Subject: -Holly Trees (DEGRADE) bird habitat
Date: Feb 22 18:55:09 2004
From: Stewart Wechsler - ecostewart at quidnunc.net


On whether to leave a Holly tree for bird habitat:

I'd recommend killing the Holly, especially if it's a female (if it has
berries it's a female). If you can get the roots out that will prevent
shoots re-sprouting. If you'd like to jump up and down with delight on the
dead shrub after you kill it that's optional. The highly shade tolerant
English Hollies (Ilex aquifolium) are increasingly replacing our native
trees, shrubs and herbs in western Washington woods. Nothing will grow
under a dense one, but they'll grow under almost anything.

A number of birds including Starlings and Robins will eat the berries on the
female plants (they are dioecious with male and female flowers on separate
plants), but that is of course a problem, as these birds then drop the seeds
everywhere from the sky and perches with little packets of fertilizer,
spreading them like a disease. (On this note remember that planting
non-native berry bearing shrubs and trees to feed the birds, such as
Cotoneasters, Pyracantha and certain non-native Viburnums has a similar
result, though Hollies may be the worst of the trees and shrubs.)

If present trends continued indefinitely there might eventually be no native
forest, but only English Hollies, English Ivy (Hedera helix) and English
Cherry Laurels (Prunus laurocerasis), which are almost, but not quite as bad
as the Hollies. The bird I've noticed most often perching in the Hollies
are English House Sparrows. I can't remember finding any insect that eats
Holly, so there would be little or no food for the insectivores. All of the
Hollies I find in the woods seem sickeningly healthy.

Stewart Wechsler
West Seattle
mailto:ecostewart at quidnunc.net
-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of J Bonham
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 4:28 PM
To: tweeters
Subject: -Holly Trees and bird habitat


When I was outside last week I walked over the the tree line that borders
our yard. It isn't really trees, my husband says, but some kind of a bush.
Well, this bush is about 50-60 feet tall now and has leaves year round,
which birds have adopted as a waystation in their migration. I noticed that
several small holly trees are starting to grow at the base of these "trees."
Does anyone know if they will be advantageous to the birds, or should I cut
them down before they get any larger? There is such a variety of birds that
it seems like the holly would interfere with the brush at the bottom of
these "trees", and the branches with year round leaves are great for
attracting many unusual types of birds. I'd hate to lose the branches that
the birds now love, but if the holly would be a good habitat for other types
of birds, I would appreciate knowing before I cut down the holly.

Jan Bonham
Centralia, WA