For the Birds

You just can’t beat a yard that’s brimming with birds. It’s good for you, good for them, and good for ol’ planet Earth. Attract birds to your backyard by planting trees and shrubs that have the fruit, seeds, or berries they love. And if you want them to linger, be sure to include these, too:

• Birdhouses. They attract bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches, purple martins, swallows, woodpeckers, and more. You’ll find houses at bird-supply, discount, and hardware stores, and online.
• Feeders. Even though you’ve planted bird-attracting trees and shrubs, having a few feeders in your yard will bring even more fine-feathered friends. Make sure there’s room for at least a dozen birds to perch at one time, and that the feeder holds enough seed so that you don’t have to refill it more than once a day.
• Birdbaths. Birds will drink from just about anything when they’re thirsty. But to really make them happy, set up a birdbath that’s at or near ground level. Keep the water depth shallow to make birds will feel safe when using the birdbath. And look for baths that have multiple depths to attract a wider variety of birds.

To keep your birdbath in tip-top shape—so your feathered friends will keep flocking to it—add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the water when you refill it. Birds don’t seem to mind the taste, and it helps slow down fast-growing algae. Plus, it’ll help prevent “ring around the birdbath”—those white lines of dried minerals that form inside the basin as the water evaporates.

For more quick and easy ways to make your yard absolutely irresistible to birds, check out our bestselling book, Backyard Birdscaping Bonanza. And, you can even preview it FREE for 21 days!

Home Sweet Birdhouse

The question I used to hear most often from folks around the country was, “Jerry, how can I get rid of all these pesky pests?” But my, how times change! Nowadays, people are asking for advice on welcoming wildlife — especially birds — into their yards. So while you’re waiting for the weather to warm up so you can officially dig into garden season, why not set up a custom-built birdhouse to welcome winged wonders to your yard?

Some birdhouses are so fancy, I wouldn’t mind shrinking down and moving into them myself. But most birds will be delighted if you just give them a nice simple box to call home. Build one out of scrap lumber, put a slanted roof on top, and drill a hole in front for a door. (Just don’t use pressure-treated wood; the chemicals can leach out and harm your tenants.) The dimensions depend on the birds you’re hoping to attract, but here are some general tips:

• Don’t put a perch on your house. It won’t make life any easier for the resident birds, and it will provide a handy way for predators to gain easy-as-pie entrance.
• Make one section of the house removable so that you can clean up after everyone moves out. But make sure you’re the only one who can remove it — not squirrels, owls, or the neighbor’s cat. I like to use a simple hook-and-eye fastener.
• Drill an entrance hole that’s big enough for the invited birds to get through and small enough to keep out everyone else.
• Put a piece of sheet metal on the front, with a hole cut out to be exactly the size of the entrance hole. That way, squirrels won’t gnaw the hole bigger, squeeze in, and set up housekeeping.
• Hang the house where cats and other bird or egg eaters can’t get to it. It should be at least 6 feet off the ground and well out of leaping range from fences and walls.
• Attach an anti-climbing collar to the support post or tree trunk. I like to make a cone out of aluminum sheet metal and fasten it on, wide end downward, a foot or so below the house.

Now all you have to do is get ready for flocks of feathered friends to fly by and check it out!