By Gigi Steel
It’s hard to imagine anything more peaceful than sitting in a rocking chair with a beverage and listening to songbirds as they flit around your backyard. Whether you live in the city or the country and whether you have a backyard or balcony, you can attract birds with just a few simple steps.
Birds need a regular supply of food and water, so the first step in attracting them is to provide fresh water and quality food. A clean water supply not only provides birds with water to drink, but also gives them a place to bathe and preen. Bird baths work great but must be cleaned regularly to discourage the growth of bacteria and algae. A water feature with a pump will keep water moving to help avoid this problem. Many birds enjoy misters. On a sweltering afternoon, they will playfully dart in and out of the water mist.
Purchasing high quality bird food will keep your feathered friends healthy. It will also encourage them to come back for more and raise their families in your backyard.
Remember that different varieties of birds have different preferences of what and how they eat. Putting out their favorite food will encourage them to come for a visit. Cardinals prefer to stand on a flat surface while eating dried fruit and sunflower seeds. Bluebirds seek out open spaces and find mealworms irresistible. Chickadees eat a variety of seeds, nuts, and insects. They prefer to dine near trees where they can quickly fly away to safety. Hummingbirds require a specific type of feeder, and will search for blooming petunias and bee balm. Offer food and install feeders to attract the kinds of birds you enjoy watching. For safety concerns, birds will typically go to a feeder placed high enough where other animals can’t interrupt their meal. Keep your feeders clean. Damp and moldy seed and feeders can spread disease. If the food isn’t eaten, don’t allow it to accumulate and harden. Clean it out and start over.
Pretty bird houses can provide decor to your outdoor space and a safe spot for birds to raise their young. If building a birdhouse on your own, learn how big the entrance hole should be to accommodate the bird species you want to attract. The hole may look small to you, but to a bird, it looks like a safe place where larger birds can’t intrude.
A habitat of trees, shrubs, and flowers will encourage birds to come to your backyard and make it their home. Fruit trees, berry-bearing shrubs, and long grasses offer natural sources of food and nesting material. Birds also seek out tasty bugs to eat. A scrap pile of logs at the corner of your yard will soon host enough bugs to feed several bird families. After you begin feeding birds, it’s important to continue feeding on a regular basis or they will move on to a more reliable source.
By taking care to keep your space a safe and welcoming sanctuary for birds, they will see this as an invitation to visit and make your outdoor space their home.