A wildlife habitat home on Rocky Point
Is your property a certified wildlife habitat? A home on Rocky Point that I pass by on walks and bike rides proudly displays a sign that it qualifies (see photo). Their sign made me wonder how many of the basic habitat elements (food, water, cover, and places to raise young) my property provides. Also whether owning the Mud Cat, a stealthy but rarely successful stalker of songbirds and rodents, is a no-no.
My property is about a half-acre most of which is the side of a bluff that slopes down to Mud Bay. Despite its size much of the property is taken up by the home site, a gravel area over the drain field, and the long S-shaped asphalt driveway that allows me to get in and out. There’s no yard. The hillside is primarily open, grass- and shrub-covered, with a couple of fir trees. There’s no fresh water on the property.
Other than birds, mountain beavers, small snakes, and rodents I doubt if much other wildlife takes full advantage of the habitat my property provides. Maybe I’m just not observant. Raccoons do use the Mud Bay side of the property as a raccoon highway. But because I worry about the Mud Cat, I don’t put out food or water for them and I don’t think there any raccoon dens on my half-acre. My hope is to keep them to a “just passing through” status.
The Mud Bay side of the property is natural. I haven’t ever checked, but I probably own some of the tidelands. I’m not sure if the “wildlife” that lives and feeds there (clams, oysters, crabs, herons, gulls, crows, and fish at high tide) is what the NWF is trying to promote. If it is, perhaps I should learn how to get one of their signs. That’s even though I don’t do anything other than watch the daily food-chain battle take place.
There’s more information at the National Wildlife Federation web site.
Mud Bay Blog 
Piece of cake. According to their website all you need is four things.
To certify your yard, you need to provide the following:
1) Food
Examples of food sources:
* native plants
* seeds
* fruits
* nuts
* berries
* nectar
2) Water
Examples of water sources:
* birdbath
* pond
* water garden
* stream
3) Cover
Examples of cover:
* thicket
* rock pile
* birdhouse
4) Places to Raise Young
Examples of places to raise young:
* dense shrubs
* vegetation
* nesting box
* pond
Go for it, Rod!
We have some in our neighborhood. You could probably qualify by adding a bird bath. It’s hard to believe that the organization would be against cats but they probably are since I think they are mostly promoting habitats for birds.