Migration is a harrowing, non-stop trip, especially
in the spring when birds are fighting cold fronts - sometimes so
exhausting that the birds collapse on the beach at first land. To
quickly replenish weight and stores of fat lost during migration,
they depend upon habitat.
Where migratory birds, upon arrival, once found
coastal mangroves, pinewoods, hammocks, scrubs, grasslands and
marshes filled with food, water and secretive hiding places, they
now more often encounter a landscape of asphalt and glass. If you
belong to the 75 percent of the state's population who lives within
five miles of the coast, think about making your backyard a way
station for migrants by reestablishing native vegetation. This may
mean first ridding your property of Australian pine and/or other
nonnative invasive species that offer little to birds, then
replanting native flora.
Coastal hammocks contain a diversity of grasses,
flowering plants and fruiting trees - coral bean, pigeon plum, live
oak, firebush, loblolly and others - that are important sources of
food for migrants. Other native plants to consider are buttonwood,
sea grape, myrsine, Jamaica dogwood, wild lime, strangler fig,
black ironwood, and white and Spanish stoppers. Choose plants
appropriate for your part of Florida; consult a native nursery near
you, or peruse through our bird section of Planting a Refuge for
Wildlife.
Persons with Disabilities