We all love nature and the serenity and peace it brings to our mind, body, and soul. Experiencing the sweet sounds of chirping birds and the beautiful sights in your backyard can have a positive impact on your mental well-being and aid in alleviating stress and anxiety. Create a bird friendly garden by caring for birds and offering protection to our feathered companions also serves as a source of persuading your family to spend more time outside around Mother Nature and detoxify the body through the fresh air. That’s not all; there are plenty other benefits of attracting birds to your garden. They act as a natural way of controlling pests, are excellent pollinators for garden flowers, are effective landscapers (since many of them consume seeds), and above all, they will help you work towards the conservation of our natural environment which is all that our earth needs in this age.
Now that we have looked at the benefits, we need to figure out ways to attract these winged travelers and compel them to reside in your yard. Now is the perfect season to start since many of the migratory bird species may have or will be arriving in your state so gear up. Here are five amazing DIY hacks to prepare your garden for the backyard refugees, so let the creativity within yourself flow:
DIY Hacks for a Bird Friendly Garden
Create an Upcycled Bird Feeder
Birds migrate for a variety of reasons and food is a primary one among these, so the best way to attract them is providing a consistent source of food. You can purchase a bird-feeder from the market but what is better is creating one at home by upcycling everyday household items such as juice boxes. Here is the perfect hack to quickly create an affordable bird feeder at home:
- Juice boxes
- Permanent marker
- Scissors, some string and well yes, bird seeds
Cut out a rectangle from both sides of the juice box, and poke two holes on the uncut sides spaced at about an inch from the ends. Next up, thread the string through both the holes and tie these two together in a knot. Just fill the box with seeds and your feeder is ready to be suspended in the garden.
Create a Birdbath by Upcycling a Vase
Birds require water to drink as well as to bathe in, especially as the weather gets hotter your backyard refugees could use a few splashes in a birdbath. There are quite a few options for constructing a bird bath, but my favorite DIY hack is upcycling a vase and a plate on top of it to create the perfect bathing spot for the birdies.
Provide Shelter
Although many bird species prefer building their nests, there are others that prefer taking shelter in birdhouses such as purple martins, robins, etc. If you wish to attract a particular species, it is best to do a little research and construct a birdhouse according to their needs for instance, if you are looking to attract purple martins you would have to create a birdhouse in multiple levels since these birds prefer living in colonies.
There are lots of household items you can reuse to create birdhouses, such as watering cans or buckets (all you will need are a few short pieces of wood for overhang.) Old mailboxes can also be upcycled to offer nesting refuge for birdies such as flycatchers.
Create a bird-friendly landscape
If you have a well-maintained lawn with rectangular patches of monoculture grass, chances are the winged travelers wouldn’t find your yard as a compelling spot to take shelter. Birds prefer a garden with layered vegetation and a wide diversity of plants. Try researching about the species that are native to your area and plant these in your yard, make sure you have landscaping of different heights that includes plants, shrubs, and trees. Create undulating edges of grass around your yard to provide more space for the garden to transition. Don’t cut down trees and those that need to be removed necessarily should be cut about 15 inches above the ground.
Don’t Use Pesticides
To attract the birdies to your yard, it is essential that you avoid the use of harmful pesticides since the insects will serve as a delicious source of nourishment for them. The backyard refugees will themselves do a great job at keeping the pesky pests away so you wouldn’t have to worry.
Guest Author: Danica Boyd is a bird enthusiast and nature lover. She has been keeping pet birds for several years and now has tons of practical experience in caring for birds. She writes for the team behind https://www.birdcagesnow.com/.