Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
quito larvae in check, as will any young dragonflies and damselflies during their nymph
stage before they emerge as adults. These insects are doubly helpful because the adults
feed on adult mosquitoes.
Q I live in a high-rise apartment with a tiny balcony. Is there any way I can attract
birds all the way up on the 17th floor?
A
Depending on what the habitat below you is like, it may take some time for birds to
discover your balcony. Bird feeders in high-rises along lakes and rivers are fairly likely
tobediscoveredduringmigration.Feedersinanyneighborhoodaremorelikelytoattract
birds if there are trees and other vegetation at ground level, and the more plants on your
balcony,the more likely curious birds will check it out. Providing foodand nectar-produ-
cing plants may lure birds in, and will make your balcony more pleasant for you whether
or not they ever arrive. You can learn more about attracting birds to city yards and bal-
conies online at
www.celebrateurbanbirds.org.
Q I love watching warblers and wish they would come to my feeders. Why don't
they?
A
Warblers are insectivores, not seed eaters. Some people offer mealworms at bird feed-
ers, but most warblers instinctively search for insects in specific areas within specific
kinds of trees, rather than searching in a spot that might lead them to a feeder. The time
warblers are most likely todiscover amealworm orsuet feeder isduringmigration, espe-
cially during harsh weather. When they're in an unfamiliar area, warblers often associate
with chickadees, and a hungry warbler may notice the chickadees flitting back and forth
from a feeder. After one warbler does discover a feeder, others may join it.
Pine Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers appear at suet feeders more often than
most of their relatives, sometimes visiting a feeding station throughout a winter. Cape
May Warblers, which drink nectar and feed on sap oozing out of holes drilled in trees by
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, sometimes visit hummingbird feeders or an offering of sliced
oranges.
Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely
vegetabledietandonlyinadvertentlyswallowinganoccasionalinsect.Goldfincheseven
feed their nestlings regurgitated seeds, rather than the insects that most songbirds feed
their young.
