He showed up on March 15th. This is his third year. I think. The reason this guy lives here is simple: There are a lot of grasshoppers. But it wasn't always that way. I live on two acres. Half of that area has no trees, just grassland with a few shrubs.
I used to mow the whole field, two or three times a year. But four years ago it occurred to me that if there were more grasshoppers, the Cassin's Kingbirds would have more to eat. So I started mowing just the area near the house and leaving the rest for nature.
Two summers ago, a pair of ash-throated flycatchers showed up and had a family. Last year, there were two families. The Cassin's Kingbird population increased too. There are two pairs that hang around my house now (only one pair nests here), and several other pairs in the area that weren't here before.
So now I'm actively managing my grasshopper farm. It covers about 1/2 an acre, and never gets mowed. Not even at the end of the season, because I think the eggs have a better chance of survival if the ground is covered. And there are other insect eggs on the plants that grow there. Think about it: Birds are only going to nest where they can feed their young. What's better--a manicured lawn, or half a dozen bird species calling your yard home?
I have other stories to tell you later about how I was able to entice other new species, so stay tuned.
Grasshopper farm? Cool. The photography is fantanstic.
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