What better than enjoying your sip of tea in your backyard where you get to view exotic birds and get to appreciate nature? Birds are fascinating living beings with the remarkable gift of flight that lets them explore various areas and habitats more efficiently. Why not offer them a comfortable backyard where a few may decide to stay back as well?
Here are a few tips to create a backyard that attracts birds.
1. Find a Corner of Your Yard that is Bird-Friendly
The first step would be to pick up a corner in your yard where you can focus to create a bird nesting area. You should place feeders here, enough greenery to make the bird feel safe should cover bird baths, and.
Birds can get territorial too, hence space out the bird food you put out and the shelter options placed should be placed at an adequate distance to increase the bird traffic in your yard.
2. Install Birdhouse
If you want small birds to nest in your backyard, installing birdhouses can be encouraging them. This is like an enclosure that offers them comfortable shelter and protection from predators.
These birdhouses can be placed alongside hedges, creeps, thorny plants, large trees, or dense shrubs to provide them shelter as these make ideal nesting sites.
3. Add a Water Source
Add a bird bath or water source in the backyard to attract birds to your yard. Many species of birds get attracted to any area that offers a bather to clean off their feathers.
In fact, birds like owls also enjoy cleaning their feathers so that they do not make any noise while flying, as they are predators who need to be quiet and quick while hunting. In fact, you may enjoy the company of owls regularly and also think of owl names as they frequently give you an appearance.
Offer a shallow birdbath, which is one to three inches deep. Better build a small pond in your yard that will help birds stay clean and hydrated. It also helps if the water is moving as birds listen to moving water. You can create a fountain by adding a pump that creates a running water effect t draw the birds to your yard.
You can also help them mainly during the winter when they find it difficult to search for a fresh source of water. You can invest in a deicer or a water heater to keep the pond from freezing.
4. Provide Different Feeder Options
If you are looking to attract birds in your yard, you will have to start buying a few different types of bird feeders depending on the birds you are looking to attract. You will have to get more knowledge on the subject to understand the investment you need to make to attract the right bird types you prefer.
For example, if you are looking to enjoy watching a hummingbird in your backyard, get nectar feeders. Tube or hopper feeders work best for sparrows and finches. Suet feeders can attract woodpeckers and starlings. Blue jays prefer ground feeders.
Not just the feeder options, but different species prefer different feeding heights which you need to experiment too by hanging the feeders higher as well as lower. Keep in mind that lower feeders may attract other animals like squirrels too. Hence, when opting for a lower feeder, choose squirrel-proof feeder options that are available to keep the feeders safe for birds.
5. Buy the Right Bird Food
Just like the feeders, different bird species have different food preferences. Different birds have different nutritional needs and seek out food that can fill them. You can find plenty of mixes in the market that can be used to attract a number of bird species. You can also seek help from someone at the local pet store to help you find the right bird food.
6. Plant a Bird-Friendly Garden
To attract birds, you will have to plant a garden to offer them enough shelter. Planting any trees will not help as a few of them may be poisonous for the birds. Go for native flowers, shrubs, plants and trees that are a great choice to attract local birds that live in your area.
Birds are also drawn to high colors, especially of their own species, which comes from their breeding instincts. Opt for variations in plantation and learn about the plants that you should avoid in the garden to attract birds.
7. Offer Plenty of Shelter
Planting a garden that offers plenty of shelter to the birds will attract more species of birds. Birds seek protection from predators and need to find appropriate shelters to ensure safety. If they find such shelters in your backyard, then they will prefer to stay back and revisit the place.
You can also add bird boxes to make additional shelters. Place it much above the ground to protect it from ground predators. The entrance holes should only be large enough for the intended species that will prevent larger birds like hawks from getting inside.
8. Keep Your Pets Away
If you are a bird lover, then most probably you love to stay around different species, which means you will mostly own a few pets. It is great to be a pet owner, but if you are looking to attract birds in your yard, then keep the pets away from the yard.
If your pets have access to the place where you have created the bird’s nest, the pets may get agitated when they see birds and react to it. Your dogs may bark, which will scare the birds away, and they may feel your backyard is not really a safe nesting space for them.
The Bottom Line
We love to go outside in nature just to be close to different species, but when you can attract these beautiful species inside your home, the feeling is out of the world. You truly get to enjoy your own zen space in the comfort of your own home or on your backyard deck.