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Backyard Birding - Attracting & Feeding Birds

Cardinal Feeder

Anyone can Attract and Feed the Birds

Whether you live on acreage, have a small back yard, or a balcony,
you can attract birds. 

It's easy.

First, you need to know what type of birds make their home in
your area. What they eat. And where the best spot on your property,
or balcony, is to attract and feed them.  Even if you don't know what
they eat, this article will provide some helpful suggestions to get
you on your way to creating an environment birds love.

Creating a welcoming landscape:

To encourage birds to visit you, it's best to provide them with plants
which provide nuts, seeds and berries year 'round. In fact, planting a
varied selection of sources of food is best. When you plant a diverse
grouping food is available throughout the change of seasons.  If you
have an apartment or condo, and no yard, encourage birds with suet,
hanging bird feeders.

Lantern Bird Feeder

This elegant birdfeeder looks like an antique. Fitting perfectly into
any garden, or hanging on any patio or deck. Looking exactly like
a beautiful decorative lantern.  A practical design, it's easy-to-fill.
Holding 2lbs of bird seed.  Vented to prevent moisture build-up,
it allows seeds to stay fresh indefiniely. Crafted of solid brass,
with a rustproof pewter finish, it's beautifully detailed with
curved glass panes and a gleaming copper finial. It's 12" chain,
helps you keep it hanging high and away from curious cats and
others. Making it's perching tray a comfortable spot for any
bird to dine.    

If you really want to attract birds...

Steer clear of large expanses of grassy areas. Depending on where
you live, it can bring starlings, crows, feral pigeons, for example.
Who can bring trouble. So plan to make the area available a
place where birds can eat, have water and find a safe haven 
to rest and nest with their babies. Away from dive-bombing
crows and hawks.


Planning your garden to attract birds:

Branch Hanger

Even if there's no tree in sight, this cast iron Branch Hanger holds a
feeder, a basket of flowers, wind chimes or suet cakes with great
rustic style. Gives birds extra perching space at the feeder. Not to
worry, it's oxidized and lacquered to deter rust; and do no harm to
your birds. It's grooved texture looks like an actual branch. Holds
up to 15 lbs, room for several birds.

Planting for the birds:

Deciduous plants or trees (those whose leaves drop off the bush
or tree in winter months) generally bear the most fruit, nuts and
seeds for birds. Plus - in spring and summer - these types of bushes
or trees provide great shady nesting spots.  For reference, nuts and
acorns grow or sprout in winter; flowers and seeds in spring and
summer. There are many birds who will eat the seeds of native
grasses.

Start with native plants:

It's important to use plants native to your area.  Native fruits and
berries are nutritious. Recognizing them as regular source of nourish-
ment, birds home in on them.

Fruit Feeder

Orioles and scarlet tanagers love orange halves. But did you know
robins, cardinals, grosbeaks and plenty of other birds enjoy fruit,
too? Thread chunks of melon and banana, apple and orange halves
on the metal posts of this Fruit Feeder. Then place currants, grapes,
or raisins in the wooden trays, and let the feast begin! Attract
birds to your backyard with fruits like halved apples, oranges,
grapefruit or pears year 'round.

These also know native berries, fruits and plants are nutritious.
Plus provide them a place to hide and/or safely nest. Also, native
fruits and berries generally ripen on a schedule coinciding with
a birds needs. At nesting and migration times. Plus during
winter months.

Insect Delight Suet Cakes, 3 Pack

In bad weather, you can always attract and feed the birds
with premium quality suet cakes. The suet cakes above 
have a quality mix of dehydrated insects, peanuts, and
corn birds love.  Made using a unique superheating and
cooling process which kills any bacteria and releases
impurities to make the cakes a safe and nutritious
supplement for birds. Suet won't break apart and will
withstand temps up to 80-100 degrees F before softening.
No cold storage is necessary to keep it fresh. No artificial
ingredients.

Planting trees, bushes and flowers, that regularly attract birds,
will take 2-3 seasons. However, if you take stock of what's
already growing in your yard it should be easy to find the
plants, flowers - or a deciduous seedling or two - to round
out your garden. To effectively attract and feed the birds.

Add needed plants gradually. As time and money allow. Remember
new plants and seedlings take more care than adult plants. Plus,
you may need to do some soil preparation. For example mulching.
To create an area in which your new plants thrive and grow. 


Use color to attract birds:

Colorful Birdhouses, Set of 3

These brightly painted wooden birdhouses are a perfect accent
to create your own colorful garden style. And attract the birds.
Each has a 1-1/4" entrance hole perfectly sized for nuthatches,
wrens and titmice. Mounted on a 59" pole, to keep it safe from
predators, it's perfectly sized for finches, wrens and swallows

Put up a colorful birdhouse on a post.  And birds will not only
be drawn to the bright colors, but appreciate the snug accommo-
dations you set up. This colorful birdhouse is mounted on a 55" post.
So moms and their baby birds are not only comfy but safe. 

