Keeping all the positives and yet also having my herb and flower garden, was my first priority. I began to research what was needed to have a backyard that would be a home to many birds and animals. I found out that there is a program through the National Wildlife Federation in which you can become certified by meeting their requirements. I sent for the information packet which gives the titles of several helpful books, I applied, and was eventually accepted and given a certificate which designates the backyard as habitat no. 5391.

One of the most important and also one of the easiest requirements is water. Most people have put out a bird bath as a lawn decoration at one time or the other. Bird baths should be placed within 5 or 6 feet of a tree or shrub, so that birds will have a place to fly to in case of danger. It also makes them feel much more secure when they are bathing. It's very important to change the water daily. We also put a small pond and waterfall in a few years ago, which has proven to be a great attraction to many species of birds. Birds need water during the winter as well as the summer. It takes a considerable amount of a birds body heat to convert snow into drink. I use a specially designed immersion heater to keep the water in the bird bath from freezing.

The second requirement is a food supply. We all are acquainted with the multitude of bird feeders on the market, but many shrubs, trees, flowers and herbs, are also good food sources. My favorite tree is the mountain ash. It has beautiful orange berries in the fall which are very popular with cedar waxwings, cardinals, bluebirds, robins, and many other birds. In the spring when the orioles and hummingbirds come back, I make sure the feeders are out early, but the flowering crabapples are always more attractive. The hummingbirds especially like the brighter flowers like red bee balm, coral bells, honeysuckle and daylilies. I grow Swiss chard in the summer which is a big favorite of the finches along with the seeds of the herb lovage. Some other good plantings are Russian olive, dogwood, and pine trees. The winterberry, viburnums, and serviceberry are all shrubs which have berries for the birds to eat all winter. The wonderful thing is that most of these trees and shrubs are also beautiful plants for the home landscape.

To supplement the berries and other natural foods I also have several types of bird feeders. I've found that each type of bird has a favorite feeder. One of the most popular is the suet feeder. Chickadees, nuthatches, blue jays and especially woodpeckers, frequent it all winter long. One of my favorite sights is watching the woodpeckers feeding their young (photo, above). The most popular seed for the other feeders is the small black oil sunflower seeds. The sparrows have to wait under the feeders for the other birds to crack them open and don't monopolize the feeders.

Make sure you position your feeders where you can enjoy viewing the birds from your windows. I've found if you can't see them, your interest diminishes quickly and the feeders don't get filled! Don't be discouraged if you don't see birds at your new feeders right away. It may take a while for the birds to find them, but once they do they'll be regular visitors.

By all means, when picking out feeders, spend the extra money and buy ones the squirrels can't get into. I resisted buying them for years and spent much more replacing ruined feeders the squirrels had chewed through and seeds they gobbled for hours on end. The last requirement for making your backyard a year- round home for the birds, is shelter. Ideally, your backyard should be entirely surrounded with cover. The best cover is thick enough to keep out predators and the wind and snow of our long Minnesota winters. Our arborvitaes work very well and harbor many birds every winter. The blue spruce trees are a favorite nesting place each spring. One spring we had a cardinal, 2 robins, redpolls, and some sparrows, all nesting at the same time!

A problem for many birds such as woodpeckers and chickadees is that they are cavity nesters. They require a hole in a decaying or hollow tree to build their nest. Since most of us don't want to leave a dead tree in our yard, we can help them by putting out bird houses. Make sure the houses are out early in the spring when the birds are scouting out their nesting spots. Each bird species has special requirements such as hole size and location of the house. The best way to provide the correct shelter is to go to the library and research the needs of the bird you are interested in attracting.

All birdhouses need to be cleaned well after each nesting. There are several parasites that stay in the houses and prey on the baby birds that are born the next year.

Last summer I finally had a brood of baby bluebirds make it through from egg to fledgling without sparrows or wrens removing or breaking the eggs. I fed not only my bluebird family, but several other baby bluebirds from around the neighborhood a steady diet of live (not the roasted kind--they hated
them!) mealworms which seemed to get them all off to a very good start.

There are so many good reasons to make your yard a home for birds and other wildlife. The next time you are at the nursery buying a flower, a tree or a shrub for your yard, why not choose one for the birds and butterflies! Better yet, write the National Wildlife Federation, 1412 16th St, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-2266, and find out how you can establish a Backyard Wildlife Habitat yourself!

Mixing Bird Seed Video
Attract a wide range of birds by making your own birdseed mix from "In the Garden."