MAY 2023 PROGRAM

How to Grow a Bird-Friendly Garden

Presenter: Shane Sater
Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 7:00 PM
Montana WILD, 2668 Broadwater Ave.
Free – All Are Welcome

When it comes to bird diversity, the difference between a manicured lawn and a grove of chokecherries is stark. The lawn might support a few starlings and robins. The chokecherries, on the other hand, support dozens of species during migration and the breeding season, from Wilson’s Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets to Cedar Waxwings and Western Tanagers. This presentation, by Shane Sater, is all about how to create a bird-friendly garden or neighborhood.  What are some of western Montana’s best plants for providing our local birds with caterpillars, fruits, and seeds? In this presentation illustrated with Shane’s bird photography, learn which plantings will help our local birds and improve wildlife habitat.

Shane Sater is a naturalist and writer who has spent the last decade learning about the birds, plants, and insects of Montana and Idaho. He holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from Carroll College and serves as the Habitat Protection Chair for Last Chance Audubon Society (LCAS). Since 2017, he has also edited the LCAS newsletter and led an extensive volunteer naturalist project at the Sevenmile Creek restoration site, including bird surveys, a botanical inventory, and cataloging several hundred insect species. In this role, he has also supported habitat improvements such as the planting of hundreds of cottonwoods and willows. Find more of his work at https://whatsgoingonblog.org/, a weekly blog and podcast which explores the wonder of the natural world through the seasons.