Gardens and Birds

Not only do we have birds in our home, but we love hearing them outside our home. If you love the sound of birds in the morning and during the day, you can attract them just by adding a feeder and regular supply of water. Attracting birds is a two fold benefit, they keep unwanted bugs away, and insects that may attack your garden. There's nothing better than sitting in the yard and relaxing to the sounds of the summer birds, and seeing the vivid colors of your garden.

                             

Attracting birds to you garden is easy and fun to do. With such a range and style for bird feeders you can attract almost any type of bird. The best one to choose is the free standing, this prevents squirrels from eating your birdseed.

Buying a certain birdseed will draw a certain type bird. Most people use sunflowers seeds, these seeds draw the most kinds of birds. Your finches however love thistle seed. Your sparrows, and robins, and towhees, even your doves prefer to eat from the ground, so scatter cracked corn and millet.

Also you can grow plants to attract birds. Shrubs and bushes are their favorite because they provide birds with shelter year round. Bushes and shrubs also provide birds a place to have their young by building nests. They will return every year to the same nesting place. Creeping vines such as your Virginia Creeper will offer mating and nesting for birds at the same time. The vine works for many species. Your holly bush and your privet trees are also a favorite of birds. If you have berry trees that will attract birds in the winter months, and are a great food source for them.

Flowers like snapdragons and black eyed Susan's attract most birds to your garden also. If you have a open yard with not much of a garden or bushes and trees, you may opt to put up a nesting box.

  

Another great idea for birds in your garden is to create a water feature. Not only does it add visual impact on your garden it gives birds drinking resources and bathing resources. This is great for them during the drier months. Water will also attract a wide variety of birds. Something as simple as a plate of water can be used on the ground. Just placing a leaf on the top of the plate will make it recognizable to a bird and will avoid mosquito's.

Your bright colored, nectar flowers will attract the beautiful hummingbirds. Honeysuckle, and azaleas are great for attracting this type of bird. Another way to attract them is with a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water. The sugar water mixture can be found in most stores. Get hummingbird feeders with bright red flowers, this will attract them.