Summer
House
(This
857th Buffalo Sunday News column was
first published on August 26, 2007.)
Matt and Lora Hayden
At
their invitation I recently visited Matt and Lora Hayden at their country home
south of Colden. I appreciated the opportunity the trip gave me to get away
from the oppressive heat of my neighborhood. As I drove south into the higher
elevation and along tree-lined roads, I was able to turn my car's air
conditioner off and open its windows; the temperature must have dropped a dozen
degrees.
The
Haydens live, as Lora described it, as simply as possible. Twenty-five years
ago they resurrected an abandoned trailer on their three acres and over the
years have turned that trailer and yard into a haven of quiet, solitude and
wonderful wildlife.
A
brief shower developed just as I arrived so we sat inside where the only
difference from my own suburban home was that the rooms were on a smaller
scale. This made for a kind of intimacy that I found very satisfying.
But
then the rain stopped and we went outside to sit on their porch. And here is
where the advantage of this home kicked in. The Haydens really do live in the
forest with big trees on all sides and only a small clearing opened for their
bird feeders.
Originally,
they told me, their property was clear pasture. The previous owners had spent
hours mowing and as a result had little to observe. Now the forest has
encroached on a much smaller meadow and their yard teems with wildlife.
Matt
shared his lists of mammals and birds with me. Most of his mammals we have in
Amherst: skunk, raccoon, chipmunk, deer, red squirrel and rabbit. But he also
has woodchuck, bats, fox, coyote, opossum, weasel and mink.
His
bird list we also share in part. He has many of our usual suburban birds, but
he also has rose-breasted grosbeaks, scarlet tanagers, wood pewees, red-eyed
vireos, hermit thrushes and veerys, pileated woodpeckers, red-breasted
nuthatches, indigo buntings, wild turkeys, grouse and woodcocks. And they find
seven warbler species in their yard regularly: blue-winged, hooded, magnolia,
yellow-rumped and black-throated green warblers, as well as yellow-throats and
ovenbirds. A boy scout could record just about enough species to get bird study
merit badge without moving from this porch.
Why
all this wildlife? Of course the Haydens have feeders but they also have water
dripping over rocks where the birds can drink and bathe. Matt claims that the
birds much prefer this to drinking the re-circulated water that we don't like
either. And they largely leave habitat alone. They, like I, consider expansive
lawns ugly monocultures. Matt calls them green deserts. Instead, they have
extensive berry patches and fruit trees, as well as grapes and nectar plants.
They also leave dead trees where birds continue to find insects while
woodpeckers and chickadees drill holes for homes.
The
Haydens spend winter months in Titusville, Florida, where their home is near
the Kennedy Space Center. There they are active members of Space Coast Audubon
and lead field trips on the sanctuary adjoining their property. In Florida,
Lora went on to explain, they have accomplished similar results with only a
tenth of an acre. By replacing
their lawn with native plants, they have gained an impressive list of visiting
birds. And they have gained
something else as well -- privacy.
The
Haydens are fortunate to have their summer home surrounded by additional forest.
They have slyly encouraged this by giving new neighbors bird books and
indicating to them the advantages of leaving the forest undisturbed. It was
clear as I drove along their road that they have been successful. Other homes
were larger but remained in this bucolic setting.
And
their empty house here while they are in Florida? Their major problem is mice,
Matt said. A big help has been Ssssylvia, the four foot rat snake that has
taken up residence under their home. Matt and Lora are both biologists and
explain that it is imperative not to poison rodents, as that poison will make
its way up the food chain, killing the owls, foxes and weasels that feed on the
carrion. Instead they use sonic pest repellants with fairly good results. And
of course there¹s always Ssssylvia on patrol!