Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

You are fortunate to live in an area having such colorful and intresting birds. As you probably know, bird-watching is also big business in South Texas. Birders come from all around the world to see birds like the Altamira and Audubon Orioles, which occur only in the southern border areas of the United States. Mr. Smarty Plants was surprised to find so little published advice on how local residents can enhance their communities as birding hot spots.

Since you have two essentials, water and cover, let me concentrate on the food requirements. Orioles and Cardinals love most kinds of fruit.  Non-native fruit, such as figs and plums, will be welcomed by these birds.  The Altamira and Audubon Orioles love to forage in dense thickets. You might consider whether you should increase your cover with something like Forestiera pubescens (Stretchberry) (or elbowbush), which provides berries as well as cover.  A number of other bird friendly plants are listed among natives in the book A Field Guide to Common South Texas Shrubs, by R. B. Taylor, J. Rutledge, and J. G. Herrera.  This book may be available at your local library.

Among other listed natives in the book are the following: Mahonia trifoliolata (Agarita) (early spring berries), Rubus flagellaris (Northern dewberry) (spring berries), Morus microphylla (Littleleaf mulberry) (berries in spring), Ehretia anacua (Anacua) (summer food),  Cordia boissieri (Mexican olive) (Hummingbirds, late summer fruit), Schaefferia cuneifolia (Desert yaupon) (winter berries), Eysenhardtia texana (Texas kidneywood) (cover, attracts insects, seeds), Colubrina texensis (Hog-plum) (fall and winter fruit and seeds, cover), Ulmus crassifolia (Cedar elm) (fall seeds) and Celtis laevigata (Sugar hackberry).  A variety such as this would provide food and cover for many species of songbirds, including orioles and Cardinals, throughout the year.  Other native species suitable for South Texas are shown on a Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center web site. You can obtain many of these plants and also additional advice at one of the suppliers also listed on our web site.  The Rancho Lomitas Plant Nursery, in particular, has several of them in stock.

Good luck, and thanks for helping to preserve our colorful birds.