How to Attract Birds to Your Winter Garden
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The seasons of spring and summer are in themselves natural bird callers. We sit in our gardens during the milder months listening to the melodious larks of the chattering birds hiding in our trees and shrubs. As the temperatures begin to drop however, these songs get quieter and quieter and turn to mere whispers. Have you ever thought about how to bring the chirping back to your winter gardens? You can. Every area on the planet is home to its own variety of non-migratory birds and if you leave them the right nibbles, you can draw them into your garden, your home. The 3 things you need to provide for them are the basics: food, water, protection.
All of these things come in the way of the winter bird feeder. Make sure your bird feeders have supply tube feeders for your new little friends. This will invite the smaller varieties, and keep out large ornery birds. If you want to see some finches this winter, provide thistle feeders for them and hang it on a shepherd hok to attract their attention. You can keep out squirrels and crows by using green feeders with a weighted trap door for your finches.
As you are thinking of food choices, you want to provide millet which is the most favored by small birds. Try wild bird seed combinations for the largest variety of birds, and you want to ensure your combination has black sunflower seeds, dried fruits, and dried nuts. This will bring in every bird variety from finches, cardinals, catbirds, and nut hatches.
Water is another element. Use an immersible heater if you would like to keep a bird bath for your winged friends. You can place the water heater into the birdbath and this will prevent the bath water from freezing. On top of birdbaths, you can use other shallow containers that can provide fresh water to birds. These can be anything from inverted garbage lids to pie tins, whatever you like.
If you really want to provide a home for your birds, create shelter for them as well. You can do this by providing a natural habitat they can call their home in the way of planting plants they like to live in. These include everything from holly, juniper, to pyracantha.
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