Attracting backyard birds simplified! General Information Attracting backyard birds to your home is simpler than you might think. Most all of us have at least a few birds that visit our yards or balconies. Do you want to increase the types of birds that visit or the numbers? A little diversity in meeting their needs will accomplish this feat. Birds prefer and naturally meet their needs through diverse habitats. What are the primary needs of birds? Their needs are food, water, shelter and suitable nesting sites to rear a family. So think like a bird and look around your yard. Are these needs met? Here you will find the "recipes" for attracting backyard birds successfully by creating that perfect bird paradise. Let's review how to meet their basic needs in more detail.
 Providing Food Supplying food is where most begin in attracting backyard birds. Such meets the first basic requirements of birds. Certainly placing a bird feeder outside will draw birds. But do you want to know a secret for more success in attracting backyard birds? Provide them natural forages of their preference. How? Modify your landscape to be wildlife friendly, backyard bird friendly by the plants, trees and shrubs you choose. Choosing as many food producing varieties as you can, mixing and matching fruiting types with seed and nut bearers and adding nectar producers is a guarantee for successfully attracting birds. Natural forage bearers not only attract more birds, these landscape additions will keep them in your yard. Remember, birds prefer diverse habitats. See the pages listed below for in depth information to aid your landscaping efforts.
Grasses beneficial to wildlife
 Artificial feeders definitely aid in attracting backyard birds and are terrific additions to even the best wildlife friendly landscaped yard. Supplemental feeding by us humans is particularly welcome during the forage bare winter months. If you are a fan of bird watching, then feeders make the most of your opportunities for viewing and photographing. Keep in mind not all birds share the same diet or eating habits. Some birds prefer small seeds, some large seeds, some prefer berries, others prefer nuts . Some birds, such as dove and towhees prefer to feed on the ground. Cardinals will eat on the ground or higher up, preferring the ground. Warblers, chickadees, finches and many others prefer eating at least 4 foot off the ground. Suet is appreciated by all birds, but is especially attracting to woodpeckers. Adding feeders of varying heights and supply sources is a recipe for success in attracting greater varieties.
To learn more on bird feeders go here
Hummingbirds- A Special Case Hummingbirds are a joyful species to attract, with special needs. Hummingbirds are primarily nectar consumers. So if you would like to attract hummingbirds to your back yard, you must provide them plenty of nectar. This can be done through landscaping and gardening practices that incorporate their favorite flowering plants and supplemental feeders. Hummingbirds are migratory, often different species overlap territories or pass through for a short time. Chances are good if you supply them with several nectar sources you’ll see more species variations of the little aerialist.
To learn more about attracting hummingbirds go here
 Providing Water Now let’s take a look at meeting the second needs of birds, water. Birds, like most all wildlife, get most of their water needs fulfilled through the food they eat. However, birds always welcome an easy source from which to drink or splash bath. Such sources are particularly beneficial in times of drought. Birdbaths and backyard ponds are therefore landscape additions that will attract birds. Moving water seems to be an even greater attractant. Placement of bird baths and backyard ponds in the landscape is an important consideration for successfully attracting backyard birds. To learn more on birdbaths go here
To learn more on backyard ponds go here.
Attracting backyard birds is easy, getting them to stay and call your yard home is too. How? Provide them shelter and nesting sites to rear their young. Birds, like people, have different preferences as to the structures they like to call home. We humans look for homes in a desired neighborhood that meet our families needs, albeit one level ranches, or two story capes. Well birds are the same, they seek shelters that meet their families need, while offering protection from predators and weather. Some birds are downright picky,like our favorite, the Eastern Bluebird. The threatened bluebird has strict requirements on house size even down to the size of the entry hole. Smaller birds like wrens and chickadees prefer small entry openings, larger birds like flickers prefer larger entry holes. Key to attracting bird species in greater variety is to do some homework on the types of birds in your region and their particular housing preferences. Most local garden and home centers carry houses appropriate for attracting backyard birds of your home region. We have included a housing specification chart for some of our common birds on our birdhouse page.
To learn more on birdhouses go here
Our favorite little threatened birds, the Eastern Bluebirds, are reboundly nicely. You can help this trend continue by establishing a habitiat trail. To learn how to establish a bluebird habitat trail go here
 Not all birds are attracted to houses. Many birds prefer natural cover for nesting and rearing young. The whip-or-will for example, a lovely night singer, nest on the open forest ground. Redwing blackbirds here in Georgia nest in tall grasses along water. Woodpeckers nest in tree cavities. Mourning doves build sloppy nest among evergreens, such as pine trees.
To learn more about evergreens, go here
 Attracting backyard birds is best accomplished through landscaping. The right landscaping materials and placement will typically meet several backyard bird requirements. Food, cover, shelter and water can all be met through a few well thought additions. Review the beneficial flowers, vines, trees and shrubs and incorporate as many as you can into your outdoor space. The beautiful chorus of songbirds in the morning will reward you. Want to go all out and create a pure bird paradise, a bird garden?
Suggestions and tips on creating a bird garden can be found here.
Conclusion Bird watching, hand in hand with gardening and landscaping for wildlife, are the most enjoyable hobbies we know. We have personally found these activities to be two fold rewarding. First by the beautification of our landscape and secondly, most importantly, stress reducing. Yes, stress reducing. An hour of bird watching from the front porch leaves us feeling relaxed and often humored. Birds have some rather charming antics. The effort we put into our landscaping practices is great exercise that doesn’t really feel like work. Certainly, nothing lifts our spirits more on a drab winter day than a bright red cardinal feasting alongside chattering chickadees on a feeder, as dove and chipmunks battle beneath it.
Special Note This brings to us a special thought, another consideration when discussing the benefits of attracting backyard birds. Bird watching is a hobby all ages, all people can enjoy. Birds can often brighten the lonely days of our elderly, sick and affirmed. So if you know someone who fits here or maybe you don’t have a yard of your own, consider creating a bird garden for them. Nursing and retirement homes, hospitals, community areas, churches, and others would certainly welcome such an addition. Such a project would be great for Scouts, Sunday School classes or maybe even as a class science project for school children. A garden for attracting birds could become the best present a grandparent ever received.
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