Things You'll Need:
- A little land
- Seed
- Water
- Bird houses
- Bird guide
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Step 1
Suet feeder and bushtits in Oregon (photo by Scott Catron)Purchase the mixed variety of seed in order to "test the waters". Distribution can be as simple as sprinkling it on the ground or as elaborate as a host of birdfeeders. You might also want to try suet feeders (please see photo). Suet may be requested in meat departments or purchased as cakes in garden stores. My experience shows that suet tends to do well if you live among trees, as it attracts insect eaters such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice and chickadees, who tend to congregate in semi-wooded areas.
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Step 2
Juncos are sometimes called "snowbirds"Use a bird field guide to help identify what kinds of birds you're attracting. A simple one will do for beginners. After you see what kinds of birds your basic set-up is attracting, then you might consider food specializations. For instance, if you're getting finches or wintering redpolls, you might want to purchase a thistle or Niger seed tube feeder for them. Sunflower seed is good for nuthatches, grosbeaks, chickadees, cardinals and jays, but finches also like it. Cracked corn is nice to have on the ground or a tray feeder if you're attracting mourning doves, song sparrows, or wintering juncos and tree sparrows. The main point to emphasize about foods and feeders is don't expect them to magically produce the species that prefer them (this species food preference info is often found on the seed packaging information). This is why I recommend beginning with the basics to see what you get, and then you can cater to them afterwards. Hummingbird feeders are also an option but they're clearly in a class of their own. Plant columbines and other tubular flowers, and if you get hummingbirds, consider a feeder for them.
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Step 3
Add water to your dining space. Water is a universal attraction and I've found you're actually better off putting it in a shallow pan on the ground than you are buying one of those pedestaled classics. You can even purchase heaters that keep the water in liquid form. Robins love playing in water but they aren't impressed by much else you may do.
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Step 4
Cosmetic extravagence is NOT recommendedBirdhouses are even less predictable than is seed in terms of what you'll attract. It's not unusual to get only starlings and house sparrows (two of the most vulgar backyard birds) at least at first. I won't sugarcoat it. So don't go out and purchase an elaborate purple martin hotel and put it up on a twenty foot post expecting purple martins to magically appear. Frankly, your best bet on those multi-unit purple martin houses is if you live near a body of water and/or you've seen purple martins around already.
Basic one-unit houses can be made or purchased in a variety of sizes. The smallest ones are designed for wrens and chickadees, and they go all the way up to wood duck size (yes, wood ducks use bird houses, near water of course). The basic idea of birdhouses is that they attract cavity nesters, birds who otherwise would nest in something such as a hole in a tree. Most birds are not, however, cavity nesters. Among other species that bird houses may attract are bluebirds, woodpeckers, tree swallows and nuthatches. -
Step 5
You might also want to consider building a brush pile. Directions for that may be found here: http://www.ehow.com/how_2076006_build-brush-pile-wildlife.html
Comments
amosvh said
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