How to Keep Birds in Your Garden

Most gardeners attract and keep birds around the home by feeding them regularly. While feeding plays a large part in keeping birds around, there are other conditions that need to be provided if birds are to be kept as fairly permanent residents. First, we need to attract them to the garden. Plants with berries are attractions as well as sources of food. However, birds can completely strip a bush of its berries in a few days. Therefore, have other food ready to keep the birds in the garden. Where space is plentiful, different types of plants can provide fruit throughout most of the winter.

Some ornamental plants that provide food for birds include crab apples, pyracantha, hawthorn, holly, beautyberry, dogwood, juniper and some viburnums such as the American cranberry bush. In addition to having food plants, birds need plants that provide shelter and resting places. Such sites are provided best by bushy, dense shurbs or small tees as well as many evergreens.

Birds generally prefer to lie and nest in a range from five to 20 feet above the ground. Large trees with sturdy branches are often easily accessible to predators. However those with fine branches and dense twigs are more difficult for animals to penetrate or climb, thereby giving added protection and cover while birds are resting. Tall growing junipers (often called cedars) are excellent for this. Spurces, pines and hollies are other evergreen plants that serve well.

If your landscape is new and there are no large plants for cover, lean corn stalks, boards or a Christmas tree against a frame or building to provide cover. Feed can be placed beneath such temporary covers where snow does not accumulate. These covers are safest inside fenced areas where other animals cannot easily get to the birds. Water is another means for attracting birds. Of course, bird baths have served this purpose for a long time.

In winter it is helpful to have some means for supplying heat to keep the water from freezing. Bird baths that contain a heat source are available or a small light bulb placed beneath the water bowl can give enough heat to keep the ice melted during cold periods. Garden pools are not only attractive in the landscape, but also serve as a water source for birds in winter when there is no snow.

Those with a recirculating pump with water dripping over rocks seem particularly attractive to the birds. By giving the birds a pleasant place to live, we can enjoy both permanent residents daily and rarer visitors as they make brief stops on the way to other gardens.