The Bird-Friendly Spaces Program Overview

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The Bird-Friendly Spaces Program recognizes community members and organizations who are actively supporting birds and wildlife in their personal spaces. The program was developed by Houston Audubon's 2021 Young Professionals Advisory Council to be inclusive of people with all different types of spaces.

🐦 Make a Plan

What does your space look like? Can you plant native plants in the ground, display potted plants, or do you have an indoor space only? Are you able to substitute your coffee, rice, and beer for bird-friendly alternatives? Do you have time to join an urban bird survey near you? Start small - even one bird-friendly action like picking up trash on your way to work can make a big difference!

 

🐦 Design Your Space

Check out our space-specific guides for inspiration on how to design your own bird-friendly space. If you are planning to provide native plants in your space, Houston Audubon's Native Nursery staff and volunteers can help you select the best plants for your space. Design your space in a way that incorporates bird-friendly actions throughout your space and the spaces you occupy to have the biggest impact!

 

🐦 Complete Bird-Friendly Actions

To apply to the program, you must complete at least 3 different actions that fall under at least 2 of the 3 different categories below. For example, you might "volunteer at a native planting event," "keep cats indoors," and "limit plastic use" which fall under the categories Create Inviting Habitat and Limit Threats to Birds. Click here to view the definitions of each action!

Click here to apply →

“Gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife. It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to make a difference. In this case, the ‘difference’ will be to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them.”

Douglas W. Tallamy
Bringing Nature Home

Did You Know?

Northern Mockingbirds have been known to so skillfully imitate sounds such as squeaky gate hinges, sirens, and barking dogs that even an acoustical analysis could not tell the difference between the mockingbird and the original sound.

Listen to Audio Sample

Signs available for participants to purchase!

Create Inviting Habitat

  • Install and maintain a water feature
  • Plant native plants
  • Remove invasive plants in space
    OR 
    around space if indoor only
  • Setup and maintain a bird feeder
    OR 
    provide food for birds in a nearby space if indoor only
  • Install and maintain nest boxes or natural nesting locations (i.e. snags)
  • Volunteer at a native plant event

Connect With Others

  • Current Houston Audubon member
  • Educate others as a bird-friendly ambassador at school or work
  • Contribute regularly to community science (eBird, iNaturalist, etc.)
  • Participate in monthly bird surveys
  • Attend a class on subjects like birding, bird-friendly communities, or native plants within the last year
  • Join a bird-related social media group
  • Volunteer at a bird-friendly organization

Limit Threats to Birds

  • Avoid pesticides
  • Buy bird-friendly items (coffee, rice, beer, etc.)
  • Keep cats indoors
  • Regularly clean up trash in my community
  • Limit plastic use
  • Turn off outdoor lights at night during migration season
  • Prevent daytime window collisions with decals/film/screens/etc.