Gardening for Birds

When planning a garden for birds, keep for things in mind: food, water, cover, place to raise young. These are the four crucial elements necessary for a successful bird sanctuary.

Provide trees and shrubs to serve these purposes. Find out which are native to your area and encourage their growth. Use dense species for shelter, such as fir, pines, junipers, and hollies. Deciduous trees and shrubs also offer nesting sites and roosting areas for the birds in the spring and summer.

Use a mixture of plants that bloom at different times of the year. The birds will use these for food as well as shelter, so be sure you are supplying this to them year-round. Good choices include blackberries, serviceberry, mulberry, blueberries, dogwoods, mountain ash, winterberries, firethorn, snowberries, and sumacs. And don't forget the trees that produce the acorns, pinecones, and nuts. Plant oaks, pines, hickories, walnuts and many others to add color, beauty and birds to your backyard.

You can also use bird feeders to encourage birds to use your garden. Be sure to clean your feeders regularly.

Provide water in a bird bath or pond. Change your bird bath water frequently, particularly in hot weather.

You can also place bird houses in your garden. Make sure you are placing them in the correct locations. A good feeder will come with these specific instructions. For example, don't place your bluebird house in a wooded area. They prefer being on the edge of an open field. Chickadees prefer to nest in brushy wooded areas.

For more resources, check out our bird gardening books...