Moana Nursery, one of northern Nevada’s premier garden centers and nurseries, is encouraging customers to celebrate National Bird Feeding Month. Tomorrow (Feb. 12), the store will host a seminar for bird lovers: "Who’s that stranger in my yard"?, featuring Alan Gubanich, Vice President, Lahontan Audubon Society. Gubanich will explain how to identify birds in the yard, as well as showing different ways to attract, feed and create shelters for them.
In 1993, the United States Congress proclaimed February to be National Bird Feeding Month. More than 53 million North Americans participate in the hobby of backyard bird feeding, and this month offers a variety of activities for them to enjoy, including the Great Backyard Bird Count.
The Great Backyard Bird Count, a joint project between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Studies Canada and the National Audubon Society, takes place Feb. 18- 21. Individuals, families, schools and organizations are invited to count birds at bird feeders and in backyards, local parks or other locations. Those tallies are then reported online through the BirdSource website. The information helps define bird ranges, populations, migration pathways and habitat needs.
“The count is fun, easy and educational,” said Christie Gescheider, owner of the Reno and Sparks (Nev.) Wild Birds Unlimited stores, located inside Moana Nursery. “It’s also a terrific way for Cornell, Bird Studies Canada and Audubon to learn more about the abundance and distribution of bird species.”
The average backyard is visited regularly by 15 or more bird species. People can increase the variety of birds that visit their backyards by providing the appropriate food in the right location.
Moana Nursery has three Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Reno and Sparks.