Margaret Sloan's garden in Missouri City has really become a bird sanctuary. She has documented with photos more than 150 species visiting her garden. The garden attracts all variety of birds with open space for birds like hawks, eagles and vultures that need open space for flying. Various heights and textures as well as food sources in plantings make the garden attractive for many kinds of birds.
We enjoyed watching the Purple Martins come home at 8 pm after doing their job of eating large insects such as wasps, beetles, grasshoppers, dragon and damsel flies to feed their young on the balcony of the Martin House.
A thicket of trees stands between her garden and Oyster Creek for water birds as well as birds drawn to the thicket such as the Great Crested Flycatcher that stays high in the trees so you really need binoculars to view and are more likely to hear initially than see. It's knowing they are there as well as their habits, identification markings, etc.
Nesting boxes and shelter with brush piles for birds that like insects and gathering insects, beetles and prefer feeding on the ground such as Thrashers, aptly named because you often hear them "thrashing around." The upper parts of these thickets also appeal to sping and fall warblers and other migrating birds that eat insects from shrubs and taller grasses. Flycatchers and birds of prey often visit the upper and tall vantage points of thickets.
Fresh sources of water, which includes a drip feature and upper drinking perch as well as fresh water during the day for drink and bathing. Having the upper drip and perch allows more birds to enjoy the fresh water as all do not come to bird baths or bowls.
Various food sources including nectar from flowers, seeds, berries all seasonally working with migration, wintering and nesting patterns.
Margaret not only attracts birds that come to feeders, but also birds that don't . . . by not using pesticides and providing habitat, her garden brings a full complement of birds that visit Fort Bend County near, but not on the Gulf Coast of Texas. By having open space our aerial birds that feed on insects such as mosquitoes she sees swallows, night hawks, purple martins, swifts or Birds of Prey such as Hawks, Falcons, Kestrels, Eagles, Vultures, all can be seen from this garden.
By being on Oyster Creek, water birds can either be seen on the water such as ducks, as well as herons, egrets, spoonbills that can be seen feeding in or near the water.
Wood Duck male in breeding display with female. The male is only in this plumage for 2 to 3 months. Think of seeing this bit of "pre-nuptial" molting from your back garden! The rest of the year he looks much like the female.
To learn more about plants and arrangements in this garden (and notice between 2010 and 2014 Margaret added 30 additional species to her documented visitors), visit the 2010 garden tour of the Quail Valley Garden Club.