It is easy to attract birds to your yard by providing a good food feeder, nesting boxes, lots of nesting materials, a good source of water and natural habitat for them to use. These will attract lots of birds for you to observe. This way you will have a good view of them and it will make life easier for the birds, too. Bringing birds to your yard is a great way to introduce your children to nature and will be a way to involve your whole family in a fun and productive activity.

Having a bird friendly back yard is important. Most of the wildlife, 80 percent in United States, is on private lands. We as a nation are turning private lands into residential land on an average of 2.1 million acres every year. We can do our part by keeping our yards available for birds of all types.

How To begin.

An easy way to start out attracting birds is to put up a bird feeder. Choosing feeders and foods that appeal to the birds you want to attract is important. Check with your local pet store for information on bird feed that appeals to the birds you want to attract to your yard. It is not hard but a little help is always a good thing. Place your bird feeder in a location where birds will be comfortable in coming to it. Have it so you can observe it but not to close as to scare birds away. And from the pet store or any good birding book you can learn some hints about food items, such as eggshells, fruits, and mealworms, which provide extra nourishment for some wonderful bird types.

There are birds, like woodpeckers and chickadees, who like to excavate cavities in tree trunks for nesting and roosting. Some other types, like wrens, bluebirds, and some ducks and owls, nest in cavities that other birds have made. Nest boxes offer these birds a place to raise their young, especially where natural cavities are not found. Nest boxes should be made of natural materials and be placed so that they avoid predators. Have lots of nesting materials available for birds to use in feathering their nest. You can have different nesting materials available for a wide variety of birds.

Bird Baths

Bird baths are a good idea for your bird visitors. It gives them a fresh drink and a place to bathe and play. A good source of clean water, for drinking and bathing, will attract birds even if they don’t use your bird feeders. Be sure that your water baths helps birds, not mosquitoes or algae. Keep the bird baths clean and use fresh water every day.

Yard Landscaping

How you landscape your yard to deal with insects and weeds can make a big difference between a bird haven and a bunch of problems. Pick up landscaping of tips from pet stores or birding books to help you make your backyard a place where birds will enjoy and thrive.

Attracting birds to your property is full of rewards, but it brings problems and responsibilities too. Problems could be too many starlings or geese, and to many woodpeckers making holes in your house. These problems can be easily over come with proper attention to details and your love of birds and the outdoors. Get advice to help solve these problems and you will have many hours of happy fun with your family and the many types of birds you attract to your yard.

Roger Johnson