Landscaping for birds doesn’t just mean 1 or 2 backyard bird feeders or a birdbath. Bird landscaping takes into account the primary needs of a wild bird, such as food, shelter, and water. Some of those birds may need a good place to build a nest and once you can meet those needs, you should have a lot of birds visiting your gardens.
Your backyard oasis will benefit greatly from using native plants for your particular area. Not only does this mean less maintenance, water, and fertilizer, but the local birds will recognize a friendly territory where they can build their nests and find a good food source. Local trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses are more attractive to wild birds than exotic plants because local birds don’t know what to do with them. You can still have your exotic plants, but only plant in one part of the backyard. You can do some research on the different species of birds and what food they prefer; this can change with the seasons or with the age of the birds. Once you’ve found the birds you want to attract and the food they prefer, you can select the plants they need, such as berries, fruits, acorns, grains, nuts, seeds, or nectar. You’ll also need a water source, such as a pond, water garden, or even a birdbath that provides dripping, swirling, or splashing water for drinking or bathing.
A landscape that has multiple layers of different plant life is likely to attract many diverse species of birds. Some birds find food in low bushes or find it by wandering on the ground. When it comes to roosting, sheltering and nesting, you’ll find that some species prefer tall trees, others like bushes and shrubs; you may even find some birds feeding on one level of the bush and nesting on another level. Try planting multiple layers of vegetation to attract birds; place the tallest plants towards the back of the garden, the medium height plants in the center and the short plants towards the front. This method can also be done around a tall tree using medium-height bushes surrounding the tree and shorter-height flowers as the outer border. This gives the different species resting places without crowding.
You want the birds to feel safe and secure in your backyard garden. Landscaping for birds should have areas of thick or bushy vegetation so that predators such as hawks and cats do not see them. This will also give them some protection from harsh weather conditions. The thick vegetation is much more suitable for roosting and nesting, providing a permanent home for the birds rather than just a visitor. I have a 5 foot tall rosemary plant in my backyard garden where some species of birds love to perch during the day and sleep at night.
Not all birds will eat the same type of food. Some prefer berries and fruits and others would prefer to have seeds and nuts. When creating a birdscape, frame it according to the birds you’d like to see visit your yard. My garden has several plants that the hummingbird prefers and several plants that have berries for other birds. We also have a seeded bird feeder and two hummingbird nectar feeders. We have lived in my house for over 20 years and last year was the first time orioles came to visit the hummingbird feeder. We now have two nectar feeders and during the fall and winter months both feeders attract several hummingbirds at once. Today was the first day this spring that the oropendola had a drink again. Some of the fruit-loving birds prefer to eat apricots from the top of the tree once the fruit ripens.
You can select specific plants for certain birds or you can choose plants for birds that have visited your backyard in the past. If you choose a wide variety of plants, also consider what season of the year they become useful to birds. Early-blooming shrubs supply nectar for insects but also for certain birds during the spring, fruit- and nut-bearing trees and shrubs are food sources in late summer and fall, and evergreens supply seeds in late summer. winter and are also good shelters for birds during winter.
You always want to keep your backyard landscaping neat and trimmed, but you can also leave a small pile of leaves or brush clippings that will attract birds because they provide shelter and nesting material and give them a variety of insects to eat. . You can also attract birds by letting your flowers and shrubs set seeds, but don’t remove the seeds. Landscaping for birds is quite easy as long as you provide native vegetation for the birds.