Birdscaping for Beginners: How to Bring Birds Into Your Yard

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Hope you have heard of birdscaping! It’s a technique of finetuning your home to bring in the birds to your backyard.

There are many benefits of attracting birds to your yard. Beyond the fact that birds are beautiful and it can be fun to watch them fly, nest and chirp outside of your home, they also bring with them a few environmental benefits that can help your backyard thrive. 

Birds play a key ecological role in a local ecosystem. For one, they control insect populations by eating bugs, ants and flies. They also help pollinate plants and disperse seeds, giving them a critical role in plant reproduction.

Just as birds help our backyards thrive, we can give back to them by providing a safe and comfortable place for them to set up their homes and nests. 

Birdscaping is the act of modifying your backyard area to be a suitable home for birds. By adding a few elements and being cognizant of bird safety, we can create a cordial environment that will be safe for avian creatures to survive in. How do we do this?              It starts with the simple basics: food, shelter and water. 

Giving birds food

Although birds eat a variety of things, most commonly they are attracted to insects, berries, nuts and seeds. But when the backyard bugs aren’t quite enough to satisfy, you can help assist birds with their meal hunt by providing a bird feeder. 

A natural bird food mix consisting of seeds and nuts should do well to attract birds to your yard. However, just make sure to safeguard it against squirrels and other rodents who may try to get in on the action. 

Providing water

Birds need water not only to quench their thirst, but also to clean their plumage and help them cool down. So, providing a bird bath or water feature can help birds have a safe and cool place to enjoy water. 

Birds may not always have access to water — especially in urban areas — so providing a water source can help them find a place to bathe and drink. Moving water in a fountain, pond or other water feature can help direct them where to go, as they’ll be able to hear the water moving. However, a birdbath will also do the trick. 

Shelter for birds 

A bird-house is an iconic backyard decor item, but it can also be a helpful tool for giving birds a safe place to nest. Wild birds can use birdhouses to hide from bad weather and escape predators, so giving them an enclosed area that is inaccessible to bigger animals could help attract them. 

Or, you can simply help provide the materials they need to nest. Birds build nests from organic materials like twigs, sticks and leaves. However, you can leave out household scraps like string, twine and even pet fur to help bolster their nesting supplies. 

Once you’ve created a habitat for backyard birding, you can watch as the many different-colored birds begin to appear on twigs and branches in your yard. And once they’ve done so, you can help protect them by taking a few safety precautions. Put bells on your dog or cat’s collars so birds will know to leave the area if they approach, and remove perch sticks from bird feeders and houses so their food and shelter can’t be stolen. 

For more about birdscaping, check out the following infographic by Hippo

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