How to Create a Bird Friendly Yard

A garden full of colorful birds and their sweet songs is a beautiful place to be and, by making your yard more hospitable to wildlife, you are making a small but very significant contribution to maintaining healthy songbird populations. You don't need a huge amount of acreage in a remote, pristine setting to attract birds; even a small yard in an urban environment can become a green oasis for birds and other wildlife.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Birdfeeder(s)
• Bird food (seeds or nuts, dried or fresh fruit, nectar, jelly, suet, etc.)
• Bird bath, fountain, or other water feature
• Bird house(s)
• Trees, shrubs and flowers, especially those that produce fruit, nuts, seeds or nectar
• Brush pile

Put Out a Birdfeeder

1. Put out a bird-feeder. Seed feeders (such as tubes, troughs or trays) are the most common, and in North America, a bird-feeder filled with sunflower seeds, cracked corn, millet, peanuts and other seeds and nuts might attract birds such as chickadees, cardinals, sparrows, jays, grosbeaks or finches. There are also specially designed feeders for holding fruit (usually oranges), nectar (store bought, or a homemade blend of one part white sugar to four parts filtered water), or jelly, and in North America these feeders will attract hummingbirds or orioles. Other fruit-eating birds, such as catbirds, waxwings or thrushes, might be attracted to dried fruit, such as raisins, either in a tray feeder or sprinkled on the ground. A suet feeder will be attractive to woodpeckers, as well as many seed-eating birds. To prevent birds from crashing into your windows, place feeders either very close to windows (within one or two feet) or very far away (more than 10 feet).

2. Provide clean water. Birds need a source of fresh, clean water—and this can be a rare commodity in the city. Most birds prefer a water source that is low to the ground, as opposed to pedestal-style bird baths, and this can be accomplished by simply flipping over a garbage can lid and filling it with water. You could also dig a small pond for a more elegant approach. Moving water, such as in a fountain, is irresistible to birds, and many simple models can be purchased fairly cheaply at discount or home improvement stores. Scrub out any fountains or bird baths regularly and make sure to dump and replace any standing water at least twice a week.

3. Put up bird houses. This is one way to try to get your birds to stick around all summer. Wren or chickadee houses are most likely to be occupied, no matter where you live. Bluebirds like grasslands, and are more likely to nest in boxes in rural settings or in large yards with tracts of wilderness nearby. Wood duck boxes can be put up if you live near a pond, lake, river, or other waterway. Clean out all next boxes every year, either in the very late fall or very early spring, when they are least likely to be occupied, by removing the old nest and wiping down the inside of the box with a highly diluted bleach solution.

4. Creating a bird friendly yard is the most important step. A lot of people overlook their landscaping when they have wildlife in mind. Even if you have a string of bird-feeders up, most birds are not attracted to a neatly mowed lawn devoid of any plant life other than turf grass. They need trees and shrubs to perch, nest or sleep in, or to hide from predators. Trees or shrubs that produce fruit, berries or nuts also provide food for many birds, and most fruit-bearing trees also have pretty, sweet-smelling flowers that beautify your garden. Conifers, such as pine and spruce, are also good, since they keep their needles year round and provide shelter for the birds even in winter. You can create a brush pile of fallen sticks for birds to hide in as well. Also, consider growing a flower garden, or even growing flowers in pots. Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red (and also, to a lesser degree, pink and orange) and will feed from red, nectar-rich flowers such as bee balm, fuchsia, hibiscus or salvia. Many birds will eat the seeds of sunflowers, coneflowers, zinnias and other flowers, so leave the seed heads standing after the flower is done blooming. Choose native plants whenever possible. Create a garden with many layers, from tiny flowers to mid-size shrubs to tall, towering trees, and everything in between. A yard full of thriving green things signifies to a birds that this might be a good place to hang out for a while a raise a family.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid the use of pesticides and other chemicals whenever possible. Many of these toxins will kill birds outright and by removing insects from the environment you are also removing an important food source for birds. Learn to manage pests organically.
• Keep your cat indoors; this is safer both for your cat and for the wildlife of the neighborhood If you must let your cat out, at least keep her inside during dawn and dusk, when the birds are most active.
• Make sure to keep your feeders full and your bird baths clean during the spring and fall, when the birds are migrating. Many birds travel hundreds or thousands of miles one way, and they need adequate food and fresh water to be able to complete that journey.

[Red-Wolf]

on 4/5/2009 I appreciate the article's content but I live in an apartment building on the top floor (3rd) adjacent to other similar apartment buildings. I have a balcony and want to attract birds but I am not quite sure how to pull it off. So far I've put hanging bird feeders on the inside of the railing, a suet strung up between the far corner of the rail, a foot tall bird bath in the same corner, a fawn ornament that is mosaiced in shiny glass that is angled to attract them, and garlands interwoven in the rails and crossing at intervals to provide some cover. I am contemplating a native tree or shrub to provide better shelter but I don't know what would best suit a balcony environment. Any suggestions?