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Bird baths and bird feeders will attract the wild birds but planting a bird garden as well will make your backyard even more attractive. You can plant just a small area or make your whole backyard friendly to the birds.
Found little bird in the Melbourne Royal Botanical Garden by ak37
By planting shrubs, trees and flowers that provide shelter from the cold weather and from predators and providing a natural source of food the whole year round you will make your bird garden a place where wild birds feel safe and visit often. It is easy to do and doesn’t require a lot of work. Although your garden probably provides some food for the birds you can easily increase this by making some small changes.
Your plan must be based on the type of birds you wish to attract. Find out which wild birds are present in your area or keep a look out at bird feeders to see the most common visitors.
Always use plants that are native to your area. They are the most likely to do well and will also produce food suitable for the local bird population. Make a basic plan including trees, shrubs, power lines, pathways, buildings and find out where the sunny spots, shady, spots low lying places are and where there are native plants that you can leave alone.
It is a good idea to have the soil tested before you begin. This will allow you to decide if you need to add nutrients or minerals to the soil first and also will help you determine the type of plants that will be suitable.
Is there a source of fresh water for the birds? A pond is always a good idea for a natural garden and plan a place to put a bird bath and bird feeders. A bird bath should be places away from any hiding places for cats and is best placed under overhanging branches to provide a quick escape route if there are predators about.
Consider planting trees, shrubs, summer fruiting plants, flowers and ornamental grasses. Look for plants that will provide nuts, seeds, berries or nectar all the year round. Trees should be dense enough so that nests are supported but also allow the birds to move through the branches freely enough to escape predators. Evergreen trees are a good choice. Add the plants to your basic plan making sure to leave some sunny areas for the flowers to thrive and shady spots. Make sure you take unto account how big the trees and shrubs will grow and work out how many you can easily fit into the garden. Decide on a budget and how much time you have to spend on both planting the garden and maintaining it.
Involve everyone in the family in the fun of making your garden. Document it with photographs from the very beginning so you have a record of your achievements. It’s also a good idea to take pictures of your garden from the same spot in different seasons of the year.
Once planted you will need to spend some time on maintaining your garden. Make sure the area around newly planted trees and shrubs is kept moist and consider using wood chips or mulch to keep in the moisture and to reduce weeds. this will also help you to maintain the garden without the use of herbicides. Avoid the use of chemical herbicides and insecticides that can be harmful to the birds and reduce the insect population around your garden that provides a source of food for many birds.
Hang up bird feeders in suitable places and have a source of running water away from the feeders to attract the birds. This could be a bird bath with a dripper, a sprayer among the trees or a pond with a fountain.
It may take some time to see results of all your hard work but you will be rewarded by many wild bird visitors in the months and years to come.
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