Creating a wild bird habitat in your yard starts with a collection of bird feeders. Testing different bird foods and feeders will help you learn how to attract a variety of wild birds all year long. When the birds discover your sanctuary, they are sure to return year after year. Migratory birds will include your yard on their journeys north and south and non-migratory birds will hang around all year long.

If you want to attract a greater amount of wild bird species into your yard you will need to manage your bird feeders. Since the nutrition needs of birds change during different times of the year, the birds foods you offer will need to change too.

Offering the right bird food at the right time of year will help you attract many different wild bird species. If you only put your bird feeders out in the winter you may not attract as many species. But if the birds in your area are familiar with your feeders, they will stay close in the winter.

Wild birds are searching for different types of bird food at different times of the year. Each new season brings new challenges. Offering high-energy foods like suet helps wild birds stay warm in the winter.

When spring arrives, wild birds begin working on their nests, protecting their territories raising their broods and feeding themselves. Offering an assortment of food is the best way to help them reproduce.

Adult birds will take food for themselves from the feeder, then stock up their beak with extra food to carry back to the nest. When the young finally leave the nest, they come to the feeders with their parents. Often you will see the parent bird take food from the feeder and place it the young fledgling's mouth.

A variety of bird feeders designed for different feeding styles will attract a wider variety of wild birds. Tufted titmice like to perch while they eat, while juncos, cardinals and blue jays prefer a flat surface like the ground or a platform bird feeder. Woodpeckers can cling to almost anything while they eat including an upside down suet feeder.

Here is a sample feeding station for creating a wild bird habitat: two tube bird feeders, one platform feeder, one hummingbird feeder, one oriole feeder, one hopper feeder and two suet feeders.

If you want to add a little fun to your feeding station, add a peanut butter feeder to the mix. Many birds love the taste of peanuts including nuthatches and woodpeckers. Peanut butter feeders are easy to make. Just drill a few holes in an old log, fill them with peanut butter and hang it from a branch.

Once you have chosen your feeders it is necessary to place them strategically throughout your backyard habitat.

A few things to consider when placing your feeders:

If you have bird houses in your yard, make sure your feeders are at least 60 feet away from them. You want to see the fruits of your labors so make sure you place your feeders in a location where you can see them. Placing your feeders at least 7 feet from any jumping surface will help to keep the squirrels at bay.

Once you've found the best spot for your bird feeders, you need to fill them with the best bird seed you can buy. High quality bird seed will actually save you money by reducing waste. Most economy bags of bird seed contain seeds that birds won't eat. They end up pulling seed out they don't like and tossing it to the ground.

Stopping squirrels from eating all your bird seed can be a real challenge. They are part of the natural world around you, but with a little planning and effort they can be stopped.

If you can afford to purchase squirrel proof feeders then do so. Purchase metal feeders because the squirrels will chew through a wooden feeder, dumping the entire seed stock out onto the ground.

If you cannot afford to purchase squirrel proof feeders, go to your local home improvement store and purchase stove piping. Stove piping is cheap in price and very effective in deterring squirrels from your feeders. Stove piping is too wide for the squirrels to wrap their paws around and ultimately they slide off onto the ground.

Bird watching is a lot of fun, but if you are like me you don't have time to hit the local birding hot spot every day. The next best thing is to bring the birds to you. Having a wild bird habitat in your backyard will give you more time to enjoy your bird watching hobby.