Backyard feeding area
Creating a bird feeding area is fun and educational for children and adults as well. It can be a welcome alternative to television, and a low-cost way for family members to spend time together. Whether you live in an urban area or the country, in an apartment or house, you can still create an attractive and functional environment. Although your location will determine what birds may show up at your feeding area, you can attract a wide variety of birds by offering them a basic habitat.
Instructions
1. You first need to determine what types of birds are native to your area, as well as the seasonal birds. There are low-cost field guides available for every state, but there are free resources as well. Contact your state Division of Wildlife for free publications or go online to http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/ident.html for photos and songs of birds from all over the Americas.
2. Clean water is an essential to attracting birds to your feeding area. You can purchase bird baths from the very simple and inexpensive to ornate and costly. You can also make your own. When choosing material for your homemade bird bath, there are a few things to consider. Make sure that the material you are using is non-toxic and non-porous. It should be easy to clean without chemicals and shallow with a rough bottom so that birds can easily stand in it. You can also add rocks to make it bird-friendly. Change the water often and keep it free of debris.
3. Birds have a natural need for shelter to hide from predators. Without it, birds will shy away from your feeding station. They prefer natural shelters like bushes or loose brush piles, but will accept human-made shelters too. Don’t worry that the birds will hide in the shelter all the time. They are there to feed, and the shelter is there for security.
4. Once you determine what types of birds are likely to feed at your feeders, you’ll need to provide the proper food to attract them. Most birds can be categorized according to food: finches prefer thistle while woodpeckers and chickadees thrive on suet. Sunflower seed will attract a variety of birds such as cardinals and blue jays, and many small birds like the commercial mixes of seeds. Cracked corn and peanuts will bring in ground feeders like pheasants, blue birds and wild turkey. Hummingbirds require a specialized diet of sugar water in feeders that imitate the shapes of flowers. The sugar gives them the energy to drive their rapid flights to catch insects that provide protein.
5. In addition to different foods, birds also prefer different feeders to mimic natural feeding. You can buy commercial feeders, but most can be made from materials you have around the house. Larger birds like platform feeders that can be any flat open surface. Finches often prefer to feed upside-down so the thistle should be in feeders that offer that option. Most of the commercial sock or tube feeders will work as well as homemade versions. Gravity bird feeders often appeal to smaller birds because of the shelter it provides for both bird and food.
Related posts
Attracting songbirds shouldn't have to mean tolerating grackles.Although grackles will eat insects and grubs that infest your yard, they are considered a nuisance by most birders and people who ma...
Feeders require cleaning to keep the wild bird feed healthy.Putting out bird feed is a sure way to draw wild birds, especially in the fall and winter. But each species of bird requires different f...
Catch a HummingbirdCatching birds can help you learn more about them. If you are careful not to damage the wing feathers, the bird should be fine when you release it. Wild birds do not do well in...
A scarecrow is simple in design but effective in repelling large, marauding birds.Bird feeders are a popular way to get songbirds up close so that you can observe and photograph them. The downside...
Birds are playful and full of curiosity. They enjoy new and exciting things to play with. Some of the larger birds are rough on their toys, and it may become quite expensive to keep them in supply...
