Be Fruitful!

You can attract birds to your backyard by planting trees and shrubs that have the fruit, seeds, or berries they love. Mountain ash, wild cherry, mulberry, blackberry, honeysuckle, hawthorn, and crabapple are just a few of the many attention getters. While these natural foods will bring birds to your yard, if you want them to linger, be sure to also include these in your landscape:

Birdhouses. These will attract bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches, purple martins, swallows, woodpeckers, and more. You’ll find houses at bird-supply, discount, and hardware stores, and online. Buy sturdy, well-made birdhouses—they’ll cost a bit more, but will outlast their skimpy cousins.

Feeders. Having a few feeders in your yard will bring even more fine-feathered friends. If you position your feeders so that you have a good view from your house, you’ll have the pleasure of watching the birds come and go each day. Buy feeders that are practical and easy to use and clean, as well as convenient for the birds. Make sure that there’s room for at least a dozen birds to perch at one time, and that the feeder holds enough seed so that you don’t have to refill it more than once a day.

Birdbaths. Birds will drink from just about anything when they’re thirsty. But to really make them happy, set up a birdbath that’s at or near ground level. The bath should have places for birds to perch, such as molded faux rocks beside the water and protruding from it (like the stones in a stream), and the surface should be rough, so birds can get a grip. If the water depth is shallow, birds will feel safe when using your birdbath. Two inches of water is perfect for jays and robins; smaller birds need shallower water. Look for baths that have multiple depths to attract a wider variety of birds.

For more tips, tricks, and transformations that’ll have your fine-feathered friends flocking to your neck of the woods, check out my Backyard Birdscaping Bonanza book—FREE for 21 days! It’s filled with simple secrets to transforming your yard into a bird-pleasin’ paradise.