Landscaping For Birds

Congratulations! By deciding to enhance your property
for wildlife, you are on the way to providing beauty for
your home, creating excitement for your family, and
affecting the future survival of wildlife in your area.

No matter what the size of your property or budget,
you CAN make a difference.

For more nature habitat information
Visit these helpful websites:

A Plant's Home
A Bird's Home
A Homesteader's Home Landscaping
For Birds
Few people wouldindeny that
there is pleasure having
At the same time, we can
each play a part in recreating
birds in the garden. Their desirable habitat for birds, and
activity interests us, their they will reward us by visiting
colors enchant us, and their our yards in greater variety and
songs brighten the day. Add the numbers.
fact that they eat lots and lots
of insects, and in some cases Plants
pollinate our flowers. It’s no The tendency today when
wonder that feeding and building houses is to clear-cut
watching birds is a major the lot, construct the house,
national pastime. add a few small foundation
plantings, and then surround it
More and more, however, you with a vast expanse of green
hear people sadly saying that lawn. Grass has its place but,
“there just aren’t as many birds with the exception of robins,
as there used to be." In some flickers, and starlings, it is of no
ways this is true: development, benefit to birds, nor to most
pesticides, indiscriminate other wildlife for that matter.
cutting of forests, unchecked
predators, disruption of Flower gardens are lovely and
migration paths – all of these add back some food and cover,
have cut down considerably on but not nearly enough to
the numbers of some bird sustain large populations of
species. birds.

With greater awareness and When landscaping for birds,
environmental protection, some you need to think about the
are making a comeback, and for four essential needs of wildlife:
this we can be grateful. food, water, shelter, and space.

© WindStar Wildlife Institute Page 1 A Plant's Home

By carefully choosing a variety an out-of-the-way corner, many that you want to attract is
of trees, shrubs, and other bird species will appreciate a the best way to increase their
plants, then adding additional thicket of blackberries, population in your yard.
food and water as needed, you raspberries, honeysuckle
can create a habitat that will bushes, or native roses. Water
bring you endless enjoyment All wildlife needs water, and
through every season. Keep in mind that these birds are no exception. Birds
plants, while offering both food both drink water and bathe in it.
Birds come in a wide variety, and excellent nesting sites, can
so it is only natural that they become invasive, so only include While they seem to get great
have a large range of them if you can keep them enjoyment from bathing, it is
preferences as far as food, under control with mowing. also necessary for their
nesting sites, and shelter. survival. Their wings get bent
If you have a dead tree trunk and out of position during
If all species enjoyed the same that is not endangering any normal activities, so grooming
plants, there would be structure, keep it in place and while bathing keeps them ready
overcrowding and too great a add ivy or other vines to for flight. As the feathers slide
drain on limited resources. disguise it and offer protection through their beaks, they are
Therefore, when you are to birds. Many species use also spreading oils that keep
choosing plants, strive for snags even without any green them waterproof and maintain
diversity to ensure the greatest covering, both for food and nest their insulating properties.
assortment of species in your holes. Some birds that don’t come to
yard. seed feeders, such as robins,
If most of the trees on your will still entertain you by coming
You will want to consider property are deciduous, losing to bathe.
trees, shrubs, grasses, flowers, their leaves in winter, you might
vines, brambles, and even dead consider collecting discarded The easiest way to provide
trees, known as “snags." Those Christmas trees and tie them water for birds is with a simple
birds that don’t migrate will to posts to create a windbreak birdbath. It should be located
need seeds and berries to carry and shelter during the winter about 15" from shrubbery but,
them through the winter, as well months. since a wet bird cannot fly as
as pines or other non-deciduous easily, there should be clear
trees and shrubs to offer They will remain green until space around it so that
protection from snow and cold warmer weather, at which time predators are easily spotted.
temperatures. they can be discarded, perhaps
by forming a brush pile that will If there are cats in the area,
It is best if you can plant in provide year-round shelter for a put the bath on a pedestal
levels, extending from taller variety of wildlife. about 40" off the ground. The
trees at the top, down through placement should not be
shrubs to flowers and ground By studying plant anywhere that chemicals can
covers, since different birds live descriptions before buying, you drift into the water and, while
and feed at different heights. can plan a habitat that there are many creative
These should be grouped, rather includes food sources materials that can be made
than planted as individual throughout the year. Many birds into birdbaths, it should not be
specimens, and can be placed nest when natural food sources lead-lined.
along the border of your are at their peak, giving them
property or as “islands" in your easy access and allowing more A birdbath can be any size,
yard. time to tend their young. but 24"-36" in diameter seems
to be the most popular for a
Hedges are also very enticing Since many birds return to wide variety of birds. It
to birds, especially if you have nest in the same area year shouldn’t be slippery and, since
the space to make them at after year, providing the birds have a natural fear of
least eight feet wide. If you have favorite foods of the species deep water, should gradually


