A snag for our birds

Many of us enjoy living in Wimberley because we share our space with wildlife. For many, bird watching is an avid hobby and for others a pleasant pastime. I fall into the second group, but I do love my backyard birds and try to provide for their needs. Environmental scientists consider our avian friends to be an indicator species. That means the study of bird life can indicate the overall quality of a habitat.

Sadly, the bird population is in decline. According to the National Audubon Society, the number of birds in North America has declined by 3 billion since 1970. This tells us something about our ecosystem, and it’s not good news. There are many simple ways you and I can help. I want to focus on one that you may not know about, the snag. A snag is any dead or dying standing tree. Do you have a dead or dying tree in your yard? If it’s not in an unsightly location, cut off any limbs in danger of falling, then leave the trunk in place. Over 85 species of North American birds use the cavities in dead or dying trees. These birds use snags for nesting, shelter and feeding sites. Snags provide homes for woodpeckers, hunting perches for hawks and owls and song posts for a wide variety of birds. Also snags provide habitat for certain amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals. So please save a snag in your yard for our wildlife.

I was up early on a recent morning and sat down with a cup of tea waiting for what birders call the dawn chorus. I first heard the familiar sound of our northern cardinal, but where were my Carolina wrens? At the dawning of a new day these tiny birds have the loudest and most melodic of songs. That day there were no wrens. Thankfully the next morning my wren pair appeared. What a loss it would be to no longer hear that cheerful sound every morning.