Repurpose Your Holiday Decorations

Help the birds as we prepare for Polar Vortex Part II by re-purposing your holiday decorations!  You may be ahead of the game, and have already disposed of  your live greens, but I am guessing at least a majority of you have them either sitting in your compost pile in the backyard, or haven't quite gotten around to taking down the last remnants of the holiday.  If it makes you feel better, I fall into the latter category!

Will this Downy stick around for the GBBC?

These greens can serve another purpose by creating piles that act as shelters for some of the birds during the predicted cold nights ahead.  Another way to re-purpose the live greens is to "plant" them in your yard.  By placing the sticks of evergreens into the ground, you are providing cover for some of the smaller birds and even creating a place where snow may not accumulate giving additional protection and food sources.  This also gives you hours of endless entertainment using nothing more than your binoculars! (if you are sports fan, it's a great way to fill the lull between the end of the NFL
playoffs and the beginning of the Olympics!)

The bonus is that as you create this additional habitat, you may be able to attract new and exciting birds to your backyard just in time for the Great Backyard Bird Count which is taking place February 14-17. The Great Backyard Bird Count is citizen-science in action and helps to provide the big picture on bird and habitat conservation to organizations like The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County (TLC).