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Hello Everyone, my name is Lara and I am so honored to have been asked to contribute two posts on gardening for this lovely blog. Spring has sprung, and like you, I’m sure, I am thoroughly enjoying hearing the birds singing again when I wake up in the morning. Actually, I am very much a lover of birds, songbirds in particular, so I have always looked for ways to encourage them to visit my garden. Apart from the fact they’re just a joy to watch, and hear, they are also veritable insect and arachnid eating machines; something I can really get behind. Here are some tips that I have found has worked for me in the past. It also has the added benefit of attracting butterflies and honeybees!

GO NATIVE
This can have many implications, but in the gardening world, it simply means doing your best to plant only native shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Easy to maintain and environmentally friendly, birds will naturally be drawn to them for food and shelter. I’ve noticed that this concept of planting gardens using native plants has been really catching on, and local home improvement/gardening centers often have a specific section devoted to native plants.

PROVIDE FRESH, CLEAN WATER YEAR ROUND
You will be amazed at how quickly birds will come to your garden if you provide a water source, and keep it regularly cleaned and filled. If you live in a climate that freezes in winter, it’s imperative that you either purchase a birdbath de-icer, or even a heated birdbath. Birds use up a ridiculous amount of precious energy melting the snow in their beaks to drink, and will greatly appreciate having water readily available.

Birds are also drawn to the sound of splashing water. A small pump can be purchased for under $25 at most garden centers, and a simple fountain can be created in about an hour using a glazed, ceramic pot (no drainage hole, of course).

PROVIDE A SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD SOURCE
Bird feeders are cheap, and easy to maintain. Various seeds attract various birds (some of which you might *not* want, like the European Sparrow) but I have found that black oil sunflower seeds are an all around favorite. If you live in an area where you have squirrels, you will need a squirrel proof feeder, and a couple of tricks up your sleeve. Offering a cake of suet will also be much appreciated by birds such as downy woodpeckers and wrens (the squirrels will avoid the suet that has “hot pepper” in it.) I have heard conflicting reports on whether or not birds come to rely on your bird feeders as a food source, and the importance of leaving them up all year. For myself, I figure, it’s as much for my enjoyment as for their well being, so I keep them filled (and clean, they must be cleaned regularly) all year round.

PLANT BERRY/SEED PRODUCING SHRUBS, TREES, PERENNIALS & ANNUALS
There are a great number of trees and shrubs that flower beautifully in the spring and are followed by gorgeous berries. A lovely sight for you to enjoy in the landscape, but for birds, it’s a great addition to their food supply; especially for migratory birds who will use them as a food source along the way. Additionally, the seeds produced by flowering perennials and annuals offer a tasty and nutritious food source for birds. We’re so tempted to “tidy up” in the fall, but they will appreciate you leaving the seed stalks standing over the winter for them to snack on.

BE AN ORGANIC GARDENER…as much as possible
We all know the hazards of using pesticides and herbicides in our environment. It’s not only bad for birds, it’s bad for pretty much everything else, too, including us. I’m not perfect (I grow roses, after all) but when approaching a pest or disease situation in my garden, I do all I can to clear it up organically. If it persists, I then ask myself if this plant is worth all the fuss? Everything I grow has to earn it’s keep. If it’s being too much of a diva, it’s got to go.

PROVIDE EVERGREENS FOR COVER AND SHELTER
Evergreens, being, well, green all year round, are visually necessary in a well planned garden design, but they are equally important to birds looking for shelter and cover. Many birds also choose evergreens to build their nests, and will return year after year to raise their broods.

IF POSSIBLE, DO NOT CUT DOWN A DEAD TREE
I actually hesitated to put this tip in here, because of course I do not want to encourage anyone to harbor an unsafe situation with a dead tree in their yard. However, if it’s possible, try to leave dead trees standing. Wood boring insects, a food source for many birds, colonize in dead or decaying trees, (consider the ivory billed woodpecker, which is probably extinct due to loss of it’s habitat/food source) and they also provide homes for cavity nesting birds such as wood ducks and bluebirds.

PUT A BELL ON YOUR KITTY CAT
We love our kitty cats, but they are pretty much the worst thing to happen to backyard birds. According to the American Bird Conservancy, “Cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks each year.” It’s probably best to keep your cat indoors, but if that isn’t an option, having him/her wear a bell will at least give the birds a warning sound.

PROVIDE NEST BOXES/NESTING MATERIAL
There are specific nest box requirements depending on the type of birds you wish to attract, but what’s nice is many of the pre-made ones that you can find in your local home improvement store, are already designed for this purpose. Properly placed nest boxes definitely increases survival rate, as seen in the case of the Eastern Bluebirds; a bird which was once on a critical decline, but has since recovered due to the enthusiasm of birders who installed nesting boxes in what is known as a “bluebird trail”.

Nesting material can be as simple as leaving clippings from your most recent hair trim, bits of yarn, or even leaving your garden in a “not too tidy” state. A couple of days ago, I watched a robin collect all the dead leaves from a daylily I had raked and carry it off for it’s nest.

BE PATIENT
In the course of my 37 years, I have moved over 30 times. Every time I set up my new home, I try to do at least a few things on this list (usually beginning with the bird feeder and water source). Sometimes it takes weeks for these little things to be “noticed” by the birds, but they will eventually visit your garden, and hopefully take up residence. I think of it like a “Field of Dreams” kind of thing: If you build it, they will come.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope I have provided a couple of useful tips for attracting birds to your garden. If you are interested in identifying the birds that visit your garden, I have found that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website is a very useful source. (Link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1189)

Happy Birding!

~Lara

Tags: gardening, guest blogger, lara lewis