Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5061 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Mike McQueen

Regional Extension Agent

Home Grounds, Gardens & Home Pests

August 23, 2011

Attracting Birds to the Landscape

A well-planned landscape can be the key to attracting birds to your backyard. If you provide the proper habitat, including food, water, shelter, and a place to nest, you will be rewarded with a backyard of birds, that in return will entertain you with song and help keep the insect population under control.

Your first task is to do some research to find out which birds you can expect to spot in your area. Check your local library or wild bird center for information. Once you compile your list, note whether or not birds are ground feeders, the kinds of food they eat, the shelter they need, the nesting sites they prefer, and their choice of water sources. With this in mind, here are some rules of thumb for attracting birds.

Plan a landscape using a variety of plants. The greater the variety of plants, the greater the number of birds and other wildlife that will be attracted to your garden.

Hummingbirds, for example, are attracted to red flowers, such as bee balm, although you also may wish to fill a hummingbird feeder with a sugar-water mixture. The food is available commercially, or you can make your own. Use only pure, white sugar and not honey, however, as the latter is lethal to these tiny birds.

For other birds, include plants that produce fruit and those that host insects since birds will consume insects along with the fruit.

Birds prefer landscapes that have "edges" or spaces where trees and shrubs border open spaces. Many birds like to feed in open areas but need protective cover to roost, nest, and raise their young. If you plant a thorny shrub, for example, you provide not only perches but protection from predators.

Design a garden that provides year-round food. In summer and fall, this means flowers for nectar and berries for food. At other times, you need to use feeders filled with sunflower seeds, thistle, and other seeds.

Add evergreen and deciduous plants to provide nesting sites, perching places, and protection. Winter birds prefer evergreens like holly and junipers, which provide shelter and food. Locate these plants close to feeding stations.

In addition to feeders, you may want to include birdhouses and birdbaths in your landscape plan. To attract woodpeckers, you'll need a ready supply of suet as well as logs on the ground or standing dead trees for food (they're insect eaters) and nesting. Although you probably won't want a dead tree in your planned landscape, if you have one on the edge of your property, leave it standing for the birds.

Design your landscape with the climate in mind. Birds, like people, need shade and protection against rain and wind. In winter, they need protection from snow, sleet, and wind. Locate feeding stations in protected pockets, such as between plants, plants and buildings, or other similar areas.

Be sure to treat each bird species as an individual. Birds, like humans, visualize the environment primarily through sight and sound. It is best to design a site with multiple attractions--food, cover, climate modification, perching sites, and water.

Include some bare ground rather than all grass, ground cover, or mulch. Birds need grit and places they can take a dust bath, which helps them rid their feathers of mites and other parasites. Provide water, whether a birdbath, stream, fountain, or pool.

Finally, don't expect overnight success in attracting birds. They are wild creatures and not always easy to predict. They must check out your landscape, evaluate its merits, and decide whether it's safe to stay in the area. Remember, too, that as your landscape matures, it will attract different bird species.

For more gardening information, visit your local Extension office or online at www.aces.edu Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor, University of Vermont was used as a resource for this news article.

Want to Become a Master Gardener? Here’s How

The Alabama Master Gardener Volunteer Program is an educational program offered through county offices of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Through this program, individuals are trained and certified in horticulture and related areas. These individuals, in turn, volunteer their expertise and services to help others through horticultural projects that benefit the community. The Master Gardener Program trains volunteers, who work through Extension, to bring the latest horticultural information and practices from the world of research to their communities, landscapes, and gardens. Through the Master Gardener program, thousands of people in the United States and Canada have been trained as volunteers.

Applications for the 2012 Master Gardener Volunteer Training Class which begins 1/25/2012 will be accepted through the end of September 2011.  Applications are available online at this link http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1155/ANR-1155.pdf or at the Baldwin County Extension Office (251-937-7176) in Bay Minette. 

Email address: mcquegj@aces.edu

Phone number: 937-7176 or 943-5061, 928-0860, ext. 2222

Baldwin County Extension Programs are supported by the Baldwin County Commission.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.