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Creating a more natural backyard can help attract hawks, owls and other raptors while giving homeowners an ally against rodents, insects and other pests.
Raptor rehabilitator and educator Liz Dennison recently shared practical ways to welcome the birds during a presentation at Burke Centre Library. Volunteers from her nonprofit, Secret Garden Birds and Bees, joined her as she introduced several birds in her care.
Raptors are top predators that play an important role in healthy ecosystems, Dennison said. Depending on the species, they may eat mice, rats, rabbits, frogs, lizards, snakes, insects and other birds. Eagles and ospreys primarily catch fish.
Great horned owls even prey on skunks, sometimes carrying the odor afterward. The owls cannot detect it themselves because they have a poor sense of smell and rely chiefly on sharp hearing and vision while hunting.
Building a raptor-friendly yard
Food, shelter and safe nesting areas are central to attracting raptors, according to Dennison. Native plants are a useful starting point because they support insects that many birds—including young raptors—eat.
Allowing some grass or weeds to grow tall can provide habitat for small rodents and cover for songbirds. A modest brush pile can serve a similar purpose, while a reliable water source benefits wildlife throughout the year.
Large trees may support the stick nests built by hawks. Older trees, including dead ones when they can safely remain standing, can offer nesting cavities. Property owners may also consider installing appropriate nest boxes.
Keeping outdoor areas dark and quiet at night can further improve the habitat. Dennison acknowledged that homeowners association rules and limited space can restrict what residents do, but said even native plants in a balcony garden or window box can make a difference.
Poisons and traffic threaten birds
A raptor-friendly property should not use rodenticides or insecticides, Dennison said. Birds of prey can be poisoned after eating rodents that consumed toxic bait.
Lead presents another hazard. Raptors may ingest it while feeding on deer carcasses shot with lead ammunition or on fish carrying lead fishing weights.
Vehicle collisions are also a widespread threat because raptors are drawn to roadsides while searching for prey. Most of the resident raptors at Secret Garden Birds and Bees survived collisions but suffered impaired vision that left them unable to hunt effectively in the wild. Big Red, a red-tailed hawk in Dennison’s care, lost sight in one eye after being struck by a vehicle.
Habitat loss and exposure to toxins are contributing to declines among many bird populations.
Chesapeake ospreys face a breeding crisis
Ospreys around the Chesapeake Bay are experiencing a sharp decline in nesting success. The region has hosted an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 breeding pairs, described as the world’s largest concentration.
The species rebounded after DDT was banned in the early 1960s, but repeated reproductive failures at traditional nesting sites have raised new alarm in recent years.
Scientists have not established a single cause. Some have pointed to a shortage of food during breeding and chick-rearing seasons, potentially connected to purse-net fishing for menhaden. Ospreys depend almost entirely on fish. Climate change and competition from a growing eagle population may also be contributing factors.
Marine commissions responsible for Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic, as well as the Virginia General Assembly, have not taken action to investigate and counter the decline.
At the Jug Bay nesting area, observers reported that only eight of 70 monitored nests successfully produced chicks this year. Along Virginia’s portion of the Eastern Shore, William & Mary ornithologists recorded a fall from 83 breeding pairs in 1987 to nine pairs in 2024.