Letter to the Editor | March 3 edition

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Birds’ Habitat

Keep a careful lookout while pruning and cleaning

A friendly reminder from our bird parents who will be busy over the next few months making homes for their new chicks: Please be careful and keep a sharp eye out for nests in places you are wanting to clean or prune. Some birds (like the little junco) will pick dangerous places to build a nest — like under a shrub, or a handy pile of leaves up against that fern. Others build their homes in low branches or tucked safely, they think, in a shrub.

Especially if you hear a little “cheep, cheep” and see an excited little bird trying to lure you away, look carefully before removing litter or cutting back shrubs. Our small feathered friends need all the protection we can give them to survive all the hazards out there.

Just remember: Mother Nature is not tidy and those leaves not only hide the birds, but the insects they feed on and that debris will eventually compost into much needed soil for our plants.

Thank you from your Vashon-Maury Island Audubon.

— Katrin Fletter, on behalf of the Vashon-Maury Island Audubon