larksong
Well-known member
Here's a little something I did about attracting birds for my Grade.7 grammar project. I thought it would be good advice for some new birders!
Attracting Birds to your Backyard
Juliana Pantea
Filling your yard with colour and song is joyful, especially when you have done it the right way. Providing food, bird houses, water, and natural habitat can attract a wide variety of birds to your backyard. But where do you begin?
Food is an easy way to attract lots of birds, from humming birds to woodpeckers.
What, where, and when?
What food do you put out for birds? Well, the first question is, what birds do you want to attract? Here is a list of some birds and their favorite treats.
Jays - Peanuts, seeds, suet
Cardinals – Seeds, fruit, peanuts
Finches – Seeds, fruit
Hummingbirds – nectar
Bluebirds – mealworms
Now that you have decided what birds you want to attract and you have an idea of what they eat, it is time to choose what kind of food you would like you put out.
If your desired bird prefers suet, you have plenty of suet choices to choose from. You can buy woodpecker suet (specially made for woodpeckers), nuthatch suet, melt resistant suet and more. Different types of suet have different things in them. Suet is made of beef fat, but some types also contain nuts, corn, fruits, or seed.
If your desired bird prefers seeds, you also have many types to choose from. Seeds come mixed (corn, sunflower seed, millet, etc…), just sunflower seeds (hulled or black oil), and more. If you choose cracked corn (for doves), be careful! Cracked corn are bully birds favorite food. (Bully birds include grackles, blackbirds, starlings, and more). More types of seeds are thistle seeds for goldfinches and other finches, safflower seeds, (good for when you have squirrel problems as squirrels don’t eat them as much), and peanuts.
What if your desired bird chooses mealworms? Mealworms are larvae of an insect called the darkling beetle. They are also an excellent source of protein, calcium, and vitamins.
If your desired bird prefers nectar, it is most likely either an oriole or humming bird. You can make sugar water, or buy it. Because humming birds are attracted to red, you can buy red sugar water. Please don’t! Dye is not healthy for birds. Plus, nectar in flowers is clear. To make your own nectar, put one fourth a cup of sugar to 1 cup of water.
Now that you have decided what to put out, you have to decide where you are going to put it out.
Different types of feeders hold different types of seed. Here are a few:
Seeds - tube feeder - songbirds
- gazebo style feeder - all birds
- tray feeder - - all birds
- thistle feeder - - finches
Suet - suet cage - - all suet eaters
Nectar – hummingbird or oriole feeder - all nectar drinkers
Mealworms - tray or window feeder - all mealworm eaters
Fruit - cage or tray feeder - all fruit eating birds
You have decided where to put the food. So now, where do you put the feeder?
Put your feeder in a place where it is easy to see and convenient to refill. Place it where there is cover nearby, so birds can hide when a predator comes. Cover also holds back the wind. Don’t place your feeder to close to cover though! Squirrels can jump on feeders from the limbs and so can cats. If you have a problem with squirrels climbing up your bird feeder pole, you can install a baffle. You can also provide cover on the ground by loosely stacking brush piles by your feeder for ground-dwelling birds like sparrows. For humming bird and oriole feeders, place them in a shady spot, so the sun does not spoil the sugar water quickly.
Now you know what and where. How about When?
Seeds - Seeds can go out year round
Suet - Suet goes out in winter, as it contains the fat birds need. You don’t need to put suet out in the summer! It will melt and the birds don’t need the fat in it.
Fruit - Put this out in summer and spring
Mealworms - Put these out in summer and spring
Nectar - Put nectar out in summer and spring. Humming birds are not out in winter!
Now that you have your feeder up, full and ready, be patient! It takes time for the birds to find your feeder.
Food attracts lots of birds, but in order to make your yard even more bird-friendly, add water!
Some ways to provide water for birds is to set up a birdbath or sprinkler.
You can buy ground baths, concrete baths, plastic baths, or glass baths. Before buying a bath, review these three features:
- Is it to slippery?
