How to Attract Birds in Pennsylvania

You can turn your yard into a bird haven by providing the proper habitat.

Pennsylvania is home to many different species of birds; including Pennsylvania's state bird the Ruffed Grouse. With the right materials and landscape, attracting birds to you backyard is easy to do. You can begin attracting birds to your backyard by providing the right food, nesting materials, water and a natural habitat for the birds. Attracting birds can be fun and educational for young children and a hobby the whole family can share.

Things You'll Need

• Flowering plants
• Trees
• Shrubs
• Bird feeders
• Bird seed
• Nectar

Instructions

1. Place bird feeders in your yard. You can hang them from trees, or posts in your yard. Depending on the species of birds you want to attract you will have to provide several different nutritional requirements, and types of feeders. For instance Blue Jays enjoy eating from trays vs. hanging feeders, and they prefer peanuts, sunflower seeds, acorns, and suet. The Northern Cardinal enjoys any type of feeder and will pick through to find the sunflower seeds. Woodpeckers prefer suet feeders, but will eat from any type you provide. They often pick out the black oil sunflower seeds, millet, peanuts and enjoy snacks of chunky peanut butter. Hummingbirds will eat from a hummingbird feeder. You can make your own nectar by mixing 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Hummingbirds will also drink nectar from the flowers you provide in your garden.

2. Plant you landscape with a wide variety of grasses and legumes. Tall grass like prairie grass will provide nesting materials for the birds. Legumes will provide seeds year round. Nectar-producing plants like morning glory, and shrubs like hibiscus, are the perfect addition to attract hummingbirds and oriels. Summer-fruiting plants like raspberry, blueberry, honeysuckle, and plum trees will attract robins, woodpeckers, orioles, and cardinals. Fall-fruiting plants like the dogwood, winter-berry, and buffalo-berry provide food for those birds that are migrating. They also provide a food source for those species that need to get prepared for the long winter months. Winter-fruiting plants like the crab-apple, snow-berry and winter-berry will provide food to birds who are native winter birds. Finally add nut bearing trees like the acorn oak, chestnut, and walnut trees. These trees will provide a food source and a nesting ground for just about any bird you will attract.

3. Provide water bowls, a small pond or bird baths to attract birds. If you have water in your yard you increase your chances of attracting more birds, especially if the water is dripping or in a fountain. Birds enjoy splashing around and keeping cool in the summer months. It also serves as their source of drinking water. You will want to make sure to keep the fountains and bowls clean and full.

4. Landscape your property with a few trees. By planting trees you provide birds a shelter from predators. Plant hollow trees, or sap trees like pines. Also provide nesting boxes and bird houses. Blue jays and woodpeckers will stay year round if these shelters are provided.

Tips & Warnings

• A larger variety of shelter, plants, trees and water sources you provide, the more birds you will attract.

References

• Baltimore Bird Club; Landscaping to attract birds
• PA Birds; Pennsylvania Society for Ornithological
• Wild Birds; Attracting birds
• Wild Birds; Common Eastern feeder birds
• Wild Birds Unlimnited, Attracting hummingbirds