Migratory and songbirds will only remain in your yard and garden if you provide an abundance of food. Several feeders situated around your property with each holding a different type of food will temp birds into making their homes in the plants and trees you’ve provided as shelter and nesting sites. Feeders should be placed within ten feet of a shelter source to ensure that birds have a place to hide from predators, such as neighborhood cats. Platform feeders will provide food for juncos, sparrows and mourning doves. Hopper feeders attract blue jays, cardinals and grosbeaks. Tube feeders are favored by small songbirds such as finches, chickadees and nuthatches. Provide black oil sunflower seeds or white millet for songbirds and ground feeders. Niger is a delicacy that goldfinch, siskin, orioles and redpolls, while bluebirds, tangers and orioles love to feast on fruit and fruit seeds.
Water
Water is an important aspect of the environment for all birds. Add a birdbath or two, a fountain or, if space will allow a pond or stream. If space is limited, add a bubble or container fountain. Water will lure birds to your yard and garden that are not drawn to feeders. The splash of a fountain or the trickle of a stream attracts birds of all species. Even a large pan filled with clean water will attract bird to your yard. However, be sure to change it often to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes and algae.
Maintenance
Attracting birds to your yard and garden also cuts down on maintenance. Forget about raking leaves in the fall, cutting down trees that are dying and hauling away branches after pruning. In summer, dead-head flowers to bring on more blossoms, but once fall arrives, leave them so they will produce seeds that will feed birds throughout the long, harsh winter months.
Brush piles are used by some birds for protection, nesting and resting. Berry bushes that are not pruned and vines that are allowed to grow wild provide nooks and crannies where birds can hide from predators, eat their fill of fruit and rest in a safe environment. Hollow trees are perfect nesting places for bluebirds, owls and woodpeckers. Insect larvae and grubs, as well as tunneling insects live in the bark of dead and hollow trees and are a natural food source for a wide variety of birds.
Leave a few bare spots where birds can enjoy a few rays of sun. This is a great area to create a dust bath. It is also beneficial to leave a few perennial stocks and dead vines when cleaning the garden in the spring. Birds use these for nesting materials as well as dried grasses, pieces of wool, burlap fiber and a variety of other natural items. The more natural materials, food and water that you can provide, the more birds you will attract to your yard and garden.