If your bird bath is too slippery the birds will not like it.
- Is it too deep?
The problem with most bird baths is that they are too deep. If so, add some pebbles or rocks to perch on.
- Is it easy to clean?
Can you easily tilt the bath to drain the water? You will need to maintain the bath and keep it clean.
Some birdbaths (especially plastic ones) can easily crack in freezing temperatures. If you have a plastic bird bath it is better to shelter it in a warm place until spring.
When setting up your birdbath, place it in shade, to keep the water cool and fresh. Also place birdbaths near a tree, for protection from enemies, or just to perch and preen on. Also, don’t place your bath under a feeder. Feces and seeds will easily contaminate it. Place clean gravel or rocks in the bath so bugs can climb out of the water, and to get a more natural look.
In order to make your bath even more attractive, add a sprinkler! Leave a sprinkler or hose running in your yard, or get a sprinkler extension in your birdbath.
You have food, and water. But how can you make your yard even more attractive from a bird eyes view? Besides eating, drinking, and bathing, they raise a family. So why not add a nest box?
Before you purchase or build a nest box, review these four points:
- Decide what species you want to attract to your birdhouse. (Make sure the desires species lives in your country and habitat).
- Find an appropriate location and mount. (Minimum 4 feet off the ground).
- Make sure you have time to manage and clean your nest box.
- Some birds, such as bluebirds and purple martins are vulnerable to other birds. (House sparrows, for example). Make sure you can manage your nest box to exclude them.
You now know where you are going to put your box, and you have decided whether you can maintain it or not. Time to buy it now!
Make sure your bird house includes all these things:
- Untreated wood
- An overhanging roof that is sloped (to keep out rain)
- Rough walls inside
- Drainage holes (to drain excess water)
- Ventilation holes
- No outside perches (birds don’t need them and predators use them to get in the house)
- (Optional) Non-colourful paint. (Birds are more attracted to shades of brown, tan, or grey. If painted, use water based paint and never paint inside the nest box. Paint can chip and the baby birds inside can swallow it or choke on it.
Now that you have your food, water and birdhouse up, what more could you do to make your yard more attractive? You may think there is nothing more to do. There is! Landscaping!
In order to attract even more species, you can landscape. Do you have enough trees for woodpeckers? Do you have enough open space to attract larks? What about a pond?
When landscaping your yard for birds, add more shelter. Shelter is important, whether it’s a safe sleeping place, a weather resistant nesting spot, a hiding place, or a nesting place.
The best plants and trees for birds are:
- Deciduous trees
The provide fruit, attracting cardinals, waxwings, and more.
- Coniferous trees
They also provide fruiting in fall, as well as winter persistent fruit, attracting crossbills, waxwings, warblers, and others.
- Vines
Birds love the fruit and dense greenery. Vines attract many different birds.
- Shrubs
These provide winter persistent and fall fruits. It attracts tree swallows, cat birds, bluebirds, and more.
All types of plants and trees provide nesting sites.
Dead wood is good! Insects in the decaying wood are food sources for woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. Cavity nesting birds need hollow trees to nest in. If the dead trees are ugly, plant vines around them.
Flower power! Plant flowers to attract hummingbirds. Here are some plants they like:
- Firebird (Agastache)
- Columbine
- Anise Sage
- Texas Sage
- Prairie Blazingstar
- Wild Bergamot
Build a Brush Pile! Dead braches can start a brush pile for ground-dwelling birds, such as sparrows. It gives them a hiding place and protection from the rain, wind, and snow. They can also collect nesting material from it, as well as insects. Start with think, large branches and go thinner.
Leave a mess! Leave dead seed heads on the flowers to attract tons of birds, especially goldfinches. Dead leaves, grasses, and plants will be great nesting material! Also, instead of bagging fallen leaves for disposal, rake them under shrubs. They will attract insects that birds will enjoy.
