Creating a Bird-Friendly Garden: A Feathered Paradise in Your Backyard

Transform your backyard into a haven for feathered friends with a bird-friendly garden. Not only will you be rewarded with delightful bird songs and fascinating visitors, but you'll also be helping these precious creatures by providing them with food, shelter, and nesting sites.

Planting for a Buffet:

Food Glorious Food: Birds have diverse appetites, so offer a variety of plants throughout the year. Berry-producing shrubs like holly, blueberries, and raspberries provide a feast in summer and winter. Include plants with seeds like sunflowers, coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans for finches and sparrows. Don't forget about nectar-loving hummingbirds with vibrant flowers like bee balm, trumpet honeysuckle, and fuchsia.

Think Layers: Mimic a natural habitat by planting in layers. Tall trees like oaks and pines offer roosting spots and nesting cavities for woodpeckers and owls. Shrubs and perennials provide nesting sites for smaller birds, while groundcovers like ferns and native grasses offer hiding places and foraging opportunities.

Beyond the Plants:

Feeder Frenzy: Supplement your plant offerings with bird feeders. Choose feeders that suit different bird species; tube feeders for finches, hopper feeders for larger birds, and platform feeders for seed mixes and suet. Keep feeders clean and filled with fresh seed to prevent the spread of disease.

Water Works: A reliable source of fresh water is essential for birds, especially during hot weather.  Install a birdbath and keep it clean and topped up. A small trickling fountain can add movement and attract more feathered visitors.

Homes Sweet Homes: Offer nesting boxes for cavity-nesting birds like bluebirds, chickadees, and wrens. Choose the right size and type of box for the birds you want to attract, and place it in a sheltered location away from predators.

Let Nature Take Its Course:

Leave Some Leaf Litter: Fallen leaves provide a natural habitat for insects, which are a vital food source for baby birds.  Create a designated leaf pile in a corner of your garden for these tiny bug buffets.

Minimize Pesticides: Opt for natural pest control methods to protect birds and the beneficial insects they eat.
Snag Standing: Dead trees, also known as snags, provide valuable nesting and foraging sites for woodpeckers and other cavity-nesting birds. If it's safe, consider leaving a standing snag in your yard.