slope down to no deeper than 3".
A rock in the middle, or an RECOMMENDED PLANTS
upside-down flowerpot with a
branch stuck in it, makes an The following plants are popular with a variety of birds.
enticing perch. Clean the bath This is a very small sampling of possibilities. For
often and add fresh water. additional suggestions, consult guidebooks, a nature
center or extension service, local nurseries, or the
Birds are especially attracted
to moving water, so you might Internet.
want to consider incorporating
a drip or spray into your LARGE TREES: VINES:
birdbath. Birch Honeysuckle
Crab Apple Fiveleaf Akebia
This can be accomplished Hawthorn Virginia Creeper
simply, by suspending a bucket Hemlock English Ivy
with a small hole above the bath Pine Bittersweet
and letting water drip out, or Spruce Grape
more elaborately with a series of Dogwood Trumpet Vine
containers creating a waterfall Hackberry
effect. There are many kits on Mountain Ash
the market, or you can buy a Oak ANNUAL FLOWERS:
recirculating pump and create Tupelo Cosmos
your own design. Mulberry Zinnia
Sunflower
Although birds can get Cleome
moisture from snow, having free- SMALL TREES AND SHRUBS: Gloriosa Daisy
flowing water available in the Buckthorn Ageratum
winter is a big benefit and allows Holly Fuschia
them to bathe as needed. There Serviceberry Dianthus
are relatively inexpensive outdoor Sumac Sea Lavender
heaters especially made for Barberry Marigold
birdbath use, and you will find it Bayberry California Poppy
delightful to watch birds enjoy Elderberry Lantana
the water during the colder Blackberry
months. Rose
Viburnum GRASSES:
If you choose not to maintain Blueberry Little Blue Stem
your birdbath during the winter, Pyracantha Tufted Hair Grass
turn it upside down so that Bulbous Oat Grass
water won’t freeze in it and Miscanthus
cause cracking. PERENNIAL FLOWERS: Pampas Grass
Purple Coneflower
Food Aster
Many times, when we think of Coreopsis SEEDS:
food in connection with birds, we Goldenrod Black Oil Sunflower
picture only mixed birdseed. While Globe Thistle Black-Striped Sunflower
seed has its place, there are Butterfly Flower White Proso Millet
many kinds of preferred food, Rudbeckia Grey-Striped Sunflower
just as there are many species Statice Niger (thistle)
of birds. Columbine Hulled Sunflower
Scabiosa
Breeding season for many Chrysanthemum
birds coincides with the