Color not only attracts birds but butterflies.

Butterfly Beacon

Butterfly Nectar

 
Butterflies love lavender. Many other birds are also attracted to
bright colored flowers and fruit. Especially during migration.

Bright and fun colors not only add excitement to your garden, color
also draws such birds as finches, wrens, swallows, cardinals. And a
variety of other birds.

NOTE: Cardinals love color, especially bright red. And will home in
on almost anything colorful.

Cardinals prefer to eat facing their food, and the feeder at the
top of this page  - Cardinal Feeder  has an extra-wide perch
designed to let them do exactly that. While this is an extra
large, 12" diameter base, allowing several birds to feed at
one time - including other perchers and clingers - it was
designed specifically for cardinals. But if you have no
Cardinals, it will naturally attract others.


Another way to encourage birds to visit your garden:

Set up trellises and arbors.

Nantucket Arch

Set up trellises and arbors where you can. Then begin training
vines to grow up and over them. Plant vines to grow up and
over fences. Robins (American), Mourning Doves and others
may nest there. Plus tubular flowers of vines are perfect for
attracting Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are attracted to
red flowers and orange tubular plants. Colorful hanging
feeders. 

Sapphire Blue Hummingbird Feeder

With its jewel-like, faceted glass reservoir and copper-colored base,
this feeder is almost as beautiful as the hummingbirds it attracts.
Leak-proof reservoir holds 20 oz. of nectar. And has 4 sipping
stations. And it's 12" chain gives it enough length to hang it
high up and away from predators yet Hummingbird accessible. 

Birds love organic gardens:

Planting an organic garden is one way to insure you'll provide safe
food for any birds who come to inhabit your garden. Plus, they're
also great for attracting butterflies. Which adds even greater
natural beauty to your garden.

Organic gardens are teeming with the organisms and insects birds
thrive on. Not to mention that insects which flourish in an organic
garden are helpful. For example, they eat other pesky insects. Thus
keeping the insect population in check, so it doesn't over-run your
garden; kill plants and flowers. Since native plants are resistent to
local pests and insects, it's best to use those which are native to
your area or region. 

Here's a few birds who love insects and pests:

* Warblers
* Wrens
* Mockingbirds
* Vireos

Organic gardening starts with good soil. Which means adding
compost to it.

Because organic gardening starts with creating healthy soil, you're
less likely to need to control pests, such as mosquitos and gnats,
with chemicals. Instead, the birds   help control them. Seeking
them out and making them lunch or dinner for themselves or
their babies. 

Organic matter is made up of a variety of things. Partly the de-
composed remains of soil organisms and plant life. Including -
but not limited to -

* Trees
* Lichens
* Grasses
* Mosses
* Leaves

The simplest way to add organic matter to soil is by adding
pre-made compost. Which you can create using a composter.

Backyard Recycler

The composter above is built with extra-large capacity. Able to
handle a whopping 20 cubic feet (15-1/2 bushels) of leaves, lawn
trimmings, a variety of garden and kitchen waste. Made of fir
treated with an environmentally friendly, copper-based preserva-
tive, it has a galvanized tilting top for easier loading of bulky
materials. For easy access to finished compost, there are 24"
W 21" H doors, front and back. And it's attractive design allows
you to confidently sit it almost anywhere in your yard or garden.
Without fear it looks out of place.

With a composter like this, all you need do is periodicaly take a
rake or hoe, and turn the contents of the composter over and
over. Until it's completely mixed.  

Once debri has rotted into a soft mix use it to enrich the soil
in those areas you want to plant.

Need help creating your compost. Try this:

Super Hot® Compost Starter

Create a dead tree and branch pile away from your main
garden.

If possible, preserve dead trees and branches, for example.
Over time these, stumps and fallen trees become filled with
insects and larvae which burrow into the wood. Making them
a buffet for many birds. Also, they can provide perfect nesting
sites and comfortable homes for chickadees, woodpeckers,
nuthatches and more.

Another way to encourage birds is...

Let your garden go to seed rather than dead-heading flowers,
raking up and removing other dead plants. These can provide
excellent and nutritious meals for birds who are seed eaters.  


Watch a family of birds nest and hatch from inside your
home.

Window Nest Box

From gathering twigs, to laying eggs, and finally the chicks
hatching, you can observe the whole nesting process right
outside your window with this handcrafted nest box. This
simple birdhouse, made of weather-resistant Maine Fir, 
has suction cups that easily attach to any window, and a
1-1/2" opening that suits most song birds.  A fun family
activity! Observe birds  nesting from the comfort of your
living room. Great for teaching kids about "the birds and
the bees."

To find out which plants grow best in your area, and will best fill your specific
needs, consult a local gardening book, or nursery.


Additional Resources