Gardening For the Birds

One of the most beautiful sounds from the great outdoors is the sound of singing birds. Nature's song makers have long been welcome visitors to our gardens, providing valuable services such as pest control and pollination as well as adding beauty to the surroundings. Is your garden a welcome haven for avian visitors?

To attract and keep birds to your gardens, you need to step back and take a "bird's eye" view of your property. Birds are going to be looking for a few specific things before they decide to call your garden home, and if you can provide those things, you'll attract a lot of feathered friends.

First of all, does your garden provide food and water? Everything needs to eat, so think about what sorts of food your garden can offer. Insects, berries, seeds, and acorns are all food sources for several types of birds. Set up a few feeding stations to offer food; if you place them carefully, you'll be able to watch the birds from your home or from a sitting area in your garden. With an eye to water, consider adding a birdbath (change the water daily to prevent mosquito larvae), or a small pond to your yard. Birds need to drink and to bathe, so they're definitely going to be appreciative of clean water.

Secondly, does your garden provide shelter and hiding areas? Most birds are prey for something else, so they need places that they can hide from predators, and safe places to build nests and raise their young. Hedges, left unshorn, offer great bird places, as do most trees. Consider putting up bird houses to give your birds a place to raise their young in safety and comfort.

Finally, is your garden planted with the kinds of plants that will attract specific kinds of birds? Do a little research into the types of birds that you want to attract, and plant the sorts of things they'd like to see. Hummingbirds, for example, are attracted to nectar producing flowers with red, trumpet shaped blooms.

The National Wildlife Federation offers lots of information on gardening for the birds, and even offers a certification program for backyard wildlife habitats. Remember, no garden is complete without the sounds of birdsong and the beauty of our feathered friends. Be kind and provide them with the basics they need to live, and they will reward you with many seasons of song to come!