availability of their favorite more obvious it will become Commercial mixes are available,
natural food. While that it requires variety to keep or you can combine one part
supplementing with various them all satisfied. sugar to four parts boiled
kinds of birdseed is good, birds water. Never use honey, as this
have existed for at least 140 No one garden will be can cause illness, and clean the
million years and have evolved sufficient for all the birds, but feeder often to prevent bacteria
along with the native plants by choosing your plants with growth. Bread, table scraps,
that supply most of their care, you can develop a yard and salted foods are not
nourishment. that will attract many recommended.
different species.
There are about 8,650 In the winter, when birds need
species of birds in the world, Buying birdseed is still going a diet higher in fat to maintain
796 of them in North America, to remain a popular pastime, sufficient body temperature,
and some have very specialized and there are a number of suet can be offered. In the
eating habits. Those that rely styles of feeders on the warmer months, peanut butter
largely on insects appreciate a market, as well as a variety of mixed with cornmeal is a good
garden free of pesticides and seeds chosen to appeal to substitute since it won’t spoil
will devour many pests for you different birds. so easily in the heat. It can be
safely and at no cost. spread right on the bark of a
Seed preferences have been tree to attract woodpeckers.
If you study the birds, you studied at length, and the
will see that the shape of the most appealing overall seed is As with birdbaths, feeders
bill is one clue to what kind of black oil sunflower. Two other need to be in easy flight reach
food they prefer. The bills of popular seeds are niger of shrubs, but have open areas
seed-eating birds, such as (commonly called thistle) and around them for visibility.
cardinals, finches, and white proso millet.
sparrows are strong, cone- They should be cleaned
shaped, and often have some Buying specific seeds may regularly, and seed hulls should
kind of cutting edge to help seem to cost more, but there is be removed periodically from
them get into the inside a lot more waste with “all- beneath them to avoid the
kernel. purpose" seed mixes which formation of mold. The seed in
include unpopular seeds and the feeders should be protected
Contrast that with the fillers. from moisture. Some bird
hummingbird, with his long species need grit in their diet to
tube for reaching deep into When eating seeds, different digest their food and would
flowers, or the woodpecker birds prefer different types of appreciate some sand nearby.
whose bill is hard enough to presentation. Some like to eat
chisel into wood, yet sensitive up high, from feeders that Nesting
enough to feel the vibrations swing freely, while others want A sure sign that you are
of insects behind the bark. a flat, stable platform at a meeting the needs of birds is
lower level. Still others prefer their willingness to nest in your
Robins don’t have such to eat right off the ground. yard. Mated pairs work very
efficient bills, but their hard to choose the right site,
eyesight allows them to see As with your plantings, offer and must consider many
earthworms moving just a variety of feeders at factors including shelter,
beneath the soil, while different levels to attract the safety, access to food and
swallows have strong wings largest number of birds. water, and appropriate
and wide bills to catch insects conditions for fledging the
right out of the air. To further In addition to birdseed, you young. There must also be
complicate things, baby birds might want to offer other adequate materials available
often require a different diet types of food, such as fruit – for actually building the nest.
from their parents! including oranges, apples,
grapes, and fruit cocktails – This is often a problem today
The more you learn about and nectar, most often offered because in addition to cutting
the birds in your area, the in hummingbird feeders. down dead trees which would


have made suitable nesting months, and to allow it to
sites and over-pruning shrubs, weather a bit before occupancy.
we tend to keep our yards so
well-groomed that there is little Predator guards are available,
left in the way of twigs, long and there should be a shrub or
grasses, and other popular tree 5'-15' away. Food sources
nesting supplies. nearby reduce the searching for
parents, leaving them more time
To compensate, early in the to tend their babies. It may
spring offer such things as take several seasons for birds
twigs, bits of string (no longer to find and use your houses, but
than 8"), strips of cloth, hair, be patient.
fur, and soft stuffing. Keeping
these items in piles rather than Although birds often claim a
randomly scattered means less territory and will not let others
effort for the parents once they of the same species nest there,
start to build. it is not unusual to have 10
different nesting boxes per acre
Those species that use mud used by different kinds of birds.
to construct nests will
appreciate a trash can lid sunk Although some are tolerant of
a bit in the ground and filled human interest, it is safest not
with clay soil that is kept wet. to look in on the eggs or babies
and risk frightening the parents
To replace the dead tree into abandoning the nest.
cavities, bird nesting boxes are
the usual choice. There are many On page 3 you will find a list of
styles to choose from, often plants that are popular with a
with very specific opening sizes variety of bird species. This is a
to suit particular species. The small sampling of possibilities.
house should have no moving For additional suggestions,
parts or outside perches that consult nature guides,
can ease the way for predators, neighbors, a local nature center
although cleats on the inside or extension service, local
below the opening are helpful for nurseries, or the Internet.
fledging the young when the time
comes to leave the nest.
This article was written by
Except for aluminum homes Maryland Master Wildlife Habitat
Naturalist Cathy Gilleland. For more
for purple martins, bird nesting
information or for the name of a
boxes should not be made of Master Wildlife Habitat Naturalist
metal, which gets hot, nor of in your area, please contact:
plastic which allows moisture
to build up. WindStar Wildlife Institute

Wood is generally preferred, E-mail: wildlife@windstar.org
and it should have holes for http://www.windstar.org
ventilation and drainage, and a
hinged top, front, or side for
easy cleaning at the end of the WindStar Wildlife Institute is a
season. It is a good idea to put national, non-profit, conservation
a new box up in the late summer organization whose mission is to
or early fall, so that you can be help individuals and families
sure that it will indeed be establish or improve the wildlife
shaded during the summer habitat on their properties.


Landscaping For Birds

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