(Newswire.net — September 12, 2021) –Birds are a welcome addition to the outdoors in any season. Attracting various birds may seem like a challenging and expensive feat, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are three low-cost solutions to attract more birds to your backyard for an enhanced outdoor experience.
1. Grow the Seed and Berry-Producing Plants That Birds Love.
Quality, preprepared birdseed is a good food source for birds, but many birds may prefer familiar plants and wildlife as food. Growing native seed and berry-producing plants is an inexpensive way to bring various birds to your backyard.
In general, red and blue colored berries seem to be the most attractive to birds. Berry varieties such as blueberries, inkberries, blackberries, and holly are popular plant choices for your garden. If you find that the birds are eating more of the berries you want to keep for yourself, consider growing berries that are not so popular with humans. The berries of the dogwood tree, for example, are inedible to humans but popular with bluebirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, and more.
Seed-bearing flowers, such as sunflowers, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and zinnias, are colorful, inexpensive options to attract more birds to your backyard. When choosing seed-bearing flowers, go for flowers that are best suited for your climate. Local birds often feel more comfortable eating the seeds of native flowers and plants.
2. Change the Location of Your Existing Birdfeeders.
Many people buy more birdfeeders in hopes of attracting more birds. Instead of spending more money on additional birdfeeders, changing the position of existing bird feeders is a simple and inexpensive way to bring more birds to your backyard.
Placing birdfeeders in various areas in your backyard appeals to different bird behaviors, and it can also reduce competition. In addition to placing birdfeeders in the open yard, try placing feeders near shrubs that offer shy birds, such as cardinals, the protective cover they prefer. To reduce competition amongst birds, space feeders 3- 4 feet apart.
Regardless of where you place your feeders, place them high enough off the ground to protect birds from common backyard predators, such as cats.
3. Use Vibrant Colors Throughout the Yard.
From attracting mates to warning predators, colors are significant to birds. Unlike most animals, birds can see in color, and they are naturally attracted to their color. To attract more blue jays, for example, consider adding more blue to your backyard. Hummingbirds and cardinals, on the other hand, are more attracted to red.
Adding more color to your backyard is easy and inexpensive. One obvious way, of course, is the use of colorful plants, such as sunflowers. Another low-cost option is to tie pieces of colorful ribbons to trees, deck rails, feeders, and other items in your backyard.
From natural pest control to pollination, birds can provide many benefits to the outdoors. A bird-friendly backyard is not only helpful to the environment, but it brings ambiance, beauty, and natural charm to your backyard any time of the year.