Creating a Bird-Friendly Garden
What to Plant and How to Provide for your Feathered Companions
Birds provide a source of beauty with their singing and eat harmful insects. Lure them into your yard with feeding and nesting options.
Birds fill our world with the beauty of song; they also eat up harmful insects. However, birds are the species most prone to extinction. They can become extinct or endangered through the destruction of forests, disruption to their nesting or migratory habits, or through the introduction of parasitical species, including birds like the starling. In any climate, but especially one that features harsh winters, you can do many things to encourage birds to seek your garden as a haven. Providing food, bathing areas and shelter can go a long way to preventing the eradication of crucial bird species.
Knowing your Birds
Find out which birds are local to your area. Some birds are drawn to berry-bearing trees, as the cedar waxwing is to the mountain ash. Others like coniferous trees, such as the chickadee. Even dead trees or snags are suitable for certain birds like the woodpecker that will peck into the wood in search of insects. Birds like sparrows remain all year around; others such as the robin usually migrate. The American Redstart requires dense trees to nest in while the Dark-eyed Junco is content with shrubbery. If you know which birds you're likely to attract to your yard you can better determine what to plant and provide for these feathered creatures.
Food to Provide
Wild bird seed can be found at many garden stores. You can also supplement their diets with pieces of fruit and peanut butter cones. Do not feed birds bread. The yeast in the loaf expands in their stomach and can cause health problems. For hummingbirds, set up a plastic sugar-water feeder. For other types of birds a wooden feeder with a platform or rungs is serviceable. Change or replenish the seed often.
Fountains
Birds love to clean themselves. Help them stay fresh, especially in dry summer months, by installing a water fountain, made of stone or plastic. You can also use a dripper or mister to lure wild birds. They find the sound of running water enticing. It also offers them a source of re-hydration.
Nesting and Protection
Birds are more likely to frequent your feeders if they have a means to escape, whether it be from the neighbourhood cat or a sudden inclement shift in the weather. This means that their eating and bathing areas should be surrounded by shrubs or trees. Fruit or cone bearing ones are best.
If the birds feel safe, they will be encouraged to nest in your yard. The trees will provide them twigs for nest-building, as will weeds or grass clippings. A nesting box with levels and an entrance hole can easily be built. Inside such a shelter, generations of birds can safely raise their young. If you watch respectfully, you will be able to enjoy the amazing cycle of birth, growth and their first flights.
