How to Create a Bird Garden Paradise

by Susan Nelson Hopkins

Do you know how easy it is to convert an urban yard, or even a conventional garden, into a natural bird habitat... better known as a bird paradise?

4 Natural elements essential to bird gardens...

Tips for feeding wild birds...

Keep your bird feeders clean. Old, moldy seed left in feeders will not attract wild birds. Instead, it can be a health danger to them.  

Offer feed consistently, and at approximately the same time each day.

Offer feed year round. Many people only feed birds during the winter months, which is when they need it most. By also feeding in the spring and summer, parenting birds will have easy access to a food source for their young. It also attracts migratory birds year round.

Flowers, shrubs, and trees encourage a rich insect life in your yard which will, in turn, provide necessary food for wild birds.

Tips for supplying water for wild birds...

Make sure that fresh, clean water is available year round. This is another really fundamental element to attracting wild birds. The simplest and most readily available way is a shallow birdbath. (If at all possible, use a birdbath heater in the winter to keep the water available.)

Keep in mind that most birds prefer water sources that are just far enough from surrounding vegetation to offer visibility against a surprise attack from cats, squirrels, rats... and even bigger birds.

The sound and motion of falling or dripping water is a major attraction to birds, and will keep them in your garden.

Tips for making wild birds feel safe...

Birds are dependent on flight for safety. They are most vulnerable when they are grounded... resting, feeding, or nesting. This is why careful selection and arrangement of plants throughout your landscape is an essential element in making wild birds feel at home, comfortable, and secure.

Protection from cold winds and driving rain allows them to maintain their body heat, and keep healthy. Birds that are exposed to cold, wet, and windy weather are very vulnerable to exposure and resulting death. Again, plant selection and arrangement is essential.

Go to the Care of Wild Birds section for tips and resources on feeding wild birds, caring for baby birds... even how to prevent wild birds from crashing into windows.

Tips for providing nesting materials...

Some birds insist on bird houses (nesting boxes) that meet very specific requirements. Others are much easier to please, and will happily make use of any old box.

Others will not use bird houses, preferring to build nests in trees, building crevices, and even on or near the ground.

All birds, regardless of their preferences, will benefit from a ready supply of twigs, leaves, grass, hair, mud, and string. (These are the common elements in nearly all North American bird nests.) Scatter these "bits and pieces" throughout your yard, and wild birds will reward you with many return visits.

When birds realize your garden habitat has everything they need to survive and raise their young, they will settle right in.

So, have fun creating a bird's paradise... a natural bird garden habitat.

(back to top of page)