Clever Ways To Attract Birds To Your Garden
Louise Peralta
The seasons are about to change, and soon we’ll be able to enjoy more warm weather.
But it’s not only people that thrive in less frigid seasons – ever noticed how quiet it is during winter? Birds are too busy shivering and surviving the cold winter days to bring life to a quiet neighborhood. This is especially true for garden birds.
If you’re excited to hear them sing once again, why not try attracting the birds into your garden? You’ll be feeding them and making them happy, and in turn, you’ll be able to enjoy watching or hearing them close to your home.
How do you attract birds to your garden?
If you already have a beautiful garden, you'll be able to attract a few different species by it just simply existing. But if you feel like it’s lacking something else, here are some of the things you can do to increase your number of visitors.
Supply food sources
Grow plants that provide natural bird food such as berries and seeds. Some great examples would be sunflowers, thistles, birch, American cranberrybush viburnum, or serviceberries. Thistles and sunflowers are attractive to birds such as finches and tits. Birch is also able to produce lots of seeds and can attract insects, which birds are also able to prey on.
Supply additional food sources
Natural sources can be finicky, so it’s important to add sources for birds to feed on and to also give your plants an opportunity to replenish their supplies. Putting out multiple bird feeders will give birds a constant source of food. Mix different types of seeds to attract different species!
Let them stay hydrated
When there’s food, there should also be water. Make sure to put a water source in your garden as well. Bird baths are essential, as they allow birds to drink and, of course, take a bath. The only thing you should do is to keep the water clean and, if it’s still cold out and it freezes over, defrost it with some hot water.
Provide a safe space
So what if you give them food and water? Birds will only see your garden and swoop in to eat, and once they get their fill, you’ll never see them until they're hungry again. What makes a garden more attractive for birds is if it can provide shelter from the cold or predators. You’re lucky if you already have trees around the house or dense bushes in the garden.
Another thing you can do to encourage birds to stay around in your garden is to put nest boxes in an area that’s safe from predators. Other birds can even build their own nests in your garden if they find a suitable place! Hopefully, you’ll be hearing little birds chirping soon!
With all that said, let me repeat the ultimate rule of attracting birds in your garden.
Keep things safe and clean! Make sure that your feeder(s) are placed in an area that doesn’t put your visitors in danger from your pets or other animals. Clean the feeder(s) and bird bath regularly to keep things sanitized and safe for our winged friends.
It’s also advised to use quality bird seeds, as the generic ones may only attract pigeons and may contain fillers that garden birds don’t really eat.
If you want to enjoy bird watching in the confines of your home instead of waiting around the garden with your binoculars, there are other options like a bird-feeder window. Just make sure not to spook the birds with any sudden movements while they feed. See what they look like in the video below.
