Attracting Birds to Your Winter Garden

Enjoying a beautiful garden can be such a joyful experience. I work on my garden through the year to keep it as pretty and filled with life as possible. There's a certain humbling joy that comes with maintaining a garden that is abundant with both plants and wildlife. I welcome the squirrels, rabbits, and birds into my garden as happily as I welcome the first blooms on my lilac bush every year. I'd no sooner want to miss seeing the birds nest in my trees than I'd want to miss picking my fresh flowers.

In order to maintain a beautiful garden, you must tend to the birds and wildlife through the year just as you tend to your plants and yard ornaments. This is ever so true once the weather turns cold. One of the things I enjoy most during the cold months is hearing the birds out in my garden happily chirping the day away. I make a point of tending to their needs and I provide safe, clean areas for them to feed. Wild birds have their own special likings. So, if you want to attract them to your winter garden, there's a few things you'll need to know. In order to be sure that your garden is full of life this winter, follow these simple steps.

1. Hang or Mount Feeders in Clear View :
The most common mistake people make when trying to attract winter birds is to hang or mount feeders where they are not clearly visible. It's not only important that they be easy to spot, it's also important that birds have an easy flight route to them. While hanging a feeder from the branch of a tree may sound appealing, it's not always the best place for them. If you do hang a feeder from a tree, be sure that it hangs at least two feet below the branch it's hanging from. Mounted feeders should also be placed in an area where birds will have many easy direct flight paths to it.

2. Use Bright Colored Feeders :
Birds rely on their sense of sight when it comes to finding their feed. Using brightly colored feeders that are placed in very open areas will help to attract a variety of birds to your garden. Birds also like to feed and nest in a variety of height levels. I have six bird houses in my yard all at mounted at different heights and every one of them was occupied last winter. Placing feeders and bird houses at various levels throughout your garden will also ensure that you'll attract a variety of species.

3. Keep your bird bath full and clean :
It's an amazing feeling when you make a routine of cleaning and filling a bird bath and get to watch as several birds fly to it the moment you're safely away. It's almost as if they're saying thank you when they sing and chirp while flapping their wings in the clean water. The most important thing you can do to help the beautiful birds that visit your garden is to provide fresh water for them. Be sure to keep your bird baths very clean and always full. You might even get to see a few squirrels wet their tails and enjoy all the fun in watching.

4. Use variety in Feed, Height, Shape, and Style :
Variety is the key to having a winter garden full of many species of birds. It's important that bird houses and feeders are various sizes so that you'll attract as many different types of birds to your garden as possible. The type of feed you place out will also be a part in determining what species of birds choose your garden as their home. Be sure to offer a variety of feeding and nesting spots. Place some feeders in sunny spots and others in shade. Do the same with bird houses and even bird baths if possible. Provide as much comfort and safety as you can for birds in the winter and they'll gladly thank you with their songs.

These tips for keeping your garden filled with life during the winter months may seem simple at first glance but after a month they may seem a bit of a chore. It's very important that you maintain clean and healthy feeders in order to ensure that the birds will come back each year to make your garden home. I adore watching all the wildlife in my garden through the year . I feel especially blessed when birds keep my garden alive in the winter. It can get a bit expensive to purchase feeders and feed but it's also very easy to make your own bird feeders. I found a very informative site for making your own feeders here. Remember to keep your feed and water fresh and clean. With all these tips you're sure to have a winter garden full of life.