Creating a Bird Garden: Home

Creating a bird garden is a wonderful way to attract birds to your yard. The best way to create a bird garden is to provide birds with what they need: shelter, food, water and places to nest.

• Shelter: Birds need shelter to protect them from predators and the elements. In the winter, they need protection from snow, and during the year they seek refuge from heavy rain, wind, and predators.
• Food: Plants supply birds with a large part of their diet, from seeds and fruits to providing a home for the insects that many birds feed on.
• Water: Birds need water for drinking and bathing. Smaller birds tend to bathe in 1/2 inches of water, while larger birds prefer a 2-inch depth. You can build a small garden pond, buy a birdbath from a garden center, or place a large, shallow dish of water in your garden.
• Nesting Sites: Birds have different requirements for nesting sites. Some birds like to build their nests in evergreens (such as pine or spruce), while others prefer deciduous trees (such as oak, birch, apple and ash) where they can make their homes either in the intersections of large branches or in cavities in tree trunks. Shrubs that are not too dense or thinly branched often make good homes for bird nests. Plants such as rhododendrons and viburnums do not have the three-way forks in their branch structure that can support a nest. While these shrubs offer important shelter and food for birds, they do not provide a suitable nesting site.

Designing a Bird Garden

• Design your garden with varying layers--tall trees, medium-size shrubs and perennials and ornamental grasses. This will accommodate many different types of birds.
• Plant your garden to provide shelter for birds. Planting evergreens on the northern side of your property will protect birds from cold, northerly winds while allowing sunlight into the south side of the garden.
• Plant perennials and smaller shrubs in groups of threes, fives or sevens to create a more natural look and to cover an area that birds can easily find and use. If you plant only one shrub that produces berries, for example, the berries may be decimated after birds' first visit.
• Variety is important; select a range of plants that provide food at different times of the season and attract a variety of bird species.
• Create a dust bath in a sunny spot near the area where your birds feed. Sparrows in particular love to spend hours playing on dusty ground and they are entertaining to watch.
• Although it is important to rake the leaves on your lawn to prevent turf die-off, do not remove leaf litter in your perennial beds or under your shrubs. These leaves will compost and provide important nutrients to the soil. They will also be a haven for many of the insects that birds feed on.
• Create a brush pile at the edge of your property, starting with your old Christmas tree and any fallen branches from trees and shrubs. Create a 6 foot-long pile with loosely stacked branches. Brush piles provide cover for birds and attract insects to their decaying branches.

Plants That Attract Birds

Trees

Shrubs

Homemade Bird Feeder

It's not a plant, but a bird feeder can provide supplementary food for your bird garden. Here is a recipe for a simple one:

• Mix 1 cup of peanut butter with 1/4 cup of honey.
• Spread this mixture on a pine cone or bagel.
• Roll the pine cone or bagel in birdseed.
• Add a piece of yarn, and hang the feeder from a tree.