How to Attract Birds to Your Backyard

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Create a backyard that will appeal to birds. Planting trees and shrubs of different heights will accommodate the preferences of different birds. Check with your local gardening center on which plantings work best to create a bird friendly yard in your area.  And keep in mind chemically treated lawns will make a less healthy, and unattractive environment for birds.

THE FOUR BASICS – Water, food, shelter and a place to nest

Bird Baths

Bird baths are one of the easiest ways to bring birds up close, where you can get a really good look at them.  They provide fresh clean water to drink and bathe in, which can sometimes be the hardest necessity for birds to come by.

Solar Bird Baths are Practical and Decorative

When selecting a bird bath, choose one with a running water feature (or add a water moving feature) to help keep it free of algae and other contaminants, including mosquito larvae. The sound of moving water will also attract birds from afar. Another feature to consider is either a heated bird bath or a separate heater or deicer to put into the bathe. This will keep the water from freezing in winter, when open water is scarce.  If electricity is not available to power a backyard bird bath, consider adding a solar powered bird bath.

Keep in mind, the water shouldn’t be more than a couple of inches in deep. If it’s too deep, birds won’t feel comfortable and will avoid the water feature. To limit the depth, add rocks for birds to perch on.

Bird Feeders and Feeding Stations

Platform Feeders

Platform feeders attract a variety of birds

A platform feeder is a simple tray-like system that accommodates a wide variety of backyard feeder birds, both small and large, from sparrows to blue jays to mourning doves. To attract all sorts of birds, fill the tray with mixed seed.  Varieties of platform feeders are also available as mealworm feeders – a backyard bird favorite!

Tip:  Be selective of seed mixes off the shelf, which can be mixed with waste seed. For a good bird feed, look for mixes with black oil or striped sunflower seeds, white millet and cracked corn.

Hopper Feeders

As the name implies, a hopper feeder has a box-like storage (usually with plexi-glass sides) and a dispensing system through a slot that not only makes seed available for birds on demand, but usually has a roof to help keep seed dry, too. This feeder type attracts a wide range of birds, but excludes certain unwanted ones.

Tube Feeders

Whitehall Tube Feeder

Tubular feeders are long, slender (usually plastic) containers with multiple feeding ports/perches usually suspended from a tree or hung from a pole. They are more selective, excluding larger birds such as pigeons and starlings by allowing the perch sizes to be controlled. These feeders filled with black oil sunflower seeds attract birds such as chickadees, cardinals and house finches.  Varieties of tube feeders are available for thistle or nyjer seed (thistle bird feeders).

Black oil sunflower seed or mixed seed are two types of bird seed that feed a variety of backyard birds. While the black oil sunflower seed has a more universal appeal, mixed seed provides different blends to target different types of birds.

Clinger Feeders

Clinger Feeder

Clinger feeders are bird feeders are metal wire feeders that are especially designed for birds that like to grab and cling to the feeder while they feed.  Birds like Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, Chickadees and Finches all feed from these types of feeders, pulling seed stored inside the screen container.  Specialized clinger feeders like Suet Feeders, accommodate cakes of suet mixed with seed, creating a high-energy snack especially enjoyed on cold winter mornings.

Thistle Sock Feeders

Thistle Sock Feeders are mesh net feeders specially designed to hold thistle seed, also known as nijer (ny-jer) seed, which is the preferred food for finches. These small black seeds are imported from abroad, and do not originate from the ever-loathed purple weed prevalent in American lawns. And although they spoil easily, they are wildly popular with finches, SUCH AS the American Gold Finch, which have a particularly bill that can crack the nijer seeds.

Nectar Feeders

Other specialized feeders include nectar feeders (filled with one part sugar and four parts water) targeting birds that like nectar or fruit. Examples include the hummingbird feeder, typically constructed of glass or plastic without perches, containing nectar (sugar-water) to attract these tiny birds. Another is an oriole feeder, a modified version of the hummingbird feeder, usually colored orange with perches.

Bird Houses, Roosting Boxes and Nesting Boxes

The Colonial Bird Bottle by New England Birdhouse

Birdhouses provide a habit for cavity-nesting birds such as chickadees, bluebirds, wrens, and tree swallows. Other birds, such as starlings and house sparrows, often out-compete these native birds for their natural cavities, creating a shortage of habitats. One of the more common bird houses is the bluebird box. Originally designed to help recover the declining population of the less aggressive bluebird, it can also house a variety of other birds.

Bird bottles are ceramic bird houses that are placed in the eaves of a home. Excavations at Colonial Williamsburg uncovered early examples of these bird bottles used for insect control.

Birds can be encouraged to build nests in your backyard by providing nesting materials.

When choosing a bird house, look for three features: a predator guard, vents or holes for ventilation and drainage, and easy access for cleaning and monitoring.

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Related posts:

1. Attract More Backyard Birds with a Bird Bath or Fountain
2. Serving Up Suet to Attract a Variety of Birds
3. Your Backyard Birds: Mourning Dove
4. What is Backyard Birding?
5. Your Backyard Birds: House Sparrow