April 22 marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. This year, people will be celebrating the day in a variety of ways. If you’re looking for a way to give something back to the planet, why not do something for birds?
Click on the link at left to see what Audubon California and its chapters are doing around the state.
And if you’re looking for some ways to help the birds, we’ve listed 20 easy ideas below. (And by the way, these ideas work 365 days a year – not just on Earth Day.)
- Put up a bird box and see who takes up residence.
- Leave a dead tree (or snag) standing on your farm or property.
- Keep your cat indoors.
- Plant native plants – bird habitat at home.
- Use less plastic.
- Take your own bags to the supermarket.
- Volunteer for a beach clean-up event, or just go down there by yourself and pick up some trash.
- Don’t use pesticides or herbicides in your garden.
- Cut up plastic 6-pack soda rings.
- Maintain a clean bird feeder.
- Use bird baths.
- Support legislation that supports birds.
- If you drink coffee, buy the organic, shade-grown kind.
- Donate money or time to organizations that protect birds.
- Support habitat conservation in Latin America, which helps our migratory birds.
- Don’t feed crows—they are overpopulated and will raid nests of smaller birds.
- Keep your dog out of sensitive areas.
- Leave a wild spot in your yard for grasses/plants.
- Put decals on large windows to prevent bird collisions.
- Provide a clean source of water away from predators.
- Don’t prune or cut trees during the nesting season (April through August).
- Cap open pipes. Birds and other wildlife can fall into these pipes and be unable to get out.
- Avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides, particularly those that have been proven to be harmful to wildlife.
- Turn your exterior lights off at night. If you work in a high-rise, ask the management to do what they can. Artificial light at night is disorienting to migratory birds.
- Turn a kid into a bird nut. Or just get them outdoors. All of our progress for the environment won’t mean a thing if the next generation doesn’t care enough about birds and nature to continue to protect them.