Now you have made your backyard a bird-friendly place, and you have what it takes to attract birds to your backyard!
Attracting Birds to your Backyard
Juliana Pantea
Filling your yard with colour and song is joyful, especially when you have done it the right way. Providing food, bird houses, water, and natural habitat can attract a wide variety of birds to your backyard. But where do you begin?
Food is an easy way to attract lots of birds, from humming birds to woodpeckers.
What, where, and when?
What food do you put out for birds? Well, the first question is, what birds do you want to attract? Here is a list of some birds and their favorite treats.
Jays - Peanuts, seeds, suet
Cardinals – Seeds, fruit, peanuts
Finches – Seeds, fruit
Hummingbirds – nectar
Bluebirds – mealworms
Now that you have decided what birds you want to attract and you have an idea of what they eat, it is time to choose what kind of food you would like you put out.
If your desired bird prefers suet, you have plenty of suet choices to choose from. You can buy woodpecker suet (specially made for woodpeckers), nuthatch suet, melt resistant suet and more. Different types of suet have different things in them. Suet is made of beef fat, but some types also contain nuts, corn, fruits, or seed.
If your desired bird prefers seeds, you also have many types to choose from. Seeds come mixed (corn, sunflower seed, millet, etc…), just sunflower seeds (hulled or black oil), and more. If you choose cracked corn (for doves), be careful! Cracked corn are bully birds favorite food. (Bully birds include grackles, blackbirds, starlings, and more). More types of seeds are thistle seeds for goldfinches and other finches, safflower seeds, (good for when you have squirrel problems as squirrels don’t eat them as much), and peanuts.
What if your desired bird chooses mealworms? Mealworms are larvae of an insect called the darkling beetle. They are also an excellent source of protein, calcium, and vitamins.
If your desired bird prefers nectar, it is most likely either an oriole or humming bird. You can make sugar water, or buy it. Because humming birds are attracted to red, you can buy red sugar water. Please don’t! Dye is not healthy for birds. Plus, nectar in flowers is clear. To make your own nectar, put one fourth a cup of sugar to 1 cup of water.
Now that you have decided what to put out, you have to decide where you are going to put it out.
Different types of feeders hold different types of seed. Here are a few:
Seeds - tube feeder - songbirds
- gazebo style feeder - all birds
- tray feeder - - all birds
- thistle feeder - - finches
Suet - suet cage - - all suet eaters
Nectar – hummingbird or oriole feeder - all nectar drinkers
Mealworms - tray or window feeder - all mealworm eaters
Fruit - cage or tray feeder - all fruit eating birds
You have decided where to put the food. So now, where do you put the feeder?
Put your feeder in a place where it is easy to see and convenient to refill. Place it where there is cover nearby, so birds can hide when a predator comes. Cover also holds back the wind. Don’t place your feeder to close to cover though! Squirrels can jump on feeders from the limbs and so can cats. If you have a problem with squirrels climbing up your bird feeder pole, you can install a baffle. You can also provide cover on the ground by loosely stacking brush piles by your feeder for ground-dwelling birds like sparrows. For humming bird and oriole feeders, place them in a shady spot, so the sun does not spoil the sugar water quickly.
Now you know what and where. How about When?
Seeds - Seeds can go out year round
Suet - Suet goes out in winter, as it contains the fat birds need. You don’t need to put suet out in the summer! It will melt and the birds don’t need the fat in it.
Fruit - Put this out in summer and spring
Mealworms - Put these out in summer and spring
Nectar - Put nectar out in summer and spring. Humming birds are not out in winter!
Now that you have your feeder up, full and ready, be patient! It takes time for the birds to find your feeder.
Food attracts lots of birds, but in order to make your yard even more bird-friendly, add water!
Some ways to provide water for birds is to set up a birdbath or sprinkler.
You can buy ground baths, concrete baths, plastic baths, or glass baths. Before buying a bath, review these three features:
- Is it to slippery?
