Backyard birding is a simple way to connect with nature while providing essential resources for local and migratory birds. All it takes is a little know-how and a few supplies to get started birdwatching from the comfort of home.
If you start with a birdbath and a feeder filled with an easy-to-find seed blend, you’ll begin to see birds in a few days. They'll keep coming once they realize there’s a steady food source and a place to drink and bathe. Bathing helps birds maintain healthy feathers, plus it’s fun to watch them splash in the birdbath.
Food typesMany common birds in our area will eat an inexpensive seed blend, but if you offer different types of food, you can attract a greater variety of birds. For example, Lesser Goldfinches with their bright yellow bellies and black wings prefer fresh nyger, or thistle, seeds. Those seeds are too small for a regular bird feeder, so if you want them to visit, you’ll need to purchase a finch feeder or get the more affordable “sock” feeders packed with thistle seeds. House Finches and Pine Siskens will also visit a finch feeder.
Suet cakes or peanut butter mixtures can attract woodpeckers like Ladder-backed Woodpeckers or Northern Flickers. Curve-billed Thrashers and Northern Mockingbirds also like the fat and protein in these cakes, which help keep them nourished when insects are scarce in winter.
Most birds in our area will frequent a pedestal birdbath, but ground-feeding birds prefer shallow water dishes placed at ground level. Since birds are drawn to the sound of moving water, a small fountain or drip system can make a birdbath more appealing. Place water sources in shaded areas whenever possible to help birds stay cool during the summer. Just remember, regularly cleaning feeders and birdbaths is essential.
It’s easy to make a platform seed feeder from some wood scraps. Hang your creation from a tree or a shepherd’s hook. An online search for suet recipes will yield many options, and peanut butter doesn’t need to be in a cake — hang a small branch from any tree and slather it with peanut butter. The finches, mockingbirds, and thrashers will make short work of it in a few days.
If you’re just beginning your backyard birding adventure, start small and add more offerings as your time and budget allow. Once you’ve provided for the birds, equip yourself with binoculars, a field guide, or a free bird identification app like Merlin.
What’s stopping you? Create a bird-friendly yard and start birdwatching today!
