Making your backyard bird habitat starts with understanding that wild birds require 4 basic elements to be lured to any location.
Food, water, cover and nesting areas.
Once your yard includes these elements birds will inevitable find their way to your yard.
Food: With the large selection of feeders on the market, it is easy to find one that not only provides a place for your new friends to eat but looks great with your backyard decor.
From country to modern, from whimsical to high brow, bird feeders now come in any number of designs.
The most important aspect of the feeders is to know what type of bird you want to feed and selecting the type of seed that those birds find most attractive.
Water: Whether it be a bird batch or a natural water feature like a pond, water is essential to birds.
When using bird bathes, cleaning it regularly is probably the most over looked aspect in making it attractive to your feathered friends.
When an artificial pond is the source of water it is vital to provide a shallow area to prevent accidental drownings.
A few rocks or even a piece of wire mesh can provide an easy and life saving area to help birds escape an artificial pond that has steep walls.
Keeping the water moving with a dripper, waterfall or spitter will increase the water features attractiveness.
Cover: Providing a safe environment not only gives protection from predators, but it increases the attractiveness of your yard.
Choosing native plants that are also a source of food by way of edible berries or flowers gives you more bang for your buck.
Make sure you keep plants at a safe distance from feeders, so that neighborhood cats do not use them as an area to ambush the birds that find your bird buffet.
Keeping feeders at a respectable distance from trees also prevents hawks from laying wait in the branches for an unsuspecting victim.
Nesting Areas: Knowing what type of birds you want to attract to any nest boxes is important to the success of your backyard habitat.
As some birds make their nests in trees or bushes and some use a conventional bird house, knowing what you are trying to attract will keep the vacancy rates low.
If wrens are your pleasure a small box under your porch eaves may do the trick.
If purple martins are your goal then make sure you place their house s far away from trees as possible.
If woodpeckers or owls are what you are striving for, place the box on a tree trunk.
It really depends on the bird.
A quick search on the internet can provide you with all the specifics of the countless number of birds that are local in your specific are.
No matter your budget or your geographic location, by following these few steps a more bird friendly environment is within easy reach.
Food, water, cover and nesting areas.
Once your yard includes these elements birds will inevitable find their way to your yard.
Food: With the large selection of feeders on the market, it is easy to find one that not only provides a place for your new friends to eat but looks great with your backyard decor.
From country to modern, from whimsical to high brow, bird feeders now come in any number of designs.
The most important aspect of the feeders is to know what type of bird you want to feed and selecting the type of seed that those birds find most attractive.
Water: Whether it be a bird batch or a natural water feature like a pond, water is essential to birds.
When using bird bathes, cleaning it regularly is probably the most over looked aspect in making it attractive to your feathered friends.
When an artificial pond is the source of water it is vital to provide a shallow area to prevent accidental drownings.
A few rocks or even a piece of wire mesh can provide an easy and life saving area to help birds escape an artificial pond that has steep walls.
Keeping the water moving with a dripper, waterfall or spitter will increase the water features attractiveness.
Cover: Providing a safe environment not only gives protection from predators, but it increases the attractiveness of your yard.
Choosing native plants that are also a source of food by way of edible berries or flowers gives you more bang for your buck.
Make sure you keep plants at a safe distance from feeders, so that neighborhood cats do not use them as an area to ambush the birds that find your bird buffet.
Keeping feeders at a respectable distance from trees also prevents hawks from laying wait in the branches for an unsuspecting victim.
Nesting Areas: Knowing what type of birds you want to attract to any nest boxes is important to the success of your backyard habitat.
As some birds make their nests in trees or bushes and some use a conventional bird house, knowing what you are trying to attract will keep the vacancy rates low.
If wrens are your pleasure a small box under your porch eaves may do the trick.
If purple martins are your goal then make sure you place their house s far away from trees as possible.
If woodpeckers or owls are what you are striving for, place the box on a tree trunk.
It really depends on the bird.
A quick search on the internet can provide you with all the specifics of the countless number of birds that are local in your specific are.
No matter your budget or your geographic location, by following these few steps a more bird friendly environment is within easy reach.