How to Help the Wildlife in Your Backyard

Humanity is increasingly understanding the importance of conserving the diversity of wild species. And, many of these creatures reside right in our own backyard. This means that there’s much more that the average person can do to support sensitive habitats and protect local wildlife. Let’s examine how amphibians, bats, and birds can be helped.

Turn your property into a refuge for amphibians

Look closely around your property, and you may discover one or more amphibians residing there. In backyard gardens, these fascinating creatures hide in the undergrowth, so they may be difficult to spot at first. From frogs to toads to salamanders, amphibians vary widely in terms of color and size. Would you believe that there are approximately 307 distinct species in the United States alone and that about two-thirds of these are salamanders?

Amphibians are extremely sensitive to environmental changes, and about one-third are at risk of extinction. Since many animals rely on this species for food, a decline in the amphibian population can have a negative impact on other species. Climate change, disease, drought, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and the loss of wetlands pose a threat to amphibians.

There are a number of ways that you can help these creatures when they live nearby. First, make sure that you don’t touch them. Because amphibians breathe through their skin, they can absorb substances on a person’s hands such as oils or salts. These small creatures often live in streams where they lay their eggs beneath rocks, so it’s critical not to disturb streambeds. You can turn your property into a refuge where amphibians can thrive by leaving the landscape mostly in a natural state, building a pond to provide water, setting up a shady area, waiting to clean up fall leaves, and not using harmful fertilizers and pesticides.

Reduce or stop using herbicides

North American bats are referred to as microbats. This includes big brown bats, Mexican free-tailed bats, and little brown bats. All of these animals rely on echolocation to feed on the insects their diet requires. Elsewhere in the world, there are larger bat species that use their great eyesight and sense of smell to hunt for their prey. When it comes to local microbat populations that make their habitats in forests and backyards on this continent, there are several actions that people can take to support this species.

The first step involves learning as much as you can about these fascinating creatures. There are many myths about bats, such as that they are all blind, rabid, and drink blood. In addition, bat images feature prominently in horror movies and Halloween images, adding to the perception that these animals are to be feared. Beyond keeping a healthy distance—as you would with any type of wildlife—you can find ways to care for these animals.

To protect the bats in your area, reduce or stop using herbicides and pesticides. One of the most popular ways that people can encourage this species to make a home in their garden is by installing a bat box. You might make your own or look for finished ones on sale. Bat boxes offer these nocturnal animals a safe place to sleep during the day and raise their pups. Other ideas include growing bat-friendly plants, turning off outside lights at night, keeping your cats indoors or watching them when they’re in the yard, not disturbing any bats you come across, and leaving dead trees for bats to use. You can find more information and inspiration about how to help this species by participating in Bat Week, which takes place in October.

Install bird feeders

There are many beautiful bird species that live in urban and rural environments. The types of birds you’ll see depends on the neighborhood, meaning that particular geographic areas are commonly home to certain species. These lovely creatures delight with their vibrant colors, unique songs, and interesting flying behavior. Birds are essential to a healthy ecosystem in that they pollinate plants, destroy pests, and disperse seeds. Their abandoned nests are often repurposed by other organisms.

Over the course of the last 50 years, some 2.9 billion birds have disappeared from North American skies. To slow down this trend and assist birds, people can engage in all sorts of activities. A very helpful pursuit that almost anyone can join is the annual bird count. The data generated by participants in this event gives scientists invaluable intel about how bird populations in different regions are doing.

Other good ideas include putting up bird feeders and bird boxes, building a habitat on your property with native plants, placing stickers on your windows to reduce the possibility of birds hitting them, keeping felines indoors or monitoring them outside, avoiding pesticides, reducing light pollution, and not buying single-use plastics that birds might ingest.

If you want to protect wildlife, taking care of the amphibians, bats, and birds in your backyard is an excellent start.