Don and Lillian host a special tour of their beautiful, 5 acre bird sanctuary, then—watch out for the splashes—they offer a closer look at the antics of bathing birds. Next, viewers learn about Burrowing Owls, the small owls that live in underground tunnels, often in suburban neighborhoods. Finally, Don and Lillian show the proper way to store birdseed, then spend a magic moment watching Osprey feeding behavior.
The Stokes Garden
Don and Lillian have created a 5 acre bird sanctuary in Massachusetts that has attracted over 140 bird species, 36 of which nested there. They have large perennial bird gardens with a viewing gazebo in the center, an open meadow with nesting bluebirds and tree swallows, wetlands, and mixed woodlands. The garden was designed by Kallstrom Landscape Architects of Lexington, Massachusetts. Their beautiful garden has been featured on Good Morning America and written up numerous times in the Boston Globe and other publications. A portion of each episode of Stokes Birds At Home is filmed on their property. For more garden photos click here.
People and Birds: Burrowing Owls
Burrowing Owls often live in colonies and are found in Florida and across much of the West. These tiny owls are 9 inches high and live in an underground burrow. They can dig their own, or live in one deserted by a prairie dog, woodchuck, or other mammal. Unlike most owls, they hunt during the day as well as at night and eat insects, mice, snakes, and small mammals. Their habitat is vacant lots, airport fields, golf courses, highway shoulders, and prairie dog towns.
Time Out To Watch: Ospreys
Ospreys live near large bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. They eat mostly fish which they catch with their talons and then go to a perch to eat. Their large stick nests are placed in trees or on a human-made nesting platform.
