How to Attract Birds to Your Garden

What better way to beautify your garden than to fill it with birds? Birds add colour and life to any garden. If you do not have a large garden, attracting wild birds to your yard can provide hours of pleasure. If you're wondering why other's gardens have birds galore and yours is lacking residents, follow these tips and you'll have a feather filled garden in no time.

Choose Flowers and Plants for Birds?

I am fortunate that I receive visits from many birds and just as importantly many varieties of wild birds. Landscaping a garden to some can mean "hard landscaping" but to me unless you include plants it is not a garden. The answer to the question is do I choose flowers and plants for birds is no but I do pack them in and am lucky enough to have the space to create diversity. Birds need somewhere they can dive or run into to disappear and feel safe and they need food. Provide feed for them by all means but they need to find their own as nature intended. They will keep pests under control in your garden; just watch the blue tits picking off greenfly and thrushes dealing with snails.

Garden Bird House

The first thing birds need to be happy is shelter, which can be provided with birdhouses. Birdhouses can be purchased from many different stores, but it's cheaper and often more effective to build your own. You may notice at stores that there are many different kinds of houses available, including many decorative bird houses. What type of birdhouse you need depends on what kind of bird you want to attract. Just remember, to try to attract local birds. If you haven't seen a kind of bird in your neighbourhood, you shouldn't count on seeing it in your garden. There is no point in buying or making a blue bird house or martin bird houses if these species are not in your neighbourhood. Try to place the houses in areas that are more hidden where birds will feel safe and comfortable.

Bird house plans and how to make bird houses can be found in many DIY books and are not hard to build. If you are not that handy with DIY projects chooses a bird house design that is easy and do not try to compete with the decorative garden bird houses that you see for sale. Your visitors are just as happy with wooden bird houses as long as they are dry, practical and situated in a safe place.

Grey squirrels may look cute but they can be a nuisance. Not only will they eat every bit of bird food that you put out but more besides. It is usually assumed that squirrels are totally vegetarian but that is not true. I have seen one gripping and eating a baby bird. Not a pleasant site. Squirrel proofing your bird house is not easy but if your house is for, for example, blue or great tits keep the hole to the minimum size recommended and then they cannot get in they will sit on top, get frustrated and move on to easier pickings. Keep squirrels out of bird seed by buying a special feeder that incorporates a squirrel guard that allows birds through but squirrels at bay.

Nesting Material

Providing adequate shelter for birds also means giving them appropriate nesting materials; this can help them turn their bird house into a comfortable home. Birds usually use hard materials for structure and soft materials to fill in the gaps. Good nesting materials include string, hair, twigs, moss, fabric, and even dryer lint. Basically, they'll use anything long and skinny, or soft materials that can be pulled that way.

Bird Baths and Bird Bath Fountain

Another essential factor for attracting birds to your garden is water. Birdbaths are the best option because they are shallow for swimming and have edges for drinking. As for the best kind of birdbath, you can use anything as long as it is not too deep or slippery so that they are in risk of getting into trouble and drowning. You can even make a bird bath out of an old satellite dish! How about a plant saucer birdbath?

Using a cement bird bath in your garden is fine. Just remember that whatever the material it will need the occasional scrub to keep it clean and hygienic. I was alarmed to see the headline of an article entitle "How to make a clay pot birdbath" but was relived to see the author sensibly advises the use of shallow sides.

A more pleasing and decorative option is birdbath fountains. I have a two tier fountain not bought as a bird bath but is much loved by blackbirds and thrushes. But how to attract birds to bird bath garden features? Try to have them in sunny and shady places so birds can choose and close to a dense shrub. After a good bath their feathers are heavy with water and they are very vulnerable to predators. If you have a large garden, you can add more than one bird bath. If you do, Along with attracting feathered friends, bird baths also add a decorative touch.

What to Feed a Wild Bird

Another important factor for attracting birds is food.

While water and housing may entice your birds to stay, they'll probably find your garden in their search for something to eat. You should provide birds with a variety of different seeds, fruits, and nuts. They need a balanced diet just like you do.

One thing you might want to consider is whether or not to feed cooked food. While it's better for birds to have fresh food, this may also cause unwanted pests in your garden and surrounding areas.

Try to provide the best wild bird feed. Cheap bird feed can be bad for the health of your feathered friends.

One question is can you add pepper to birdseed? Capsicum pepper powder is readily available that you can mix with seed and nuts and can repel squirrels but does not seem to put off the birds. Just like houses, feeders should be placed in areas where a bird feels comfortable and safe from predators. Birds also like to feast on insects, so make sure your garden has good rich soil to promote creepy crawly critters to stay too.

Be Patient

When trying to attract birds to your garden patience is the key. Even if you provide all the essentials for birds, they still may not show up right away. You should give them time to find your garden and then make a habit of visiting. Even if you don't get birds right away, keep trying. They're sure to show up in no time.

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