How to Attract Birds in St. Paul or Minneapolis, MN Year-Round

Which Feeders Attract Which Birds; Also, Ground-eaters, Insect-eating Birds, Their Description, and Bird Boxes

It’s quite easy to attract a variety of birds, even if you live in the city like me (as opposed to the suburbs or country) in St. Paul or Minneapolis, Minnesota. Of course there are some species you’ll never attract, because we simply don’t have the right habitat, but I’m amazed by the ones I see that I thought only people in the country could attract. The key is to have a variety of seed and other feeders, because many species will only eat specific foods. Also, keep your feeders filled year-round, because different birds come at different times of the year!

In this article, I’ll describe what you’ll need in order to attract birds wherever you live, which birds you can attract in the city in St. Paul or Minneapolis, which types of seed feeders and food will attract which birds, which will only eat on the ground, and insect-eaters you can’t attract unless you have the right kind of bird house. Also, towards the bottom, learn why bluebirds and purple martins need our help.

My house in St. Paul is in a family-oriented residential area, far from the suburbs, and our block is often filled with neighbors walking or talking, and children playing outside. There’s even a major, traffic-laden street two blocks from us. But my small back yard has become a bird sanctuary.

I have a variety of feeders there, with several trees and bushes nearby, so birds can feel sheltered enough to swoop down and linger at the feeders or on the ground, and believe me, they do. Occasionally a cat will wander through, but the birds have learned to merely stay in the trees until it leaves. They’re highly attuned to any threats. In fact, sometimes when I glance out my window too quickly, they get startled and fly back into the trees. Yet other times they’ll stay at the feeders while I’m gardening.