**Disclosure: I do manage social media marketing for The Wildbird Shack. Alyse and Paula were kind enough to supply me with suggestions for backyard birding this spring and I would like to share them with you.
Spring is in the air and time to transform your backyard into a luxurious home for backyard birds. It’s simple!
Remember, a successful yard is a balance of food, water and shelter. These 3 key elements will guarantee attracting the most colorful songbirds at your feeders.
GIVE YOUR YARD A GOOD CLEANING
Bird House
To begin, clean out all the bird houses that have been hanging in your yard since last spring. You most likely will uncover some interesting surprises: unhatched eggs, dead babies and a myriad of different nest materials woven into the nests. Use a mask so not to inhale any bacteria and don’t forget the rubber gloves. We don’t recommend using bleach to clean out bird houses, if the bird house is made from porous materials, the bleach can permeate the material leaving a strong odor. If the bleach is not used properly, it can be fatal to birds. We prefer, Dawn dishwashing soap liquid. If it’s good enough to clean birds from oil spills, then it’s good enough to clean bird houses, feeders and bird baths. If the port (opening) is disturbed due to a predator, you can easily secure a metal port over the opening.
Feeders
Practicing good hygiene is always recommended with your bird feeders. Decomposing seed coupled with the elements can encourage mold, bacteria and infectious disease. Droppings and other contaminants may also make birds sick and will carry disease from feeder to feeder. During those hot summer months, clean your feeders at least once a month.
Water
Just like you, birds need water for survival, not only for drinking but for bathing as well. If you have a water source you are sure to attract even more birds to your yard. Make sure the bath is shallow, 2”; birds can drown, also, make sure the bowl is nonskid. For those pesky mosquitoes, a water wiggler works as an abatement.
And Finally, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION…
Keep your birds safe!!! Place your feeders, 10-12 feet from the closest safety zone, so they have a fast get away from predators. Create different feeding stations at various heights. Since you’ll be adding seed and cleaning your feeders often, make sure the location of your design is easily accessible. And lastly, put your displays in visible location for enjoyable ad bird watching.
BACKYARD GARDENING
A few other tips, plant early and late blooming flowers for migrating birds to have a natural food source. Plant fruit bearing trees & shrubs, leave fruit on throughout the winter and save cut branches so birds can use to make a shelter.
If you are looking for new backyard birding items, The Wildbird Shack is located at 854 E Northwest Highway in Mount Prospect. They have many items that are made in the USA including locally made items. You can also order online. They are also able to help you with your birding questions and have great ideas for birding on hikes.
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