Attract more musical birds to your backyard with these easy-to-accomplish methods from the Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds!
Plant native shrubs, vines and trees. Because they have endured and adapted to the temperature extremes of the past, native plants are the best choice for creating bird-friendly habitats for the future.
Provide a water source during the summer months, when birds are especially eager to bathe and drink. Bird baths should be 1-2” deep, with a shallow slope. Mount the bath on a pedestal, and clean it regularly with a stiff brush.
Create a border along your property by planting native trees, vines, and shrubs that will meet the needs of birds throughout the year. Plant the tallest at the edge of the property, and shorter species tiered toward your home. Include thorny trees, such as hawthorn or raspberry for nesting; plant evergreens such as spruce, holly, or juniper for cover; and incorporate berry-producing shrubs such as dogwood, serviceberry, and viburnum that will provide fruit throughout the seasons.
Make a brush pile in a corner of your property. Use fallen branches, sticks, and tree trunks. Layer the larger logs as a foundation, and build a pile in successive layers. In yards or fields adjoining forest, make a living brush pile by cutting bordering saplings halfway through the trunks, then pulling them into a collective heap. Songbirds will shelter there throughout the year.
Rake leaves under shrubs to create mulch and natural areas for ground-feeding birds such as sparrows, towhees, and thrashers. Earthworms, pill bugs, insects, and spiders will thrive in the decomposing leaf mulch, and will be readily eaten by songbirds.
Reduce your lawn, favoring meadow plants and taller grasses, which provide seeds and nesting places for birds. Mow the area just once a year, allowing the remainder of the lawn to grow 3-4” before cutting. Avoid lawn pesticides and wasteful sprinklers.
Clean out old bird boxes in early spring. When placing a bird box, consider habitat as well as the size of the entrance hole and its distance from the ground. Face boxes to the east to gain extra warmth from sunlight. In forests, mimic woodpeckers by drilling 1¼” holes in dead wood 4-5’ above the ground to serve as nest cavity starts for chickadees and titmice.
Clean tube feeders with a bottle brush and a 10% solution of non-chlorine bleach; rinse thoroughly and dry in the sun before refilling. Rake and remove soggy seed near feeders. Move feeders close to the house— within 3’ of a window— to prevent window strikes. Close by, birds are unlikely to gather enough speed to injure themselves if they strike a window. The birds will be safer, and you’ll get a better view!
Keep your cat indoors for the safety of all. Cats kill birds, especially in the spring when young fledglings are on or near the ground. And cats themselves are safer from collisions, predators, diseases, and parasites when kept indoors.
The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds was written by Steven W. Kress, and provided by Cornell University Press.
For additional information, visit www.allaboutbirds.org
