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 (http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070620/sc_livescience/beeshavefavoritecolor;_ylt=AsdH6NXzUCV1cyMF34cImMP MWM0F), 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.

http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/th_after.jpg (http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/after.jpg) http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/th_water2.jpg (http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/water2.jpg) http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/th_feedme-2.jpg (http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/feedme-2.jpg)

http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/th_thirsty.jpg (http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/thirsty.jpg) http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/th_bird2.jpg (http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/bird2.jpg) http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/th_zen.jpg (http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Gofurhed/zen.jpg)

[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!

:D

[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]

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 :D )

[Natrushka]

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


Bathing Rubythroat (http://www.rubythroat.org/movies/Mr.%20Hummer%20Bathes.mov)

[Geoff]

Regrettably we dont have any Hummingbirds in the UK. Squirrels might like a swim, perhaps.

-Geoff

[Xander]

I've had hummers come play with the hose while I've been watering plants. They seem fascinated with it.
Hmm, I must be channelling MacGuffin today or something....
:devil:

[rivercrow]

Hmm, I must be channelling MacGuffin today or something....
:devil:

Mac would be rolling over in his grave if he saw this...and if he were dead.

[Xander]

Mac would be rolling over in his grave if he saw this...and if he were dead.
What I can't be having fun whilst needling someone's pride with the flipside at the same time?

[sdalek]

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.


Suet (or animal fat) is another good food source that can be used to attract birds to your yard. It's a high energy food source that will attract woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches, and other birds.

[Natrushka]

Suet (or animal fat) is another good food source that can be used to attract birds to your yard. It's a high energy food source that will attract woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches, and other birds.

.. and racoons! :D

[curmudgeon]

And squirrels!

[sdalek]

.. and racoons! :D

And squirrels!

True, unfortunately you have to take the bad with the good. Keep a shotgun and a hunting dog handy. ;)

[rivercrow]

I prefer a slingshot and dog food pellets for pelting squirrels. I have bad aim anyway....

[Natrushka]

Squirrels are good where I live - we have the cute little red ones, and chimpmunks. As long as we have seeds / nuts out they things alone. Good thing because I have tomatoes, peppers and cukes growing... for our enjoyment, not theirs!

[curmudgeon]

We don't have cute squirrels. Only the grey, fluffy country rats.

I am moving my bird feeder setup today because the squirrels are making a mess of my patio. I suspect we will lose birds for a while. When I tried to move the feeder last year, everyone stopped coming. I was so upset, I put it back, but I cannot stand this greasy suet mess on the patio floor another day.

I saw my first male hummingbird yesterday (ever), and the day before that I saw my first red-breasted grosbeak. And we now have flickers darting around the yard, eating ants.

[sdalek]

We don't have cute squirrels. Only the grey, fluffy country rats.

I am moving my bird feeder setup today because the squirrels are making a mess of my patio. I suspect we will lose birds for a while. When I tried to move the feeder last year, everyone stopped coming. I was so upset, I put it back, but I cannot stand this greasy suet mess on the patio floor another day.

I saw my first male hummingbird yesterday (ever), and the day before that I saw my first red-breasted grosbeak. And we now have flickers darting around the yard, eating ants.

I wouldn't be too worried about moving the feeder. When they get hungry, people will come. (Yes, I call birds people...:harhar: ) Wherever you move it, they will find it soon enough. Move it to where you feel comfortable with it, but be sure to look at the location you move it from a bird's eye view to be sure that there isn't anything nearby that will absolutely drive them away.