How to Attract Birds to Your Yard

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Many people find bird watching to be a great use of their leisure time. I am one of those people. I can spend hours watching the antics of the birds as they fight for a spot at the feeder or splash in the water taking a refreshing bath. It is so fascinating to watch them as they interact with each other. I can tell you if you ever wanted to know the meaning of pecking order just sit and watch a bird feeder at feeding time. Yes there are regular feeding times. Early morning and again about 3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon the birds arrive in droves. I think the times I enjoy the most are courting season and when it is time to teach the young ins how to fend for themselves.

It is pretty easy to get birds to visit you just need to provide them with the right environment. Although as with any hobby you need to be a little cautious or you can go way overboard with setting up your yard to attract birds. Trust me I know! Every time I go to one of the home improvement centers I never leave with out finding an excuse to wander down through the bird food and feeder area. But with a little thought and planning you can set up your yard to be a bird haven without breaking the bank.

Let us start with the basics food, water, and shelter. One of the best ways to attract the birds to your yard is to provide them with what they need.

Water
It could be costly to go out and buy a fancy bird bath with running water. While this may make you happy the birds are attracted to the water not the container. Don't go overboard unless you are doing a landscape renovation a simple $15.00 plastic bird bath will do. The birds are attracted by the sunlight glimmering off the water. The idea is to provide the water, not a fancy container. The main thing to remember is to clean out the bird bath and add fresh water daily. A minute or two with the garden hose will give your visitors clean, fresh, and safe water to drink.

Food
The first thing you will need is bird feeders. Yes I said feeders. There are different types of birds and they like different types of food. A good feeder can be bought for between $25 and $35 dollars at most garden centers or home improvement stores. here are different types of feeders and which birds would be attracted to them:

Sunflower Seed Tube Feeders
Best for chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, goldfinches, siskins and purple and house finches. If you are only going to put out a single feeder this would be it. Make sure that the feeder has metal ports around the seed dispensers or sparrows will just chew up plastic. Hang this feeder at least 5 feet off the ground near a window that you can view it from if possible.

Hopper feeders
Will attract red winged blackbirds, blue jays, cardinals, grackles, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, goldfinches, siskins and purple and house finches. A hopper feeder will hold a couple of pounds of bird food keeping it dry. The feeder should be placed on a pole 5 feet off the ground.

Ground feeders
Sparrows, doves, towhees, juncos, goldfinches and cardinals will be attracted to this feeder
Generally these are screen bottom trays that sit up off the ground a couple of inches. They can be purchased with covers to help keep out the snow and screens to let birds in and to keep hungry squirrels out. This type should placed in an open area at least 10 feet from trees and shrubs to protect the birds from attack from predictors. This type of feeder is not good if there are a lot of cats in the area.

Suet Feeders
Suet is popular with woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice,and nuthatches. Occasionally wrens, warblers, and creepers as well. Suet feeders are like cages that you place the suet cakes in. They can be hung from poles and trees near other bird feeders. Do not use suet feeders when temperatures are 80 degree or higher, as it can turn rancid.

Thistle Feeders

Designed for birds with small beaks redpolls, goldfinches, and pine siskins. These feeder are used for Nyjer seed which resembles small grains of wild rice. The holes are tiny but as this is eaten by finches the holes size keeps the seed from falling out and the small beaks can readily reach them. Place this feeder 5 feet off the ground on a pole or hang from a tree.

Seed
When purchasing seed stay away from the cheap bargain basement priced mixes. A good majority of these are filler seed and will be discarded by the birds.

Sunflower Seed -Black oil sunflower seed is the preferred seed of many small feeder birds, in the northern latitudes. Hulled seeds will attract the greatest variety of birds. red-bellied woodpeckers, jays, goldfinches, finches, evening grosbeaks, pine grosbeaks, cardinals, grackles, titmice, chickadees,and nuthatches.

Millet - White millet is the favorite food of most small-beaked ground-feeding birds. Red-winged blackbirds,doves, quail, sparrows, towhees, juncos, and cowbirds.

Thistle (nyjer) - This is the preferred food of house finches, common redpolls, american goldfinches,and lesser goldfinches. It is very expensive though.

Cracked Corn -Medium cracked corn is as popular as millet, when it comes to ground-feeding birds. Because it attracts moisture cracked corn will rot so be sure to keep an eye on it. Attracts doves, pheasants, quail, jays, crows, juncos, sparrows,and towhees.

Oats - Milo - Wheat -These are frequently mixed into low-priced birdseed blends. Most birds discard them in favor of other food, which leaves them to accumulate under feeders, where they may attract rodents.

Fruit And Berrys - Birds like mockingbirds bluebirds,waxwings, and robins, rarely eat birdseed. You can attract them by placing currents and raisin soaked in water overnight in a ground feeder.

Peanuts - Both whole and crushed peanuts can be placed in a wire mesh feeder they will attract starlings, woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, brown creepers, wrens, kinglets, brown thrashers, blue jays and warblers

Shelter Or Cover

If possible provide trees and shrubs for the birds in your yard from which they can access the feeders. This added protection will allow the birds a sense of protection and will encourage them to come to your feeder.

