How to Attract Birds To Your Backyard

Wild birds are very much like us in their needs for basic survival, shelter, food and water, and we as custodians of the land, whether a public park, cemetery, farm, nature reserve, school, college or our own backyard, have the ability to help supply some of those needs and by doing so we help the eco system and conservationism, as well as giving ourselves the joy of attracting birds.

Our human population is growing around the world and as we know we are taking up more of the land to use for housing, roads, shopping centers etc. Many of the wild birds ousted, will adapt to the new surroundings with a little help from us. If we in our development of the land take down an old large dead tree, then we may be taking away a birds nesting site, it is within our ability to replace that nesting site. If we turn a field where flocks of wild birds came to each fall to feed on the plumes of grass seed heads, then we have an obligation to, and again the ability to, replace that lost food source. If we fill in wet areas, particularly areas that hold water late into the summer when water is scarce, then we owe a debt to the wild birds or other wildlife that used that water source to offer an alternative. Many of us have a desire for balance in our own lives, while we work on that, we can help natures balance by replacing what we have taken or what others have taken on our "collective" behalf

Wild Bird Shelters.

One answer to the question how to attract birds to our backyard is to supply a shelter. A shelter can come in many forms and serve many purposes. A birdhouse can of course supply a home for birds, a place where they can raise their young, sometimes more than one brood in a season. So by providing a pair of Bluebirds with a birdhouse you are in essence replacing the nesting site that was in a cavity in that tree that was taken down or torn down by a storm.

A birdhouse may also be used as a winter roost by birds during inclement weather. There are available, winter roosting boxes that are made to serve that specific function, they often have enough room to give shelter to many birds at once, some are open and give shelter primarily from rain while others are fully enclosed with an entrance hole at the bottom and no ventilation holes at the top, (unlike a birdhouse) so any warm air in the roost rises to the top helping to keep any roosting birds warm.Nesting shelves often have a roof and can provides an easy access shelter for birds or a nesting platform for robins etc.

As well as shelter from the elements, wild birds need protection from predators. Predator proofing your yard through the use of baffles, entrance hole protectors or planting shrubs and bushes that birds can take refuge in for a short while before making their escape, will encourage more birds to think of your backyard, or front yard, as a safe haven.

Wild Bird Food.

Who has not had the fun of feeding the local birds visiting their gardens? I think most of us feed the birds because we get enjoyment out of seeing them up close, nothing wrong with a little quid pro quo, but what about taking it a little further than many of us may do now, by supplying a larger variety of food that will in turn encourage a larger variety of birds to our neighborhood. To those of you who are just starting to feed the birds and do not know what to give them, we would recommend black oil sunflower seeds, to those who have been enjoying feeding birds for a while and are looking to offer something different or wish to attract a particular species of bird, there are many choices.

It seems that wild birds do not find most of their food at home feeders but in nature, that is good of course, but that being said may make us wonder why, when we offer food on a platter for the taking, would they not take advantage of it. We believe birds get stressed if too many are vying for the same food at a feeder, that one would seem easy to fix, install more feeding stations. Maybe like us their body lets them know they have nutrient needs that are not being met at our feeders, that one seems easy - offer more variety, but that can be very hit and miss. A buffet of different food choices may be a solution, offering a little bit of many items will keep the feed fresh, will attract a variety of birds and as well as filling bellies will also provide a variety of nutrients.

Wild Bird Water Sources

The one thing many of us neglect ourselves is staying hydrated. For most of the year in most parts of the country we have water supplies whether puddle or pond, stream or river, lake or ocean, that are there available to our feathered friends for drinking and/or bathing. But in times of a shortage caused by drought or by the freezing weather locking the water away, as ice, we can give birds access to life giving water with a simple CLEAN bird bath. In those areas of the country where there are freezing temperatures, we would need to add a water heater to our bird baths to keep the water from freezing.

Even when water is available, the closer it is to home, your home that is, the closer the birds are. If you give them everything they need close at hand, why would they ever leave?

Attracting Wild Birds