This is bird node.

Instead of just putting your garden to bed this autumn, why not put it to work as a haven for wintering birds?

Instead of dumping your leaves, rake them to cover your flower

and vegetable beds.

They'll smother the weeds and decompose

feeding next year's plants.

And in the meantime, junkos, sparrows, and toe's

will scuffle around and feed in the leaf litter.

When you trim back the trees and shrubs, throw the clippings into a heap in the corner of your

yard. The pile will break down into nutritious garden compost over the winter, and the song sparrows and

wrens will thank you for a place to forge and roost.

You can also leave the seed heads on perennial plants, purple cone flowers, sunflowers, milkweed, and more.

They're a treat for finches, pine siskins, and other birds. Do you need to prune a tree or even cut it down? Well,

fall is the best time of year to do it because you won't be destroying any active bird nests.

And if you can leave a dead tree on your property, a snag, that can be even better for wildlife.

With a little planning, your garden can be a haven for birds like this Buicks Wren all year round.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.