruption
Love is in the Air: Courtship Behavior in Backyard Birds (be sure scroll down to see the Cardinals "kiss" in honor of Valentine's Day)
Protect Your Stream (updated link) - plantings for stream banks
11 Tips to Keep Your Indoor Cat Happy - scroll down after Door Dashing to see the next idea


Ohio Events with Backyard Habitat Information

Please send your backyard conservation educational event with a link the month prior to the registration deadline (e.g. May 1 for June issue)
-   2/10, Cavity Birds: How to Attract Them with Native Plants and Bird Houses, RSVP by 2/2 for optional fee to make a house(s), Wild Ones Columbus


Other Ohio Nature Events

Please send your backyard conservation educational event with a link the month prior to the registration deadline (e.g. May 1 for June issue)
-  2/7, Wild Story Time, Preschool age, Fee, Ohio Wildlife Center, Powell
-  Reg by 2/10 for 2/14, Invasive Non-native Plants - How to Identify and Control Them, Fee for lunch, page down at Worthington Hills Garden Club, Columbus
-  2/11, Second Sunday, Fee, Ohio Wildlife Center, Powell
-  2/13, Green Ribbon Initiative, Wild Ones Oak Openings Region, Sylvania
-  Reg by 2/14 for 2/24, 2018 Ohio Bluebird Society Conference, Fee, Columbus
-  2/16-2/19, Great Backyard Bird Count, Your Yard
-  Reg by 2/17 for 2/23, Stopping the Spread: The Role of Public Gardens as Sentinels against Plant Invasions, Fee incl lunch, Ohio Invasive Plants Council, Newark
-  2/18, Maximizing Pollinator Diversity in Your Garden, scroll down at Cincinnati Wild Ones, Cincinnati
-  2/27 Randy Rogers: Cuba Bird Survey, Columbus Audubon, Columbus


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