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A Beginners Guide to Attracting Birds to Your Backyard

Feeding wild birds in your backyard is one of the most relaxing and helpful things you can do to reconnect with nature and embrace the simplicity of life. Birds are amazingly smart creatures that come in a variety of different sizes, colors and personalities. The fact that it’s possible to feed birds for years and still see new species is something that keeps old pros coming back for more. This guide is to help beginning bird feeders grasp some of the basic concepts in order to get birds flocking to your yard in no time.

Bird feeders

There are three important elements that lure birds into your yard: food, water and shelter. Food is one of the biggest factors, which is why it’s essential to have at least one bird feeder in your backyard. Most beginners think that just one hanging bird feeder would be enough, but there are actually a variety of feeder types, including ground feeders, hanging feeder, platform feeders, suet feeders and more. Each type of feeder holds different types of food and therefore attracts different species. Start out by getting a few different types and putting them around your yard.

Bird baths

Another important element of getting birds to come to your yard is water. Birds use water to preen their feathers and drink. Getting something as simple as a bird bath in your yard will attract birds. In the winter, it’s important to have a heated bird bath so the water does not freeze over.

Birdhouses

Finally, giving birds some safe place to roost is always a plus when trying to get birds to habitat your yard. Birds love nesting boxes and birdhouses to take up residence, so make sure you offer a variety of types to accommodate all the different bird species.

Native plants

Birds love going places where there is a lot of cover and plants they’re familiar with. This one is a bit more long-term, but if you start planting a variety of plants native to the area, birds will be more inclined to visit your yard. Also consider planting shrubbery that grows food the birds will enjoy eating to cut down on your feeding costs.

Safety

If you have the three main ingredients that birds love, but they’re still not coming around, your yard might be perceived as unsafe. Always keep your cats indoors and make sure feeders are strategically placed in a way that predators can’t sneak up on the birds.

Jack Thompson is a freelance writer who loves everything about birds. He currently blogs about a variety of topics, including bird feeders and Gerber knives.

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Posted by on December 2, 2011. Filed under Animals,Offbeat. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
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