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Think you can’t help birds because you don’t have acres of undeveloped land? Th songbirds/gfinch.jpg

ink again.
Whether you have a small yard or no yard at all — for instance, if you live in a condo or apartment — you can still have a tremendous positive impact on birds. Bird baths, feeders and houses are some obvious ways to help birds and enjoy them. But let’s say those aren’t possibilities. I know many condo associations and apartment landlords have rules against such things. One thing you can do is try to get those rules changed and even volunteer to keep the items clean. But if that just isn’t going to happen, there are still things you can do.
Plants and flowers are a great place to start. Even if you don’t have access to a plot of earth for a garden, most people can at least have a few containers of flowers to put on a porch or balcony, or hang from a hook. When I asked readers to share tips on attracting hummingbirds, most wrote in saying that flowers in containers — such as fuschia — did the trick better than even hummingbird feeders.
The flowers will eventually go to seed, as well, possibly proving food for hungry birds. Aside from birds, those containers of flowers may also attract such goodies as butterflies and other beneficial insects.
When possible, whether it’s a garden plot or container, use native plants and don’t use fertilizers or insecticides. Google “flowers native to New England” and I’m sure dozens and dozens of Web sites will come up offering tips on what plants and flowers are native to this region.
If your living situation prevents you from having even container plants and flowers, there are several other things you can do for the birds.
Keep cats inside, for instance. Cats kill upwards of 50 million birds every year. One winter I kept my Christmas tree in the backyard after the holidays. Birds use trees for shelter as well as protection from the weather and predators. It worked for a few weeks and I saw lots of juncos and white-throated sparrows taking advantage of the tree. I enjoyed checking out the tree during snowstorms and seeing birds hunkered up among the branches.
Then one day I looked at the tree and saw a cat hiding in it, eyes peeled toward the birdfeeder. The tree was supposed to protect birds from predators and it was actually harboring and assisting one of birds’ most notorious predators.
There are also things urbanites can do on a more global, broad-based scale. The three “R’s” are thankfully becoming part of everyday language. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Even Bob the Builder preaches about the value of the three R’s. (Yes, I have children, hence the Bob the Builder reference.)
Minimizing use of paper, plastic and other products means less waste, less pollution and less need to destroy natural resources. The more natural resources we have, the better off birds will be. And us, for that matter.
You can also join a birdwatching, nature, or environmental group. Most memberships include a subscription to a magazine or newsletter of some sort to keep you entertained and up to date on what causes your money is championing. Whether it’s a national organization — such as Audubon Society, Sierra Club or Nature Conservancy — or a local land trust, birdwatching club or nature center, your money is invaluable to nature and wildlife.
So if you think there’s nothing you can do. You’re mistaken. There’s always something you can do.

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