Do You Want to Have Birds Come to Your Garden?

First and foremost, the birds that will come to your garden are only the birds that normally live in your geographical area. Birds tend to be very regional. Some birds live only in the south, some only in the north. The same goes for east and west. As much as you would like to have a certain species visit your garden, it's not going to happen if that type is not found in your area. Your first order of business is to find out what kinds of birds are found in your area. You may have to consult a specialty magazine or book. A library or book store can be a big help as they have many resources. Also some birds migrate and can be seen in your area only in the fall or spring. If you did a search for bird lovers or "birders" as they like to be called, you'll no doubt find one in your area. They will be a big help and tell you want species of birds you can expect.

The basics of life are food and water. These will be the things you will use to attract the birds. A bird bath or reflecting pond will be a natural magnet for birds especially in the summer. If the body of water is big enough, you may even attract ducks and geese.

Once you have the water taken care of you need to concentrate on food. Seeds are a favorite of any bird. If you made a list of the types of birds that are in your area, you can find what kind of seed they prefer. Corn is a fairly good all around seed for birds. Sun flower seeds are an excellent choice as almost every bird loves them. They are easy to find and reasonably priced. If you want to attract a particular bird like a hummingbird, you'll need to buy a hummingbird feeder. These are especially designed to attract this type of bird. Some species of birds are fond of one type of bird seed. If you want to attract that particular type of bird, you'll need to buy the specific seed they like.

The greatest problem you'll have with bird seed is squirrels. They also love bird seed and they have large appetites. If you find your bird seed gone one day, a squirrel probably found its way to the seed. There are special bird feeders that prevent squirrels from getting to the feed so shop around and find one that works well.

With the water and food issue solved, you need to make sure the area you want the birds to visit is free of dogs and cats. A barking dog will scare birds so do what you can to prevent that from happening. Cats are another issue. It's almost impossible to control cats so you may want to put the bird feeder in an open area so the birds will see if a cat approaches.

You also have an issue of incompatibility. Some types of birds do not get along with other types of birds. There is nothing you can do about that except to realize that it exists.

Young children tend to make a lot of noise during their play. This will scare the birds and they will tend to avoid a noisy area.

Once you've done all you can to attract birds, they will honor you by coming to your area and singing their happy songs.