Birds LOVE bamboo!!! There used to be a few random birds flying in and out of our various zone 9 trees and shrubs, some staying for a bit to visit our bird feeders, most just passing through. Witnessing the bird parties and joyous singing flocks required a visit to a nearby creek. Until we planted bamboo. Planting Oldhamii and Vivax bamboo as shading plants , we were unbelievably surprised by the reaction from the birds. Our “bamboo bird habitat” grew faster than the bamboo itself (rather amazing given bamboos vigor); we are now blessed by countless birds of all sizes and species. What was a random chirp or song, has grown into a full blown raucous unchoreographed symphony of song. That’s before migrating white and golden crowned sparrows join in, turning our backyard early mornings and evenings into the soundtrack of Disney’s Jungle Cruise. Thanks to bamboo, morning coffee now features a band of merry singalongs, each as unique as the days sunrise. As the sunset hour approaches, the lyrical “discussions” of winged would-be bamboo tenants, jockeying for prime position in bamboos graceful arching limbs, is akin to a front row seat to hear all the debates ever held in nature. Quite soon after dark, with most of the lodging battles settled, the sound of individual song and cheer returns again, then slowly fades to silence as the inhabitants drift into peaceful sleep.