Attracting birds to your yard

[sdalek]

Post any ideas, hints, and experiences in attracting birds to your (back)yard. Not only can they be melodic, help with pest control, and beautify the area, they can be soothing and run to watch, too.

My experiences:
1) Let the backyard naturalize (i.e. go wild). This provides a more natural habitat for them to hide and live in. There is a straggly looking spruce, a previous owners' Christmas tree, in the backyard that provides cover, shelter, and a hiding spot for the birds as they come to the feeder. All the trees in the back (Sweet Gum, Pine, Cypress) provide nesting spots and areas to search for food. This has drawn in Crows, Grackles, Titmice, Chickadees, Wrens, Nuthatches, Goldfinches, Woodpeckers, Sapsuckers, even Barred owls for us to watch or listen to. Our arbor has had Cardinals and Robins nesting in it.

2) Plant attractive plants. Catnip is a great plant to put out. Goldfinches like to pick at it and, provided it is the right type of catnip, it can provide somewhat of a barrier between neighborhood cats and the feeder. Note that there are some cats who are NOT affected by catnip so it is a hit or miss proposition to stopping cats. Also be aware that bees and butterflies are also attracted to catnip which can provide great photo-ops for amateur photographers. Black-eyed susan is also a great plant for attracting goldfinches, who love their seeds. Several years ago, we had a bumper crop of Black-eyed susans, thanks to the Goldfinches, who used to hang on the flowers in such numbers that all the flowers in our yard were bent over almost touching the ground. It was funny driving up and seeing all the finches fly off and all the flowers pop back up.

3) Nesting boxes. We have had Titmice, Wrens (really messy nesters), Chickadees, and Blue Birds living in our yard thanks to nest boxes we provided.

[sdalek]

If bees are attracted to certain colors, it certainly can be true for birds too. Keep this in mind when planting.

[Natrushka]

Have a water feature. Many folk put out feed and plants for the birds but forget water. The addition of a fountain to our very new suburban yard last year brought so many more animals to our backyard it was stunning.

[booyalab]

i bet that fountain would be a lot more effective if you filled it with worms.

[Xander]

You know most blokes are satisfied claiming six inches. Trust you to go getting silly!

[Geoff]

Having two cats doesn't help. Well, it helps the cats, but the feathers/blood make a mess of the carpet.

-Geoff

[Wolf]

Attracting birds to your yard

Throw a party, with a barbecue and hot guys. Then invite a bunch, they might even come, but I know that's rather unlikely.

You could also put out some shiny stuff, they like shiny stuff, but they prefer real shiny stuff, otherwise they leave pretty quickly...

[rivercrow]

Moving water works even better.

We've used commercial drippers and misters. Hummers will bathe in the misters. I've read about rigging a pail with a nail hole over a bath.

[Xander]

Originally Posted by rivercrow

Moving water works even better.

We've used commercial drippers and misters. Hummers will bathe in the misters. I've read about rigging a pail with a nail hole over a bath.

Wouldn't you be better off with just splashing water? I'm thinking of the kind of mist common near waterfalls, hosepipes and fountains.

(Of course I'm also ignorant to the cost of plumbing these things )

[Natrushka]

I've had hummers come play with the hose while I've been watering plants. They seem fascinated with it.


Bathing Rubythroat