attracting birds

Attracting birds to your garden is not hard.

If you are trying to create a natural garden and habitat, and have decided to go pesticide free as many people concerned about keeping our planet green have done, then you need to start attracting birds to your yard in order to keep the pests down.

Most birds will find food to peck at, and local trees to nest in, and maybe your bird house to live in, but if you truly want to start attracting birds, then you must have a water feature of some kind. Either a bird bath, or a small pond, with a gentle fountain. Nothing to splashy, just enough to keep the water moving.

If you choose to have a small pond, then create a "beach" area for the birds, so they can get a drink without having to cling for dear life to a slippery rock. If you create a small pebble beach area, not only will your birds drink, but they will bath and come back often, as this will be a comfortable spot for them to drink and cool off. So create a nice little shallow beach area.

If you provide a bird feeder, keep it full. Most people tend to feed birds in the winter, and have been attracting birds with great winter food, but many stop in the nicer months, assuming the birds are finding food and berries. This is true, they will find berries, but by having a additional source of seed, you will be attracting many more species of birds to your yard. You can even get suet cakes that are designed for warm weather, so that wood peckers have something to peck at. Wood peckers love insects and will get them off of the trees for you.

The important issue with bird feeders in the summer, is that you need to clean it out every few fill ups, as moisture from rain etc, can turn some of the seed rancid or have it growing in your feeder. One great consequence of a bird feeder full of sunflower seeds, is that many seeds will fall to the ground and not get eaten. You may find you get sunflowers growing near your feeder. Birds love these. This creates a great buffet dinner for them later in the summer, and is a great way to start attracting birds.

If you have a plain wall or sunny side to a ugly fence or garage, why not plant large sunflower plants! You can plant these from seeds in May, or purchase the plant already started in the garden center. There are varieties that grow very large, sometimes 6 - 8 feet tall, with HUGE yellow flowers full of seeds. You can try and harvest them for yourself, or you can stake them up (they tend to fall over at that height) and let the birds eat them. This is a great way of attracting birds, especially near the end of summer. So, make sure your water is nearby, and they will enjoy your garden.

If you are attracting birds, and wish to attract humming birds, then you need to plant more flowers and flowering shrubs with flowers that are red and orange. Humming birds, are attracted to that color and suck the liquid sweet nectar from the flower. If you place a humming bird feeder close by, and fill it with fresh humming bird food, you will have many visiting your yard.

You don't need to buy the prepared humming bird food, you can make your own. Just mix 1/4 cup of regular white sugar in one cup of water and bring to a boil for one minute. Keep stirring while boiling, and then take it off the heat and let it cool.

Make sure you have a special humming bird feeder, they are usually red in color, or have red fake flowers where the bird will feed. Fill your feeder with the cooled mixture. Change every few days in the hot weather.

By having many types of feeders out you will start attracting birds and butterflies, as well as humming birds. Birds are natures pest killers. Many birds will eat insects off your plants. So, try and keep your garden and shrubs and lawns off of drugs or pesticides. You need to make this a natural garden. You will need to pick off bugs by hand, and start attracting birds to help with the rest. Many larger birds will eat grubs you find in the garden.

If you dig any up, just put them out in the open and this will attract birds to your garden. Hopefully they will stick around. If you provide them with the necessities they adore, then they will stick around your yard. Water is one of the most important features you can offer a backyard bird. So, get that small pond going, or that solar bird bath. The solar bird bath is a great way to start attracting birds as well, because it keeps the water gently moving, and stops the water from getting stagnant which birds do not like. If you don't have a solar bird bath, then make sure to change the water daily or every couple of days, you don't want to it to go green or stagnant and you don't want to help mosquitoes, who love still water.

It is amazing, what birds, butterflies and dragonflies you can attract with a water feature. Not only will you have a nice oasis for yourself with a water feature, but you will be attracting birds, and who doesn't like to hear birds singing? Chickadees might even get super friendly and get used to you being in the yard. Spending time outdoors and in your yard is a great stress reliever. It is even better if the birds help you with your pests, so attracting birds is a win/win situation!

So, if you are planning your natural garden and hoping to start attracting more birds and butterflies, then get that water feature in. Birds have a hard time finding water, especially in those hot dry days of summer. So, offer it to them, and they will treat your garden like their own personal oasis and bring their friends!