Should you wish to attract all sorts of birdlife into your garden for the sheer pleasure of watching their antics, you must include some bird friendly features in your landscape. These are features that will attract the birds, not frighten them away. Here are a few ideas to assist you in your task.



Use Feeders to Attract Birds

Birds love to have a ready supply of food and a birdfeeder is a great way to achieve this. There are many types and styles of birdfeeders available. Some can be purchased online from petstores such as havahart.com. Obviously, you will need to purchase the appropriate seeds for the birds. Smaller birds love hulled sunflower seeds and millet. These feeders can be hung from tree branches around the garden or even from your patio if you have one.

Hummingbirds will be attracted to feeders that have a mixture of sugar and water and robins adore smaller seeds and dried fruit such as raisins.

Include berry producing plants

If you include plants that produce berries, you are sure to have birds visiting your garden. Any form of berry will attract a variety of birds, including those that we humans don't consume such as hawthorn, mistletoe, honeysuckle vine and pyracantha. If you don't mind sharing your produce with the birds, then blueberries, strawberries and cherries could be included. Birds such as robins, mockingbirds,bluebirds, sparrows and waxwings will come in their numbers to your garden.

Provide a supply of worms

Many meat eating birds will appreciate it greatly if you create an area that attracts worms. A damp spot where you place kitchen scraps (vegetable peelings etc, not meat) will encourage worms and serve a dual purpose of conditioning the garden soil as well as feeding these birds.

Set out a birdbath

Birds need a supply of fresh water from which to drink and to clean themselves and a bird bath is ideal. One that is around 1-2 inches in depth and above ground, to protect the birds from predators, is the best.

Have a garden pond

A garden pond will be another source of water for the birds as well as a home to turtles and frogs. Some birds prefer ponds to birdbaths because of the nature of the water.

Use wind breaking techniques

Windbreaks are vital in areas that suffer from extreme climates. This can be achieved by a sensible arrangement of trees, with taller deciduous trees at the very back. These will protect the middle sized trees which in turn will shelter the shrubs that are planted towards the front.

Help birds to build nests

Your birdlife will benefit from your efforts if you gather up some nest building material and placing them in piles or old onion bags where they can access them. Suitable nest building materials include lint, short threads of yarn, short hair, dried grass or hay, bird feathers and more.

Frighten away the predators

Ensure that potential predators such as stray dogs or cats are kept away from your small yard. You should ensure that your fencing is secure to prevent access to these strays. Keep your own pets enclosed to prevent them wandering through any of your landscaping accessories in your yard and frightening the birds. Put on the collars of your pets to warn the birds of their presence.

Even after you have done all these things, there is still no actual guarantee that birds will visit as it is dependent upon the types and numbers of birds in your area. Research the birdlife that is in your area and plan your landscape according to their needs.