Bird Watching in Your Back Yard

Birds, like all creatures, need some basic things. Food, water, shelter and, as a prey creature, protection from being dinner.

There's a huge variety of bird feeders and other accessories for your yard. Planting shrubbery to give birds cover helps bring them to the feeder. Protection from cats is a factor as is protecting the food from squirrels. Water, in a dish that prevents a bird from getting in the water and drowning. A small pump for running water helps, as does a small secured branch.

There's a wide variety of bird seeds, suet and other things marketed for birds. Look at what is around you. What do you have to work with? If you have two green bushes in the corner of the yard this can serve as a safety for the birds...you can secure the bird feeders near this. Remember to check the feeders and remove any seed that gets wet, molds and/or otherwise spoils.

In a corner of the yard if you don't have bushes make a brush pile. Sticks, an old (unsprayed) Christmas tree can be the basis of the pile, with sticks blown down from storms or prunings adding to the pile. This forms a small habitat for birds.

Tube type feeders can be found very inexpensively. There's pan type feeders available that should be used only if there are no cats to pounce on birds feeding and the feeder can be protected from getting wet and spoiling the seed. Suet is another type of feed - avoid using this when it's over 80 degrees as it can turn rancid. Hopper feeders are typically put on a pole and hold several pounds of feed. The granary type feeder in the picture was purchased at Tractor Supply for under $6. Thistle feeders are specific for tiny nyjer thistle seeds for goldfinch, pine siskins and others. Hummingbird feeders are another type of feeder.

Keeping squirrels from the feeders is a problem for some. Squirrel baffles are of some use but keep in mind they can jump six feet and are adaptable to coming from a tree down a string to the feeder. Some bird feeders simply give up and in a nearby location feed the squirrels with corn.