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. d st g u s persistent berries often ferment and can sometimes result in drunk and disorderly songbirds .
For a breakdown of the nutritional content of the shrubs listed above and additional recommendations , see Recommended Plantings for Migratory Songbird Habitat Management available at https :// web . uri . edu / ceoc / files / Migratory-Bird-Fact-Sheet . pdf .
As always , when selecting plants , it is best to pick for the conditions of your site . While willows are great plants for birds and pollinators , most native willows require full to part sun with moist to wet soil . Their roots can also get rather large if the conditions are right and shouldn ’ t be planted near utility lines . Along similar lines , Virginia creeper can easily climb trees and overtop other plants . So , only plant it in areas where you don ’ t mind it spreading . To find native plants that would work well in your backyard , check out the Chesapeake Bay Native Plant Center at http :// www . nativeplantcenter . net .
To read more about birds and other nature topics , see the archive of HabiChat articles , available at https :// dnr . maryland . gov / wildlife / Pages / habitat / Habichat _ Articles _ by _ Topic . aspx .
Learn about the Birds in Your Yard , Take Part in the Great Backyard Bird Count !
Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count , from beginning bird watchers to experts . The Great Backyard Bird Count is a free , fun , and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations . Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes , or as long as you wish . Count birds on one or more days of the four-day event and report your sightings online at birdcount . org .
The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place Friday , February 15 — Monday , February 18 , 2019 .
For a list of native plant vendors , check out the Maryland Native Plant Society list of regional nurseries at https :// www . mdflora . org / nurseries . html . This article was adapted from an article written by Kerry Wixted of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources . Available at https :// news . maryland . gov / dnr / 2019 / 01 / 02 / habichat-native-birdsplants .
Further information on topics addressed in this article can be found within the references listed below .
• Narango , D . L ., D . W . Tallamy and P . P . Marra . 2018 . Nonnative plants reduce population growth of an insectivorous bird . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 115 ( 45 ) 11549- 11554 .
• Smith , S . B . and S . R . McWilliams . 2015 . Recommended plantings for migratory songbird habitat management . Rochester , NY : Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rhode Island . 2 p .
• Tallamy , D . W . and K . J . Shropshire . 2009 . Ranking Lepidopteran Use of Native Versus Introduced Plants . Conservation Biology . 23 ( 4 ): 941-947 .
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