There is nothing more delightful than watching birds flit from one area of your garden to the next.
Attracting birds to your yard is really quite simple: if you supply their three basic needs -
food, shelter and water - you will have an avian oasis in your own backyard.
Food
As winter approaches and the natural food supply for birds dwindles, birds become dependent
on bird feeders for seeds and suet.
Although there is debate about whether artificial feeding
disrupts the migration urge of some birds, research shows this is not a significant concern.
For birds that are not strong enough to migrate due to injury or illness or because of some
undeveloped natural migration cue, your feeder may be what enables them to live through winter.
Also, for birds that do not migrate, winter storms can bury their food supply. When you add to that
the natural condition of reduced time for foraging due to shorter days, winter is a real
hardship for birds.
There are two ways to provide food: through bird feeders and by growing plants around your
yard that offer fruits, seeds and a habitat that birds love. Black oil sunflower seed is the
best seed to attract a diverse group of birds to your feeder, including chicadees, nuthatches, finches,
cardinals, grosbeaks, sparrows, blackbirds and jays.
To attract insect-eating birds such as woodpeckers, chicadees and nuthatches, offer suet in the
wintertime. Ground feeding birds like juncos, sparrows, towhees and mourning doves prefer
cracked corn scattered on the ground or placed in an elevated tray.
Plants to add to your landscape include serviceberry, dogwood, fir, hawthorn, sweet gum, crabapple, pine,
coralberry and fruit-bearing viburnums. Seed-producing flowers that will attract birds
include aster, blanket flower, cone flower, sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, California poppies,
goldenrod, marigolds, phlox, salvias and zinnias.
Things to remember about feeders:
It's nice if you can place the feeder so you can watch birds from a comfortable location,
but also keep in mind their needs. They need an escape route, so make sure you place the
feeder near shrubs or evergreen trees so they can make a quick get-away. Woody plants
with thorns, such as roses or hawthorn, are helpful to birds because they provide refuge from
predators such as house cats. This can also help keep the feeders out of the rain and the food dry.
Once you start to provide food for birds, continue throughout the cold season. It is best
to provide only one type of food per feeder. Birds feeding at feeders with mixed seed discard the seeds
they do not want while selecting their favorites.
Do not feed birds spoiled leftovers, salty snack foods or sugary cereals.
Shelter
Shelter can be provided in many ways, including bird houses or nest boxes. As winter days
grow longer after solstice, birds get ready to mate and nest, so it is time to start thinking about
putting up a bird house or nest shelf. Fall is a great time to shop for bird houses.
Which bird house to choose will depend a lot on your goal. Do you want a great looking
garden ornament or are you looking to attract a certain type of bird? All birds have their
own particular preferences. For example, robins will not nest in an enclosed box, while
wrens and bluebirds are attracted to a single unit, enclosed bird house.
Follow this link to learn more about the size of house certain birds prefer:
Birdhouse Dimensions
Shelter is also provided by the types of trees and shrubs you plant.
For more information on trees and shrubs that attract birds, read our February 2001 newsletter:
Birds
Things to remember about birdhouses:
Face the entrance hole to the north or east to prevent the birds from overheating if
summers are hot in your area.
Mount bird houses on poles or posts rather than nailing them to trees or hanging them
from limbs, making them less vulnerable to predators.
Don't put bird houses next to bird feeders.
Clean your bird house yearly.
Water
While water is the least important of the three requirements, it can make a difference
to the number of birds visiting your feeders. If birds must fly long distances to find water
in the winter, they may choose to stay near their water source rather than coming back to your
feeder.
The easiest way to provide water is by maintaining your bird bath year round. This could
mean filling the bird bath several times a day, which is not always practical. The easiest
method is to have a heated bird bath. Bird Bath Heaters
are completely safe, but do make sure they have an
automatic shut-off feature if the bath goes dry, which can happen on windy days or if there
are too many birds drinking from the bath. The plug must be attached to a grounded (three pronged)
outlet - preferably a GFI (ground fault interrupt) outlet. This will eliminate the risk
of electrical shock. The heating element also should be covered in some way. If yours is uncovered,
it would be good to place a piece of shale over the top to prevent any birds from burning
their feet. In addition, birds will enjoy perching on the warm rock, especially the mourning
doves.