Red Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
It is a foggy morning in Topanga Canyon. Squirrel chomps away on a walnut from his tree branch, while up above a Red-Tailed Hawk glides by screaming, screaming .. He’s been doing this for days now. “What is he saying?” asks Squirrel. “Wish I knew,” I reply.
My first thought was: maybe Hawk is thirsty. Maybe he wants water. Other possibilities are: he could be fighting for territory or protecting a nest. I have heard what I believe to be a baby hawk in the nighttime crying out, while his daddy screams during the day.
Besides Hawk, all wildlife need water during prolonged heat spells. While wildlife are accustomed to Southern California’s usual summer drought, this year is especially dry, as we have had no rain. The morning fog is the only source of precipitation for the native plants & wildlife of the Santa Monica Mountains in the summer. Once the fog lifts, summer days are hot & sunny. There is no water running now down in the Creek that flows through Topanga Canyon to the Ocean. The bats under the bridges rely on this water, as do birds, coyotes and deer.
Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) Photo Credit: Charles Melton, Courtesy of WildBirdsUnlimited, Erie, PA (erie.wbu.com)
No matter where you live, it is a good idea of course to add a water feature to your native wildlife garden at summertime and to refresh your birdbath daily. This is especially true this summer, where the nation has seen triple digits and record drought. I like to add shallow bowls of water at the ground level, as well. I place them in different parts of the garden so that different types of birds can find them without having to fight. The saucers should be ones that birds are able to perch on to get good footing (tip fr Karyl Seppala).
Hummingbirds can be very social in the morning before they go out and fight for their flowers. Photo Courtesy: Las Pilitas Nursery
Though you might not see them drink, Lizards partake, too, of this water placed at ground level, and Squirrels also appreciate the careful placement of water bowls.
Bees & butterflies need a drink, as well. Both need a shallow container such as the lid from the bottom of a pot. Some butterflies make use of mud, where they gather nutrients besides getting a drink. A clay plant saucer with large pebbles works nicely; place in a dirt area, and overfill (tip from Loret Setters) and place near butterfly attracting plants.
Buckeye Butterfly, Junonia coenia on Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus, Photo courtesy of LasPilitas Nursery
For the bees, it is good to add a few rocks to your saucer, so that they can drink without drowning. My neighbor has a fountain that runs constantly, attracting birds from all around. The only problem is that the bees are also attracted to the fountain and, since there are no rocks in this fountain, they congregate on the edges of the fountain where they sometimes fall in and drown. Not a good result. It is important to be mindful when you add a water source in your wildlife garden. Consider the proper placement for the critters it will necessarily attract.
Bowl for Bees, by Kathy Vilim, Topanga Canyon
Hummingbirds enjoy the spray from the garden hose; they love the sound of running water. They dance at the very edge of the spray, careful not to get too wet.
Manzanita, (Arctostaphylos_pungens) Photo © Las Pilitas Nursery, used with permission
If you live in Topanga Canyon and you are out watering, be warned that you will attract all manner of critters, whether you want them or not. Again, be mindful here. For example, snakes are drawn to water in the summer. Baby rattlers are especially curious and will come out to see what you are doing. Not having rattles yet, you don’t get the usual warning that they are there like you would from an adult Rattlesnake. So be alert.
Young Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, photo courtesy of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Another concern in the Topanga Canyon in summer is water for deer. It is a rare treat to see a deer in our canyon. If you have deer nearby, you will feel concerned for them in these unusual drought conditions. A friend of mine always makes a point of putting big buckets of water out for them. I have not done so. I am concerned that if I attract the deer by leaving water, wouldn’t I also be attracting Coyote? Would I be making Deer an easy target? One of my neighbors has a man-made pond. The Deer come to drink from it.. Are they targets for Coyote or even Mountain Lion? (Yes, Mountain Lions also reside in Topanga Canyon.)
Water.. a precious resource in Southern California, and in much of the West. This year I believe I heard that 56% of the U.S. is in what is considered “drought conditions”. It pays to be careful with this precious resource. In So Cal, something like 80% of water use goes to: Landscaping! As native wildlife gardeners, we should all be mindful of how much water our garden is using. This, of course, is the problem with gardens that have large lawns. What a waste of water! Wildlife cannot drink from lawns. I think about this every time I see huge swaths of lawn just baking in the summer sun! Usually this is at a commercial area, like a shopping mall or outside government buildings. It is one thing if your climate provides lots of rain, and quite another if you get none and every drop of water has to be imported from elsewhere as it is here.
