How to Attract More Birds to Your Backyard

For those of us who love watching birds, one thing we are often in pursuit of is how to attract more to our backyard. Attracting these feathered friends is a bit of an art form and a bit of a science. Fortunately, there are many different things you can do in order to attract more birds to your backyard. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective things you can do. 

Be Sure to Provide Water

While many people focus on feeders (after all, birds have to eat), one thing many people fail to consider is water. This is a critical resource to birds and investing in water sources will greatly enhance the wild bird activity in your backyard. A great way to begin is to install a birdbath. Songbirds love clean water so be sure to change the water frequently. Additionally, upgrading to a heated bird bath is a great idea as it will draw in lots of our feathered friends during the coldest months. 

If you are looking for more advanced ways of incorporating water features, there are many options for moving features. Whether something as inexpensive as placing a solar-powered pump in your birdbath to creating a spring, waterfall, or small pond, moving water will draw even more birds as it works upon their natural curiosity. Here are a few options we offer here at Birdertown.

Vary Your Feeders

Feeders are another key aspect to how to attract our feathered friends to your backyard. When considering feeders, the key is variety. Different types of feeders will attract different birds. For example, sparrows and finches like tube feeders while woodpeckers like suet feeders. Incorporating nectar feeders will attract hummingbirds and orioles while ground feeders are loved by cardinals and blue jays. 

There are also other things you can do to enhance the likelihood that wild birds will be attracted to your feeders. One thing is to space them out a bit in order to decrease territorial squabbles. Another is to give cover to some feeders to attract shy birds that don’t like to feed in the open. Obviously, placing feeders where you can see them is important as well. Interested in getting started? Check out our feeder offerings.

Encourage Nesting

Providing options for birds to nest in your backyard is a great way to attract songbirds and ensure they stay. After all, what could be better than having them call your backyard their home? There are a few different ways to do this. One of the easiest is to put out a few nesting boxes, popularly known as birdhouses. Ensure that the nesting box has ventilation holes at the top and offers drainage at the bottom. Additionally, avoid boxes with perches (sparrows like to use them to annoy the occupants). 

However, not all songbirds will use a nesting box. Many prefer to nest in trees. You can encourage this by providing materials that birds need to build nests. For example, consider placing things like string, yarn, and pet fur in a suet feeder. You could also keep a small brush pile with branches in a corner. 

Create an Ecosystem

If you really want to optimize how to attract birds to your backyard, you want to try to make your backyard as close to a natural ecosystem as possible. While lawns may look pretty, they serve no use to our feathered friends. Cut down on lawn area by planting native plants. Not only will this naturally attract birds, but it will also help reduce yard work. Invest in trees, bushes, and flowers for variety. Feel free to research what types of plants are preferred by the species of birds you want to attract. 

Creating an ecosystem also means working to have a more sustainable yard. An excellent way to do this is to stop using insecticides. While insects can be pests, they are also a prime food for birds. Increasing the insect population will attract more wild birds (who, in turn, will help control insects, thus mitigating the need for insecticide). Additionally, if you have a dead tree, consider keeping it (as long as it doesn’t pose a danger). These make great resources for birds by providing shelter and a source of insects. 

Invest in Vibrant Colors

Birds of many species are attracted to color. Thus, adding lots of flowers (or event-colored feeders) can help get your yard noticed by songbirds. When selecting colors for your yard, variety is great! However, if you are only able to incorporate a few colors, do some research on the colors that are preferred by the types of wild birds you want to bring to your yard. 

A good rule of thumb is that birds are often attracted to colors similar to their plumage. Red is a great color for attracting hummingbirds while blue will tend to bring in bluebirds and blue jays. Going with yellows will attract goldfinches and warblers while oranges are great for oriole and hummingbirds (the latter of which love many colors). While colors are great, minimizing white colors is important as white is often seen as a warning sign for many bird species and can scare them away. 

Final Thoughts 

While there are a myriad of ways to attract birds to your backyard, following these tips will help maximize your bird viewing pleasure. While it is probably not feasible to incorporate all of these at once for many people, starting small by beginning to work on one or two areas will still be enough to start to see results. In no time, you’ll have more birds flocking to your backyard.