Turning Your Backyard into Wild Bird Habitat
Wild birds require four basic elements for their survival - food, water, shelter and places to raise their young. You will attract beautiful wild birds if your backyard meets their needs. Landscaping with fruit and seed bearing shrubs and trees will attract a wide variety of wild birds as will properly placed birdfeeders stocked with seed, nuts or suet. A year round source of water, like a birdbath or small pond, is also a necessary part of your wild bird habitat. Birds will use the trees and shrubs in your landscape for shelter and places to build nests. Cavity nesting birds may be attracted to your yard if you provide birdhouses.

Establishing different feeding stations will attract a wide variety of wild birds. There are several types of feeders commercially available - tube feeders, hopper style, platforms, window type, ground feeders, peanut feeders, suet holders, finch feeders, nectar feeders. The wild birds you attract will be determined by the variety of feeder styles and food types you provide.

All wildlife, including birds, need a permanent source of water. There are many traditional pedestal type birdbaths available. Make sure the one you choose is shallow enough (1" - 2") and it's a good idea to place a few small rocks in the bottom to help the birds get a foothold. A small pond with a shallow, rocky wading area will also attract birds and other wildlife. Make sure shrubbery or other cover is nearby for protection from predators but not so close that a cat could hide and pounce.

Birds seek cover for protection from predators and for a place to rest. Dense shrubs and evergreens will provide shelter all year. Brush piles and dead or dying trees (snags) are also used for cover by birds and other wildlife. Roosting boxes can be purchased or constructed in the absence of snags.

There are many cavity-nesting birds - chickadees, titmice, bluebirds, woodpeckers and wrens - that would use a nesting box. Birdhouses, either purchased or made in your own workshop, should be built to "spec" for the birds you wish to attract. The dimensions vary and the hole size is different for each species. For the details you can refer to any of the several books available about building birdhouses. Shrubs, trees, and snags of varying sizes and density in your landscape will also provide places for wild birds to raise their young.

You will attract a wide variety of birds if you turn your backyard into wild bird habitat by providing the four basic elements required for their survival – food, water, shelter and places to raise their young. In future articles, we will present, in more detail, the many different ways you can create wild bird habitat. Some of the subjects we’ll explore are: planting berry bearing shrubs and trees, water features, bird housing, and diversifying your landscape. If you want to get a head start, take a look at some of the books we carry in the shop: Stokes’ Bird Gardening Book, Bird Watcher’s Digest’s Creating Your Backyard Bird Garden, and several books about building birdfeeders and birdhouses.