Sitting on my deck this morning catching up on the news with coffee in
hand, binoculars at the ready and overlooking a 20 foot tall serviceberry
shrub loaded with ripening berries, the traffic to the berries has been
remarkable. Veeries, robins, catbirds, YB sapsuckers, and cedar waxwings
seem to be managing well without the benefit of air traffic control.
Chipmunks and red squirrels are taking advantage of the bounty as well. All
the traffic seems to attract other avian species which seem to be
investigating all the activity-chestnut sideds and redstarts in particular.


This shrub typically produces well each year but this one seems just a bit
more robust.

I share all this just to encourage the planting of it in other yards if you
are interested in helping wildlife.  It seems daunting to figure out how we
aid wildlife with all of the threats but planting serviceberries is one; I
also have dramatically reduced the amount of lawn the former owners
maintained and letting trees return; encouraging milkweed and other
productive pollenating plants.