This morning, I woke up at 5:30 to a cacophony of sound.  The morning chorus is led by American Redstarts with their short emphatic phrases of song, Red-eyed Vireos (here I am…in the tree…way up here…high in the tree), and Least Flycatchers with their endlessly repeated che-bek, che-bek che-bek!  Rounding them out are Robins, the ethereal Hermit Thrush, Black-throated Green Warblers (singing zee-zee-zee-zoo-zee) and many other insect-eating songbirds.  They are here to raise their families on the bounty of insects that populate our forests and lakes.

So not only do these lovely birds beautify our forests with their colour and song, they also eat vast quantities of the black flies, mosquitoes and deer flies that torment us when we go outside during the spring and summer.  Unfortunately, the populations of many of these songbird species is in decline, mostly due to habitat loss.

What can we do as cottagers and homeowners to help these lovely and beneficial creatures?  We can plant native species. If you have grass lawns, consider replacing it with some native trees, shrubs and wildflowers, that will host our native insects.  Allow your riparian zone to fill in with native ferns, wildflowers and shrubs. Chickadee parents needs to find an astonishing 6,000 to 8,000 caterpillars to raise one clutch of chicks! Butterflies and moths need pollinating plants, and plants on which to lay their eggs, so that their caterpillars can feed. Birds Canada has an excellent resource on selecting plants found here: Home - Bird Gardens .

There is one more thing we can do. Fireworks terrify wildlife.  Birds can panic to the point of abandoning their nests, leaving eggs unincubated, and young ones open to predation.  Canada Day is in the middle of nesting season. Consider postponing fireworks to another date, or cancelling them altogether. The creatures that share our space with us will thank you.

If you need help identifying who is waking you up at 5 in the morning, download the Merlin app on to your phone. It has a wonderful bird song identification feature – very useful during that early morning coffee on the deck! Merlin Bird ID – Free, instant bird identification help and guide for thousands of birds – Identify the birds you see (allaboutbirds.org)

Written by Theresa Schiller