It is not necessary to re-landscape the yard but if additional plantings are planned then it would be good to consider the locations that would most encourage the birds. The trees and shrubs do not necessarily need to be in your yard your neighbors yard or a park next door will also provide this shelter.

This by all means is not the complete authority on attracting birds to your yard. The information here however is tried and true and will get birds coming to your yard in no time at all.

For more information about birds and birding visit the National Audubon Society's web site

Attract Interesting Birds To Your Yard With Platform Bird Feeders

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There are many types of bird feeders and one popular style is the platform bird feeder. It is the kind of feeder which looks like a tray that is slightly elevated or totally mounted off the ground.

There is a difference between a hanging bird feeder and a platform bird feeder. In the hanging type, the seeds are placed on its small openings. The platform feeder on the other hand is obviously like a platform wherein you can easily place or scatter the seeds on it.

Platform bird feeders can also be used if you want to prevent squirrels from attacking the feeder. You can mount it off the ground by hanging it or using a pole to elevate it and a squirrel baffel wherein squirrels will not be able to reach it. You can also put a screen on the feeder so that squirrels will have a hard time reaching the bird seeds.

This type of feeder caters to the birds which feeds on the ground such as towhees, doves, sparrows, and even to bigger birds such as jays and grosbeaks. Recently, the manufacturers of bird feeder have started building and selling platform feeders maybe because of the fact that this kind of feeder is very easy to build.

Building one for your backyard is quite an easy task. It only requires few materials such as wood, wood glue, nails or screws and paint. Here is a guideline on how to make a platform bird feeder.

1. Start cutting the wood in sizes such as 16 x 10 inches for the back, 10 x 10 inches for the bottom, 2 x 10 inches for the front, 12 x 12 inches for the roof, and 12 x 10 for the sides.

2. Next is to attach the cut pieces together. Nail, glue or screw the back of the feeder to the bottom feeder. Make sure to do it properly to avoid any accidents.

3. Attaching the sides of the feeder to the back and bottom woods is the next thing to do. You can do this by either using a glue or nails. The roof is the last piece to be attached.

4. Paint your feeder for aesthetic purposes. Since you'll be placing it in your back or front yard, beautifying the feeder is a must to serve as home decoration as well.

5. Place the feeder in your backyard by hanging or slightly elevating it from the ground.

The benefit of using a platform bird feeder is that it is very easy to mange. You can easily fill the feeder with bird seeds and it is very visible to the avian. Since most platform feeders are open, you won't have a hard time scattering the seeds on it. It is also very easy to clean compare to other types of feeders.

The downside of this one is that it can be easily attack by squirrels and other large birds. The seeds can also be easily blown off during windy days which are not a good thing. It can also be a source of illnesses if it is not properly cleaned.

If you want to avail of the platform bird feeder without the hassle of doing it yourself, you can try buying it online or even in the nearest pet shops on your block. There are different kinds of platform feeders nowadays. The manufacturers keep on updating it with new designs to keep it more useful.

Platform feeders are the simplest and most basic style among bird feeders, but it can be utilized with any types of food and commonly used by all bird feeders. In line with this, the platform feeder is indeed very versatile among all feeding techniques.

Bird Feeders & Baths - They Are a Great Way to Attract Birds to Your Outdoor Space

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Watching the birds fly around and land in your yard can be a fun and relaxing pastime. If you want to attract various kinds of birds around your home, turn to bird feeders and baths. They are selections that will make those flying wonders feel right at home in your yard.

Birds spend the majority of their time looking for two main things: (1) food and (2) water, which is exactly what bird feeders & baths offer. If you provide both in a safe area, you will be rewarded with hour after hour of nature's own reality show playing right outside in your backyard.

So, you will need to invest in bird feeders and baths. The first thing that you need to do before you get the first selection is to check over a bird guide that has an overview of the bird species most prominent in your area. This will give you an idea of the specific kinds of treats to have out, but for starters a feeder out with some wild bird type of seed, that's a mixture of many different seeds, will be great for a start. Remember to hang it in a place that isn't easy for cats or dogs to get to but is very visible from your window. Once you have the food handled, then you need to set up a place for your feathered friends to count on water. Nearby to your food source is great (but not directly under it or you'll have an icky mess to clean up when bird droppings go into your water). Go for a garden motif and use a rose or floral designed birdbath. When the weather is icy, chip the ice off it or pour water over it during the day to melt any frozen to ensure your feathered friends will have access to water.

Once you have some bird feeders and baths in place in your outdoor space, then, all year round just sit back and enjoy the show. You and your kids can watch the birds come and go and you will soon notice certain characteristics that make certain birds individuals in their own right. A sparrow with a few feathers that are always standing up on his back will be easy to pick out from the crowd at your bird feeder, do not be surprised if your kids wind up giving regular visitors to your bird sanctuary names!

To find just the right bird feeders and baths for your outdoor space, simply head to your family computer for some online shopping. It is a convenient way to look into all the choices because you do not have to drive or go anywhere to do it and what you do purchase will then be shipped right to you. So, no wasting time or money by going anywhere.

In the end, if you want to a nice way to relax, purchase some bird feeders and baths for your outdoor space. It will attract birds to your yard, providing you with something fun to watch.