If your bird bath is too slippery the birds will not like it.
- Is it too deep?
The problem with most bird baths is that they are too deep. If so, add some pebbles or rocks to perch on.
- Is it easy to clean?
Can you easily tilt the bath to drain the water? You will need to maintain the bath and keep it clean.
Some birdbaths (especially plastic ones) can easily crack in freezing temperatures. If you have a plastic bird bath it is better to shelter it in a warm place until spring.
When setting up your birdbath, place it in shade, to keep the water cool and fresh. Also place birdbaths near a tree, for protection from enemies, or just to perch and preen on. Also, don’t place your bath under a feeder. Feces and seeds will easily contaminate it. Place clean gravel or rocks in the bath so bugs can climb out of the water, and to get a more natural look.
In order to make your bath even more attractive, add a sprinkler! Leave a sprinkler or hose running in your yard, or get a sprinkler extension in your birdbath.
You have food, and water. But how can you make your yard even more attractive from a bird eyes view? Besides eating, drinking, and bathing, they raise a family. So why not add a nest box?
Before you purchase or build a nest box, review these four points:
- Decide what species you want to attract to your birdhouse. (Make sure the desires species lives in your country and habitat).
- Find an appropriate location and mount. (Minimum 4 feet off the ground).
- Make sure you have time to manage and clean your nest box.
- Some birds, such as bluebirds and purple martins are vulnerable to other birds. (House sparrows, for example). Make sure you can manage your nest box to exclude them.
You now know where you are going to put your box, and you have decided whether you can maintain it or not. Time to buy it now!
Make sure your bird house includes all these things:
- Untreated wood
- An overhanging roof that is sloped (to keep out rain)
- Rough walls inside
- Drainage holes (to drain excess water)
- Ventilation holes
- No outside perches (birds don’t need them and predators use them to get in the house)
- (Optional) Non-colourful paint. (Birds are more attracted to shades of brown, tan, or grey. If painted, use water based paint and never paint inside the nest box. Paint can chip and the baby birds inside can swallow it or choke on it.
Now that you have your food, water and birdhouse up, what more could you do to make your yard more attractive? You may think there is nothing more to do. There is! Landscaping!
In order to attract even more species, you can landscape. Do you have enough trees for woodpeckers? Do you have enough open space to attract larks? What about a pond?
When landscaping your yard for birds, add more shelter. Shelter is important, whether it’s a safe sleeping place, a weather resistant nesting spot, a hiding place, or a nesting place.
The best plants and trees for birds are:
- Deciduous trees
The provide fruit, attracting cardinals, waxwings, and more.
- Coniferous trees
They also provide fruiting in fall, as well as winter persistent fruit, attracting crossbills, waxwings, warblers, and others.
- Vines
Birds love the fruit and dense greenery. Vines attract many different birds.
- Shrubs
These provide winter persistent and fall fruits. It attracts tree swallows, cat birds, bluebirds, and more.
All types of plants and trees provide nesting sites.
Dead wood is good! Insects in the decaying wood are food sources for woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. Cavity nesting birds need hollow trees to nest in. If the dead trees are ugly, plant vines around them.
Flower power! Plant flowers to attract hummingbirds. Here are some plants they like:
- Firebird (Agastache)
- Columbine
- Anise Sage
- Texas Sage
- Prairie Blazingstar
- Wild Bergamot
Build a Brush Pile! Dead braches can start a brush pile for ground-dwelling birds, such as sparrows. It gives them a hiding place and protection from the rain, wind, and snow. They can also collect nesting material from it, as well as insects. Start with think, large branches and go thinner.
Leave a mess! Leave dead seed heads on the flowers to attract tons of birds, especially goldfinches. Dead leaves, grasses, and plants will be great nesting material! Also, instead of bagging fallen leaves for disposal, rake them under shrubs. They will attract insects that birds will enjoy.
Now you have made your backyard a bird-friendly place, and you have what it takes to attract birds to your backyard!
