Backyard Birding

One of the true pleasures of having a yard is sharing it with the birds. You can encourage birds to gather in your yard with just a few backyard birding techniques.

The most essential item for attracting birds to your yard is a feeder. Different environments are home to different bird species, and each species prefers certain foods, so investigate a bit to find the best type of feeder for your yard. Any simple feeder, from a pretty mosaic bird feeder to a more practical squirrel-proof feeder, will attract birds, but if you want to attract a specific species, look for the feeders and food they prefer. For example, finches love niger seed, which is best dispensed in a specially designed tube feeder. Of course, the ultimate specialty feeder is for hummingbirds. If you can entice hummingbirds to your garden, you'll marvel at these tiny whirlwinds.

Another backyard birding essential, bird baths are an easy way to bring a water feature into a garden, and nothing is more entertaining than watching a robin take a bath. While it's not quite as easy as providing food and water, you can take your backyard birding to another level by providing birdhouses for your feathered visitors. Each species of bird has a preferred nesting habitat, so you should research your local birds before mounting houses. Even if you find that the birds prefer the bushes to the houses, a rustic birdhouse looks great in a garden.

Enjoying the songbirds that gather at your feeders and bird baths takes only a small amount of your time and pays back a big reward. We caution you though; backyard birding can be addictive. Fortunately, we carry a wide variety of backyard birding items, so there will always be something new to entice the birds to your yard.