Starting All Over Again with Habitat at Home

By Karen Howe

I wake up early and Great Horned Owls are hooting back and forth outside my window. As the sky lightens, other birds greet me—the wurp-wurp of Phainopelas, the soft, musical notes of Black-throated Sparrows, and the incessant chatter of Broad-billed Hummingbirds. Later, when the sun’s rays warm the hillside, twitchy Harris’s antelope ground squirrels scamper across the rocks near my patio. It’s another glorious day in Tucson and a world away from the heavy, rain-filled skies in the Pacific Northwest where I’ve gardened for the past 30 years.

Last spring, my husband and I decided to retire to Tucson. I’m an experienced gardener, but I feel like I’m starting all over again, switching from the wet, clay soils in Oregon to the dry, rock-hard conditions in the foothills of the Sonoran Desert. Although the setting is different, I’ll once again focus on native plants and support for birds and other critters in my new yard.

My yard in the Santa Catalina foothills has three areas: a recently re-landscaped, walled-in area around a pool, a steep, rocky hillside with native plantings, and a section in front of the house that was professionally landscaped. I’m starting Tucson Audubon’s Habitat at Home program at the Hummingbird level (first level) and will add native pollinator plants and hummingbird feeders near the pool. Come along for the ride with me in this and subsequent blog posts!

Area in front of house, showing non-native species

Pool area

 

Rocky hillside

Getting started with Habitat at Home

I joined Tucson Audubon last spring and was thrilled to hear about the fall native plant sale. I was eager to buy plants but didn’t know where to start. I attended the Fall Native Plant Sale Selection Guide presentation, and it was just what I needed. I also love the recipe cards that are organized by habitat and the birds, pollinators, and critters you want to attract and support.

My husband and I filled out the Habitat at Home questionnaire after we signed up for the program and found it very helpful to figure out our habitat goals. I have big ideas, but need to take some small first steps because I have so much to learn about gardening in the desert. Urban Habitat Restoration Manager Kari Hackney came to our house for a habitat assessment in November. She helped me place the plants from the sale and gave me gentle suggestions about which invasive plants to remove and lots of practical advice to my basic questions.

Adding bird feeders

I can’t imagine my yard without bird feeders as I’ve been feeding birds for 30 years. I’ve added both a hummingbird and a tube feeder near the pool. Every new bird sighting is exciting and I’m having fun keeping a list of who shows up. I regularly see Broad-billed, Costa's, and Anna’s Hummingbirds, lots of House Finches, Black-throated Sparrows, and Verdins (on the hummingbird feeder!).

Adding feeders; Broad-billed Hummingbird

I can’t wait to share my next steps and new birds with you in following posts!

Learn about the Habitat at Home program or our consultation/restoration services by emailing habitat@tucsonaudubon.org.

After a rewarding career in information technology, Karen Howe spent several years as a consultant to non-profits in energy efficiency and habitat protection in the Pacific NW before retiring to Tucson.