Published: November 06, 2009 10:55 am      

Attracting birds goes hand in hand with gardening

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the appreciation of birds ranks only second to gardening as America’s favorite pastime. The reasons are obvious as they provide color and music throughout the year.

Rarely do you step outdoors without hearing the tweets and twitters of the birds around us. If you want to attract them however, it is necessary to provide them with what they are looking for and here is where a little research comes in handy.



Food, water, a place that provides protection from the elements, and a place to build nests to raise their young are the basic requirements. Planning your landscaping to provide shelter as well as food can go a long way in attracting as well as retaining these beautiful creatures.

Fruit bearing trees and shrubs and seed plants that birds desire can be incorporated into your landscaping scheme so that you not only can attract but also can retain the birds of your choice. Study the habits of the birds you are trying to attract i.e.: watch where they retreat to provide protection from the elements and predators and observe their eating habits and the seeds and fruit or berries of their choice.



Bird feeders of various descriptions are also a staple in most bird lover’s purchases in order to entice their feathered friends to make their home in the homeowner’s yard. It’s amazing how quickly birds react to a new feeder — usually no more than a few days. If you are handy with woodworking you might try building your own as I did. Design your own or build it from a sketch or plan — which is usually not too complicated.

Availability of water is also of utmost importance and can be achieved by the placement of a birdbath in a convenient place to satisfy not only their thirst but to bathe and preen their feathers.

Birds are a valuable asset to every gardener as they eat enormous amounts of insects and weed seeds that would otherwise infest your crops and require you to use chemicals to control instead.



Bird seed can be groomed to attract certain species if desired. Mixes of many forms are available at garden centers, supermarkets, feed stores and the like. If you’re not particular, five- and 10-pound bags of a general mix can be used but also can be wasteful as much is scattered when certain species of birds thrash around to find what they are looking for. My preference was to buy black oil sunflower seed and mix it with a special “no waste” mix. By doing this it seemed most seed was eaten and not wasted on the ground for other critters to devour.



By studying different species you can learn to attract more unusual birds by building nesting houses that are unique to that species and food that they are attracted to. Try to lure a Northern Oriole with oranges or Nuthatches with bacon grease in a shallow container. An Oriole’s prodigious consumption of insects is well worth the few fruits it consumes in an apple orchard where it might nest.

Visit the library or purchase a book on attracting birds and your garden will thank you many times over.