Do you remember when old backyards looked better than new ones? Old trees and old fences were a nuthatch paradise. If the nuthatches have not made your yard a home the birds may see a no vacancy sign because of the unfortunate changes you have made to your yard.
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Check Price1. You Removed That Old Oak Tree and Put In a More Neat Looking Maple Tree
Your gutter guards will help keep leaves out of the gutters, but they will also eliminate natural habitats for nuthatches. nuthatches are very resourceful and use all sorts of places to wedge and pry open seeds, and those old-style open gutters had perfect places for their foraging technique.
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4. You blasted away their favorite dog bark buffet.
While high-pressure cleaning may have removed some bark from your trees and cleansed your trees of insect habitation, it also may have opened a restaurant that nuthatches frequent and, for nuthatches, those were a 'messy' snack bar.
5. Squirrels Cannot Access the Nuthatch-Proof Feeder
Although the nice feeder may keep the squirrels away, the weight-activated perches are overly sensitive. Perches need to be stable enough for nuthatches to comfortably hang and feed. The new contraption is like trying to eat a meal on a rocking chair.
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6. Your new yard that is \\"low maintenance\\" lacks character.
The rock mulch and evergreen shrubs may look neat but offer as much comfort as a waiting room. Living anywhere where nuthatches are, means living with a variety of dead branches and decaying bark and other messy natural debris. It is like your new landscaping package has replaced all your home furnishings with plastic covered sofas.
7. The Bird Bath Looks Like A Fountain At A Shopping Center
The birdbath with smooth sides and a deep bowl looks nice but may not be ideal for birds. Nuthatch water sources are shallow and have some texture to grab on to edges. Your new birdbath looks fun to take a bath in a large soup bowl.
8. All the overpass highways were removed.
While the branches you removed from your yard may have made it look tidier, they are important transit routes for nuthatches. These birds require lateral 'highways' for their foraging, which is done upside down. You have taken out their expressways and left them without express lanes to showcase their acrobatic foraging.
9. A Chemically-Green Lawn is a Dead Zone For Bugs
While your lawn may look classy to the neighbors, it is actually a food desert for our insect-eating, feathered friends. The manicured lawn is a desert for the nuthatch, because all the bugs are killed due to the pesticides and herbicides. It's just like a restaurant putting plastic food displays out instead of real food.
10. The new fancy metal pole system is too slick.
This shiny new aluminum pole system might look appealing, but it doesn't give nuthatches anything to grip onto! For vertical climbing activities, nuthatches need rough textures. Your setup will just be a smooth metal surface and be just as entertaining to watch as climbing a greased pole, but will be much less practical.
11. Your Yard Maintenance Schedule is Exact
Even though you may be putting effort into cleaning your yard, it is clearly disrupting wildlife feeding patterns. For example, nuthatches need periods of time to establish feeding territories. Your ongoing pruning, cleaning, and tidying is like somebody moving all the dishes in your kitchen every time you start to cook.