Ah, but there he goes again, Hawk screaming, screaming.. I have left a large plastic potting lid from for him, full to the brim with water. It would be wonderful to see him land & drink, but I don’t know that I will be that lucky. Coyote might decide that this is his water. Who knows? Right now, the precious resource of water belongs to all the members of our Topanga Canyon Wildlife Family.
What are you doing to help the critters in your wildlife garden through the summer heat and drought? We’d love to hear~
© 2012, Kathy Vilim. All rights reserved. This article is the property of BeautifulWildlifeGarden.com If you are reading this at another site, please report that to us
About Kathy Vilim
Very well written article Kathy. Thanks a lot for sharing it with us.
Carl Watson recently posted..Are Bats Sharing Your House With You?
I just ABSOLUTELY love this post! I have utilized all sorts of lids and containers, even a plastic garbage can lid surrounded by bricks for frogs and squirrels, and i put up the hanging planters and instead of a plant in them, put a shallow plate/bowl of water in the trees! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful posting! God Bless!
Thank you so much, Kim. I am glad you feel so passionate about the wildlife in your backyard and can understand the importance of groundwater sources in addition to bird baths. I have to say you are one up on me with putting hanging planters full of water in the trees! Very creative~
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
This is a super post..I do have ground and raised bird baths and sometimes the bees do fall in so I will add a saucer with rocks as suggested..Michelle
Rambling Woods recently posted..Humor is everywhere, in that there’s irony in just about anything a human does.~Bill Nye
Good deal, Michelle, your bees should be happy with the rocks~
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
Fabulous post…a great reminder for all of us to remember as many critters as we can…I will incorporate dome of these idea…thx
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Grocery Gardening
Thanks so much, Donna. I am sure your wildlfife garden has lots of creative water sources esp for the birds & butterflies at summertime.
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
I love the bee bowl! I have noticed a large b&w wasp seems to love the solar fountain.. Great post, I always try to provide water!
Thanks, Cindy. The hand-crafted statue in the bee bowl is from Carmel, CA. It is a sea lion.. of which they have many up there. And thanks for providing water for our bee friends!
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
Even here in NY with the St. Lawrence River a block away, I have been filling all my “bird baths” daily. We have had very little rain and hot days. I love to watch the bees and wasps drink. I have some water plants floating in a little tub that also seems to work well for them. I like the idea of pebbles!
Okay, I had to look at your blog and see the water plants floating in the little tub.. what a nice surprise to get that lovely bloom. Your butterfly garden photos are delightful!
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
It’s all so interesting to learn about the ticks and tricks of all the Topanga wild life. Thanks for sharing about the bee bowl. I am going to create one now. JFSarchielli
This a fabulous thoughtful post Kathy. I agree it is horrible that so much fresh water gets wasted on lawns and other landscaping schemes not just in California but everywhere. I only water my vegetable garden and new plants for the first year until they are established. I let the rest go dormant during the hottest times.I have a bird bath that admittingly isn’t the best for insects I also have rain barrels that aren’t great either because of their steep sides. Although it was gratifying, this year, to find lots of dead tent caterpillars floating in them. There is a water hole below our land that rarely dries up and is home to lots of dragon flies as well as mosquitos.
Sometimes I see bees hanging around the humming bird feeders. As for mammals the neighbours dogs keep the deer away but not the bears. I suppose I should leave saucers full of water, actually the saucers are already there I just need to add water and a rock or two.
melanie recently posted..Summer bouquet from the garden. [Flickr]
Thanks so much for the wonderful comment, Melanie. Sounds like you are very thoughtful about the wildlife in your yard and diligent about conserving water, as well. I can’t imagine having bears!
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
Fabulous water provision techniques Kathy! Rainy season in FL so we have an overabundance of water and no need for supplementing, but that “bowl for bees” looks so pretty that it would be worth setting it up in the garden just for the aesthetic effect!
Loret T. Setters recently posted..As one disappears another moves in
Thanks, Loret. The sea lion sculpture came from a trip to Carmel. He is actually a fountain, too, adding the sound of water element to the garden~ Glad to hear you have plenty of water in FL, so no drought there?
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain