WHAT DO BIRDS LIKE? (7/10/03)

Did you know that 5 to 20 species of birds may visit an average yard regularly, but if you make your yard bird-friendly, you might attract as many as 60 species? When you think of wild birds and their needs or wants, the first idea that probably comes to mind is food. You might be right about that, but even ahead of food, I’d say water.

Birds are pretty good about finding their own food, but water is often a more difficult matter for them, which is why water is especially important if you want to attract numbers of birds to your yard. When I say “numbers,” I’m thinking about additional species, those that you might not have had before. Bluebirds are a very good example. Water seems to be a number one attraction for these desirable birds.

You can provide water in a variety of ways. A simple bird bath, preferably one that sits directly on the ground and which has a protruding rock in it on which birds can sit, will do the trick. Baths on pedestals, unless they have that perching rock in them, often are too steeply sided and hold little appeal for most birds, especially if they are out in the open. It is better to place a bird bath under a sheltering tree or shrub, but make sure that it won’t hide cats that could easily pounce on a bathing bird. If necessary, place a baffle or low fence around the edge of the bath. The sound of dripping water is a lure to most birds, so you can add that feature to many bird baths by hanging a hose over a limb or post above the feeder.

Or, of course, you can go all out in your yard and create a real water garden. If that idea appeals to you, but you don’t know how to start, BirdWatcher’s Digest has a nifty booklet, Creating Your Water Garden, that provides step-by-step instructions for designing, planning and installing a pond with help for choosing the style, location and pond design, together with an explanation on the inner workings of pumps, filters, waterfalls, statuary and light. This booklet describes how to stock your pond for beauty and balance with plants, fish and algae-eating scavengers, all of which add color, motion and life.

Additionally, this BWD booklet contains hints on how to maintain your water garden, tips for avoiding common problems and pitfalls along and solutions for when things go wrong. It is one in a series that covers hummingbirds, bird feeding, bats, bluebirds, bird homes, woodpeckers, backyard bird garden and butterflies.

When it comes to plants, the greater the variety, the more species of birds you can lure to your premises. Remember, though, to choose native plants over loosestrife, Oriental bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle and other exotic species which seldom meet the needs of native wildlife and which in most cases spread out of control. Provide bright flowers such as columbine, Japanese quince, scarlet sage, snapdragons, coral bells, trumpet honeysuckle, bee balm, phlox and others that are tube-shaped to attract hummingbirds.

The best trees to plant with wildlife in mind are cherry and mulberry for their fruits, pines and spruces for their seed-bearing cones and deciduous trees that vary in size and density. Robins, mockingbirds and mourning doves use small shrubs and trees like alders, willows, elderberry, blackberry, wild grape, high-bush cranberry, and similar fruit bearing plants for nesting and for dining on their fruit and flowers. 

Of equal importance are hedges, thickets, strips of untouched brush and vines climbing up the side of your house or along a fence. The lush, wild growth of holly, privet, hawthorn and multiflora rose hedge simulate a natural environment while providing excellent building sites, offering shelter and secluded perching and providing escape routes when necessary. 

Consider as another great benefit to birds (and butterflies) making a portion of your yard a lawn mower-free zone, where tall grasses and even “weeds,” such as Queen Anne’s lace, rue and milkweed can flourish. Even better is to develop a diversity areas of shorter and taller grasses. Each appeals to different species of birds. Along the same line, resist the temptation to remove the ground foliage that tends to grow naturally under a stand of trees and to replace it with mulch. While it may appeal to your eyes, it definitely is not attractive to birds.

If you have a dead tree, what do you do about it? Have you ever stopped to realize how important cavities in trees are? Woodpeckers, screech owls, chickadees, nuthatches, bluebirds, tree swallows and some flycatchers need them. So, unless a dead tree is a definite hazard to your dwelling, consider it "for the birds." Have you ever thought a protruding snag as ugly and wished to cut it off? Don't — as most birds will utilize these important perches for hunting, singing and resting.

As you can see, there are a multitude of ways to increase the attractiveness of your yard from the perspective of wildlife — and your own.