Attract Birds to Your Garden

Gardens are not only focal points to enhance the landscape of your home, they are also meant for personal enjoyment. If you love nature, especially watching the birds that migrate to your area in summer, you can attract birds to your garden with a little effort.

One of the first things you can do is to provide a source of water. Birds need to drink and they also like to splash around in water. Add a water fountain, a fish pond, or a waterfall to your garden. Make sure the water is not stagnate because you to attract birds, not mosquitoes.

If there are specific birds that migrate to your area and you want to attract those, you will need to some research. There are certain plants that will attract a certain species of birds. When you are planning your garden, determine which flowers and trees they prefer and make these a part of your garden. Also find out what predators live in your area that may keep the birds away. You do not want to attract them.

Plant trees that birds favor for building nests or you can purchase bird houses and place them strategically in your garden. Birds need an environment in which they can feel safe.

Adding bird feeders to your garden will also attract birds. In this instance, you have to be careful. If you have squirrels in your area, they are able to get into most bird feeders and you will end up with seeds all over the ground and unwanted weeds in your garden. You will also be spending a lot of money because squirrels can eat a lot of food. Birds also can consume a lot of seeds. Most of them eat at one-and-a-half times their body weight.

When we moved to the desert of New Mexico, we enjoyed the various birds that visited our property. We put up feeders and found that we became the neighborhood "restaurant." We had to remove some of the feeders because it was costing us a lot of money per week to feed them. The landscaping of our yard is mostly gravel and the seeds that were dropped would grow, making it necessary to do more maintenance than we had planned.

Adding a few strategically squirrel-proof feeders and birdhouse to your yard can create a natural, relaxing way to enjoy the birds who frequent your area.