How to Attract Birds to Your Backyard

Last Updated on April 2, 2020 by Ellen Christian

When we first moved to our home, one of the first things I wanted to learn was how to attract birds to your backyard.  We have five windows in our living room and I love looking out the windows while I’m working.  Seeing the wild birds playing in the trees is really relaxing for both me and my husband.   While we have different birds in our backyard depending on what time of the year it is, there are always some birds that visit our feeders even on the coldest days.

How to Attract Birds to Your Backyard

There are a number of different things that you can do to encourage the wild birds to visit your yard year round. If you enjoy watching the birds in your yard, one of the first things that you need to do is to offer them bird seed.  Different birds tend to prefer different types of seed but you can generally attract a variety with a standard bird seed mix.  I tend to use black sunflower seeds because they attract more of the brightly colored birds I enjoy watching.

Set out a bird bath to offer visitors a place to drink and bathe.  Change the water regularly so that mosquitoes and algae don’t take over your fresh water.  Be sure that there is an edge for the birds to land.

Offer the birds somewhere to nest and lay eggs.  You can use nestboxes or provide natural nest sites like hedges with thick cover for them to hide in. The birds will need somewhere to build a next to lay their eggs as well as somewhere to hide from their natural predators.

Plant colorful flowers in your garden to attract not only birds but bees.  If you plant red and pink flowers, you will attract hummingbirds to your garden. One of the benefits of attracting birds and bees to your yard is that they will help polinate your fruits, flowers and vegetable gardens. Here are a few flowers that can take full sun.

Now that you know how to attract birds to your backyard, which ones are you most excited to see?

Ellen Christian

Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.