Head outside on a clear winter night in the East Bay and you might just be greeted by the deep, soft hoots of Great Horned Owls advertising their territories and calling to their mates. Listen more closely and you may hear the varied songs of the Barred Owl or the rattle call of the Eastern Screech Owl. Clear, moonlit nights are preferred conditions for staking out territories and calling for mates as another nesting season kicks off in our area. Begin listening around the full “cold” moon on December 15th which cycles us into winter in the north.

Because they are mostly seen – and heard – at night, owls aren’t always top of mind, but as apex predators they play a vital role in our ecosystem. Owls are viewed as an indicator species; their presence or absence tells a story about the health of an ecosystem. And many species of owls are in decline.

Turn down light for owls

Most owls hunt at night and their eyes are perfectly adapted to seeing in nearly complete darkness. Indeed, many of our wild friends rely on darkness for their survival and interruptions to the natural rhythms of night and day can have detrimental effects. Porch lights, floodlights, decorative lighting, even those brightly twinkling holiday displays all change the character of the night in ways that can confuse and endanger other species.

Using timers, motion sensors, and warm bulb tones are all helpful in mitigating some of the hazards of artificial light. But better yet, as we approach the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, consider turning down the light and learning to appreciate the darkness. In the words of novelist and environmental activist Wendell Berry, “To go into the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark, go without sight. And find that the dark too blooms and sings and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.”

Woodpeckers, the voice of the day

As day breaks, listen for the tapping of woodpeckers, favorite backyard birds who make their presence known. In the East Bay you are most likely to be visited by northern flickers and red bellied, downy and hairy woodpeckers. In more forested areas you might also spot pileated woodpeckers and sapsuckers.  Gregarious woodpeckers are fun to watch, but their significance is greater than that. They are considered a keystone species, and the loss of a keystone species can lead to the death of many others.

That’s where the connection between owls and woodpeckers comes in. The voice of the night and the voice of the day have a symbiotic relationship. Owls don’t create nests; they rely on other creatures to build them. It is very common for them to nest in cavities of trees previously hollowed out by woodpeckers, primary cavity excavators. Woodpeckers peck out homes for themselves in trees, then quickly abandon them to be used by many generations of others including owls, chickadees, nuthatches, bats, and squirrels.

Owls and woodpeckers also share a common skill as experts in natural pest control. Woodpeckers help control invasive wood boring insects and expose insects for other species to feed on. Owls are voracious eaters of rodents helping to keep those populations in check. Tragically the very role owls and woodpeckers play in natural pest control makes them especially sensitive to the chemical insecticides, rodenticides and even herbicides too frequently used in suburban and agricultural landscapes.

You can play an important role in helping these night and day birds to thrive right at home. Forgo the use of poisons and encourage neighbors to do the same. Create thriving habitat by planting native shrubs and trees, especially evergreens like holly, juniper, pine and spruce. Mimic nature and keep organic matter like leaves and stems in place.  Leave dead trees (snags) standing when safe; they are valuable assets for woodpeckers, owls, cavity nesting songbirds and so many other wild creatures including the 30% of native bees that call them home.

 Safer snags can be created simply by topping dead trees. Take the top third or so off and trim off at least half of the dead branches. Or if there really is no way to leave a snag then consider leaving a dead log, building a brush pile or using parts of dead trees in other creative ways to benefit our wild and feathered friends.

An original technique for using dead wood artistically is to build a stumpery in a shady spot in the landscape. A stumpery is a carefully arranged assemblage of tree stumps, logs, and other decaying wood.  As the wood decays over time, moss, lichens, and fungus will grow and the stumpery will support a succession of life enriching the soil in the process.

Once the wood is arranged, stumperies are planted with an array of ferns in varying shades and textures. There are so many fascinating native ferns to choose from including leathery evergreen Christmas Fern, Ostrich Fern with its edible fiddleheads, Royal Fern with its unique texture and Cinnamon Fern which will stretch to six feet tall. Just imagine that shady corner of your yard transformed to a living art exhibit with a showstopping stumpery.

Owls and woodpeckers like so many East Bay birds, pollinators and other beneficial creatures are running out of spaces to call home. Fortunately, the spaces right outside our doors can offer a new frontier for their survival. In this season of giving, consider ways that you can give hope to these winged friends of the day and night.

“Life in the Garden” brings eco-friendly garden tips from Cindy and Ed Moura of Prickly Ed’s Cactus Patch Native Plant Emporium, where they are passionate about helping people realize the essential role everyone can play in supporting life right outside their own doors.

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