Lou McLeod: 4 Simple Methods To Attract Backyard Birds To Your Homestead

Saturday 19 March 2016

4 Simple Methods To Attract Backyard Birds To Your Homestead

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Home Animals 4 Simple Methods To Attract Backyard Birds To Your Homestead

Looking for ways to attract more backyard birds to your homestead? Try these 4 simple methods and your backyard will be flocking with birds of a feather!

4 Simple Methods To Attract More Backyard Birds To Your Homestead

For many gardeners, birds are a mixed blessing. While they’ll kindly snatch up nasty garden pests (like aphids and slugs), they’ll also help themselves to your fresh produce that you’ve laboriously been tending. Luckily, by covering specific crops with nets and framework, you can reap all of the rewards that come with birds, without risking your berries and tomatoes.

Unfortunately, making your garden a habitat for birds isn’t as simple as hanging up a feeder. While seed may draw them in, it won’t keep them. If you want birds to take up residence, you’ll need to provide them with the following four elements.

Plant Bird Friendly Plants To Attract More Backyard Birds

Plant Bird Friendly Plants To Attract More Backyard Birds - Click for more simple methods to bring birds to your backyard

There are two types of plants you can offer birds—plants that provide shelter, and plants that provide food.

You’ll want to offer sheltering plants to give birds protection from predators and a place to wait when other birds are lining up for food. Shrubs, trees, and climbers will all work well for this purpose. Plants that offer food (that you won’t mind sharing) include asters, cornflowers, fuchsia, moss rose, and zinnias. If you don’t want to give up precious veggie growing space for flowers, a hanging basket garden will serve the same purpose.

Offer A Bird Feeder To Attract More Backyard Birds

Add a Bird Feeder and watch the birds flock to your garden! Keep reading for more ideas

A feeder stocked with good quality seed is a great way to encourage more birds to enter your garden. The range of seed mixes can be overwhelming, so keep it simple and buy a mix including sunflower seeds, canary seed, hemp and husk-free oats. This will appeal to a broad range of birds. These are a diverse range of feeder styles—you’ll need to shop around to find one that meets both your aesthetic and maintenance schedule.

Keep your feeder near plant cover so birds can escape from cats and other predators. If squirrels are a problem in your neighborhood, you’ll want to invest in a squirrel-proofing measures (unless you don’t mind feeding the squirrels too). Make sure to clean your feeder regularly and remove any old or moldy seed, so as not to make your feathered friends sick.

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Provide A Bird Bath With Wter To Attract More Backyard Birds

Provide Water To Attract More Backyard Birds | Keep Reading For More Ideas

All birds need to drink and bathe regularly. A sloping bath—complete with a few flat stones for ease of access—will allow different species of birds to bathe in comfort. Since migrant birds may not be aware your yard has an available source, installing a fountain pump, dripper, or bubbler is a great way to advertise, as it allows them to hear the water.

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Provide Shelter To Attract More Backyard Birds

Provide Shelter To Attract More Backyard Birds - Keep reading for more ideas

Birds that prefer to nest in tree cavities will truly appreciate nest boxes or bird houses. Placing these houses in trees and shrubs that also have berries or cones will make them all the more appealing as a food source is nearby. Different birds have different housing needs, so do your research in order to attract the species you enjoy most.

If you find there are long periods when the birds seem to have vacated your garden, think about what you can do to make your yard more appealing during that particular season. It will take time before you see a good amount of birds, so be patient, keep your feeder full, and start planting.