>A number of homeowners are attempting to restore Maple Creek ravine in
>Seattle to something resembling a natural state and, specifically,
>replacing English ivy with native ground cover. One of the goals is to
>make the habitat more attractive to birds. Does anyone have experience in
>such a project? Is there someone at the Center for Urban Horticulture who
>could advise the homeowners (collectively)? Would this make a good subject
>for a thesis? Any help or advice much appreciated.
>
>Herb Curl

Habitat restoration is not my specialty, but I think I can make a few
points here.

Three important needs these birds have are (1) habitat, which includes
cover in which they can hide from predators, (2) nest sites, and (3) food.

Cover can be furnished by dense thickets of shrubs. Probably a mixture of
species is best, including salal, various species of huckleberry, red
elderberry, Indian plum and roses would be good.

All of those mentioned are good choices because they furnish fruit for
birds. However, some of them aren't particularly good for insect-eating
birds because they support relatively few insects. To provide insects,
fast-growing deciduous shrubs such as willows are great, but I don't know
enough about Maple Creek to know if there's enough sunlight to support
willows. Mostly, fast-growing plants grow where there is a lot of light.

"Ground cover" is not especially good for birds, if you're thinking in
terms of kinnikinnick, twin flower, or some other low-growing shrub.
Taller shrubs are better, because some herbaceous plants will grow among
them, providing cover on the ground.

Shrubs that have grown up sufficiently will provide nest sites for
cup-nesting birds, some of which will also nest on the ground among the
shrubs. It's only worth providing nest sites, e.g., nest boxes, if there
is some evidence that their lack is limiting populations of hole-nesters,
and that's often the case in this area.

I wish we could remove the ivy from every patch of woods in this area!

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416