Posted by Jim Duquesnel on May 14, 2004 at 10:02:15:
In Reply to: Somewhat bird related- - Native shrubs posted by Alex on May 09, 2004 at 20:42:48:
It happens that I am doing a 30-minute program on this topic tomorrow, at the Nature Conservancy's Florida Keys Native Plant Day, on Big Pine Key. Studies on white-crowned pigeons by Audubon researchers Tom Bancroft and Reed Bowman indicated that poisonwood was THE overwhelmingly preferred fruit by that species, an observation that appears correct for several of our Keys songbird species (vireos, cardinals, catbirds, red-bellied woodpeckers). Blolly was favored and, though to a lesser extent, Ficus and black torch were also preferred. Other material found in crop samples of nestling birds included: black mangrove blossoms and the fruit of willow bustic, black ironwood, gumbo limbo, cocoplum (how'd you like to swallow one of those whole?), pigeon plum, Bahama strongbark and trema. Other published papers by the same pair, plus Allan Strong and Rick Sawicki, expanded the list of fruits taken to include: dahoon holly, Florida and key thatch palms, cinnamon bark, Guiana plum, cat-claw, lancewood, sea grape, snowberry, randia, inkwood, satinleaf, mastic, paradise tree, potato tree, bay cedar, lantana, passionvine, marlberry and Florida boxwood.
A minor note regarding your current offerings, geiger tree is probably not native. Many of the species listed above are usually available at Florida Keys Native Nursery on Plantation Key (305-852-2636).
: I plan to plant many fruit-bearing shrubs in my yard of Biscayne Park. Firebush, Geiger, and holly are on the menu, but I would also know what other shrubs would be good for attracting birds, and where to but them in Miami. I'm sure all those nurseries along Krome would have them, but do any areas in Miami sell them? Since this thread is not really bird related, I'd ask that people should e-mail me instead of posting another reply. Thanks