How to Attract Birds to Your Garden

Do you see beautiful birds in your yard one day, and the next day they are gone? If birds do not stay in your garden, you are not offering them what they need to survive. Attracting birds to your garden is as simple as one, two, three. One, provide food for the type of bird you would like to attract. Two, provide shelter from the weather, and predators. Three, provide a source of water for drinking, and bathing. If you provide these three things you will be rewarded with many feathered friends in your garden or yard.

Provide food for birds year round. To do this you will need a varied source of food, especially for the birds that overwinter in your garden. Birds need to eat constantly to survive. They have a very high metabolism, and must be able to find a regular source of food to survive. Grow trees or bushes that provide fruit or berries for the summer, and fall. A good variety of nut, or pinecones will help provide food for your tiny visitors through the tough fall and winter months. Set up a bird feeder with a variety of seeds. Some birds will only eat a certain type of seeds. The bird feeder will help your feathered friends survive through a harsh winter. After a hard snow, make sure you clean off the birdfeeder, and the ground around it so the birds can find their food.

You can also provide suet cakes, or create your own ornamental bird feeders. Cover a pine cone with peanut butter (non-hydrogenated), then roll it in seeds, or crushed nuts, and hang it on the nearest tree. Birds love this treat, and if you have several evergreens to provide shelter you should also have an abundance of pinecones to use. Make sure you put your bird feeders in the open, so cats and other predators cannot sneak up on the birds while they are eating.

To attract hummingbirds to your garden during the summer plant flowers with an abundance of nectar, such as gladiolus, lillies, or butterfly bushes. Provide a hummingbird feeder with a mixture of sugar and water for the times when the hummingbirds cannot find enough nectar in the flowers around your house.