Backyard Birding

There are four things any animal needs in a good habitat: food, water, shelter and a place to raise young. These are things you will want to consider while setting up your yard to attract birds. Something which seems obvious but no one told me when I first started is that the easiest birds to attract to your feeders are those which already frequent your yard. They have already selected your yard as a suitable part of their habitat, and will be quick to explore any additions. Birds can sometimes be wary of new food, and a new feeder can go unused for several days. By targeting specifically those birds which already visit you, this time should be shorter.

Then, you may notice a curious thing. Birds tend to be attracted by the activity of other birds. No one wants to miss out on a good feast! When my daughter and I first set up our ground feeder, I was hoping for cardinals, blue jays, mourning doves and other birds known to favor them. Instead, we got a mess of house sparrows, a non-native species many birders go out of their way to deter from partaking in the offerings. Just as I was about to give up on this feeder, I noticed a blue bird fly into a nearby bush, just to watch. Then a yellow-rumped warbler. Neither are attracted to feeders, but they were certainly curious about the activity. This drew them into our bird bath. Slowly, the diversity of what could be found at our feeders increased, usually right after a flock of sparrows left.

Next is to educate yourself on the feeder birds which may live in your area. Your library, local bird store and the internet can all be very helpful in this. This research is very good to do with children, and will help them learn about the varying needs of different species of birds. The top birds on my children’s list were chickadees, cardinals and, for my then three year old, ostriches. They will also be that much more excited if you are successful in attracting that species. My daughter, for example, has claimed the cardinals as her own because she selected them, researched what they ate and set up the feeder for them.

Devote a notebook to your feeders where you can take notes on species you want to attract and on the activity you see in your yard. Also invest in a good field guide. We use The National Audubon Society’s Guide to North American Birds, Eastern Region. I like how the photographs of the birds are grouped by species and color. This makes identification easier because birds which might be confused are placed together for quicker comparison. It is worth taking the time to look at several in the library and your local birding store to get an idea of what is available and what you prefer.

Next, we’ll look at where to place your feeders for your enjoyment and their safety.

birdwatching, birding, backyard birding