Attracting and Feeding Birds

Birds can be great fun to watch. If you have plenty of food for them in terms of trees and shrubs that provide berries, fruit, seeds, and insects you may not need to do anything special to attract birds to your yard. I find them going through my compost pile sometimes, picking out fruit peelings and vegetable scraps, as well as the occasional crust of bread. I'm sure they also dig down a bit to get to the worms now and then! I've read that a compost pile also tends to attract squirrels and the more aggressive birds, such as jays, crows, and starlings--thereby keeping those away from any feeders you may have around for the other birds.

Why Attract Birds

First, for me, they're fun to watch. I have a birdbath and a fountain they like to play in. I get such a kick out of sitting there watching them bathe or drink. Second, I know they eat insects so I'm happy to have them flying through my yard. I tend not to put out bird feeders as my fruit trees alone seem to provide plenty of food. Unfortunately some of the birds love to snack on the seedlings coming up in the vegetable garden as well, but the cat helps keep them at bay.

Building Bird Houses and Feeders

If you do want to build some feeders or bird houses, here are a few plans I found online. You can also buy kits if you like or just buy pre-built feeders.

Storing Bird Seed

Make sure you store any bird seed you buy in a clean and dry container. You'll usually bet a better deal at a feed store or even a local garden center than the small bags at the grocery store. Remember that raccoons and squirrels will be very interested in your bird feed as well, so make sure the lid is tightly clamped down. You can create a bird feed scoop to store with your seed by by cutting the top off a 2 liter plastic soda bottle or using a small coffee can bent to form a V so the seed pours out easily. To make filling the bird feeders easier, create a funnel by cutting the bottom off a plastic soda bottle cut and removing the cap.

Attracting Birds with Your Garden: Food, Water, and Shelter

To attract birds into your garden, you'll need to make sure birds have the food, water, and shelter they need to live and raise their young.

Food. Think about planting plants that are native to your area. Find a local birding group for information specific to your area or talk to someone at your local nursery. Remember that if you use too many pesticides, you'll be killing off the insects that many birds need to survive. Almost all birds will eat some combination of fruits, berries, grains, seeds, and nectar--all of which can come from your garden.

Water. Birds need water for both bathing and drinking. Keep it clean and fresh. It will get scummy from them bathing in it. I like to hook mine up to the drip system and have some fresh water added every time the sprinklers run. I still need to scrub it out periodically of course. Running water attracts birds as well, if you have a fountain.

Shelter. Birds also need places to nest. Ideal nesting places are concealed from predators and protected from the weather. If you don't have appropriate trees and shrubs, some birds seem to like the nesting boxes and bird houses people build. My parents build a nesting box for the wood ducks near their creek and have had great fun watching them. You'll need to know a bit about the birds that are native to your particular area and build the appropriate housing for them.

A variety of bird houses are here
A "traditional" bird house plan
An index of bird houses (and feeders)

Keeping a Bird Watching Journal

Many people like to keep track of the birds they see in a simple journal. A few recommended books to help learn about the variety of species are A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America and A Field Guide to Western Birds. A good pair of binoculars will really help you see the birds up close. Any small blank notebook can work for your journal.