Feeding birds has become a popular habit, just like tending gardens is. There are those who have seen no point in choosing one over the other and have therefore combined the two hobbies into one. When you tend to turn your backyard into a place that wild birds can feel comfortable in then it becomes a backyard habitat.

When you want to pursue this kind of hobby, you need to understand that birds require the following in order to thrive.

• Shelter

• Protection from predators

• Water

• Food

If you need help in this respect, there are many landscapers who specialize in creating eco-conscious gardens that will include natural plants that will provide food, water and shelter for the birds that you want to attract. However if you want to do it by yourself, keep the following in mind.

Provide clean water for your birds – Water is a natural way of attracting birds. Birds will always look for a water source in order to drink and bathe. It is important to keep your bird baths clean and refresh the water regularly, Use elbow grease to clean the birdbath and refresh the water to stop mosquitoes from breeding in the water.

Provide food for your birds. – Give your birds as much a variety of feeds as possible to attract a variety of birds. You can provide several bird stations so that aggressive birds do not dominate one station and keep away the smaller birds. In order to make sure that your stations are fully occupied put out some Niger seed as a special attractant for finches. Finches are especially loved by most bird enthusiasts. Do not forget to put out some Sunflower hearts as these are a specialty for many birds and will ensure that you have diversity in terms of the bird species that visit your bird feeders.

There are those birds that prefer to feed on insects. These are the most difficult to attract since open bird feeders cannot trap insects at all. The option is to provide a suet cake that has got dried mealworms mixed with other freeze dried insects for these birds to enjoy.

Put out some bird shelters to provide shelter from the elements and predators. The birds may probably become permanent residents of your backyard habitat. Keep as close to the natural order as you can.

Attracting birds to your backyard habitat will be especially rewarding as you watch nature interact and learn the changes in bird feeding behavior as the year goes by. •