Three things that will make your yard a bird sanctuary

Nothing adds more value, joy and beauty to your yard than having birds fluttering about. Their mellifluous morning song, bright colors and playful behavior transform yards into vibrant and active places.

However, getting birds to your yard isn’t always as simple as having a yard. Fortunately, with the addition of three simple items, your backyard can easily become a bird sanctuary.

Bird Feeder

The presence of a bird feeder will greatly increase the visitation to your yard from a variety of birds. If you’re just starting out, you should get a standard seed bird feeder and fill it with black oil sunflower seeds. This type of bird seed—rather than the cheap mixed seed bags—will attract more species, leave less of a mess and give more nutrition to the birds.

After you’re comfortable with maintaining one feeder, consider getting other types of bird feeders, including suet feeders, ground feeders, hopper feeders and others. These will draw in birds that aren’t strictly seed-eating birds, such as woodpeckers.

Bird Bath

Food and water are the two basic things every animal needs to survive. After you have a bird feeder in your yard, add a bird bath to the mix. Birds don’t just use the water to drink, but they also use water to preen their feathers. This means bird baths will bring in species that don’t eat from bird feeders like insectivores because all birds need water.

Bird baths come in a variety of styles and sizes, so you can get the one that accentuates your yard. Solar-powered bird baths make sure the water is constantly moving, so there’s never a risk of having stagnant water on your property. Other bird baths emanate the relaxing sound of flowing water.

Birdhouse

The final basic need that will transform your backyard into a bird sanctuary is a birdhouse. By putting up several birdhouses and nesting boxes around your property, you’ll provide birds with a place to roost during the night and nest in nesting season.

Tim Martinez is an avid bird and nature lover. When he’s not out birdwatching, he is writing for the official blog of Camping Gear Outlet.