If you live in a city with trees along streets, houses with lawns,m a park nearby, maybe a nearby golf course or abandoned lot, you have a good start for having a variety of birds you can attract to your own backyard. During late fall and again in early spring, a large number of bird species migrate. Some of the greatest fun in backyard birding is seeing birds pass through our neighborhoods during migration. Many species appear in our neighborhoods only at this time.

Your powers of observation will improve profoundly as you gain more experience in looking for and seeing birds. After a few months of practice you’ll find yourself catching glimpses of elusive birds where others see nothing. Moreover, when you spot a bird, your brain will automatically soak up an incredible array of details, such as the presence of eye strips or rings, wing bars, spots beneath the tail, stripes on the chest, etc.

Most birds are much more active during the first two or three hours of the morning and then again an hour or two before dusk, than during the long middle of the day. There are exceptions to this rule. At the beach, sea gulls and shorebirds may stay active the whole day. Hummingbirds often return to feeders throughout the day. During nesting season, birds with young to feed can be seen flying back and forth to their nests all day long or feed the babies who are crying for food even when they are out of the nests.

We can also enhance our backyard birding with a variety of bird feeders, bird houses and bird baths and plant some appropriate shrubs and trees. With the addition of songbirds, you can have created a delightful haven.

Did you know that birding is the number one sport in America? According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, there are currently 51.3 million birders in the United States alone, and this number continues to grow!

To begin birding, here are a few helpful ideas to get you off to a good start. First, you need binoculars to really see the birds. You need a field guide for your area with pictures of the birds and tips for identifying them. The best book for new birders in the United States is the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds or the Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds, When you become familiar with the birds in your area, you will want the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 3rd edition.

Learn about the habitat of each species of bird. Do they like to spend their time at the top of a tree or on the ground or on a lake? You should learn the songs of the birds. You will often hear it before you see it. Learn about the good birding spots in your area.

Join a group of other birders. You will find then very friendly and helpful and willing to share their knowledge. Start by calling the local Audubon Society, the Nature Center of Parks Commission, or the local Bird Club. If all else fails, go the park with your binocular. Someone is sure to strike up a conversation and they might lead you to a whole new group of birding buddies.

Try a birding trip or tour. Local bird trips are sometimes advertised in the newspapers. These are often led by park rangers or a local Audubon member. These trips are usually free of charge. When birding wear neutral colored clothing, not white.

Read about birds — there are many good magazines about birding. There are also thousands of books about birds.

Record your bird sightings. You might want to keep a list of the birds you see in your yard and you can keep a list of birds you see in your town or on your vacation. Birders often keep lists for their county, state or country. This is all very easy with a computer listing program such as the Birder’s Diary.

Have Fun and Enjoy the Birds!

If you want your backyard to be a haven for birds, one of the best things you can do is to put up bird houses or bird shelves. They will be especially needed towards the end of winter when the birds are preparing to mate and nest.

if you want to attract certain species of birds, you need a house which that type of bird prefers to nest. Wrens, bluebirds and tree swallows like single, enclosed bird houses the best. Bluebirds and tree swallows will stay in a house in a fairly open area, but wrens prefer enclosed houses surrounded by some sort of shrubbery.

Robins and phoebes will not stay in a enclosed house, so of you want to attract these species, a bird shelf is your best bet.

When choosing a house, make sure that it will be safe for the birds. It should definitely have holes on the top and bottom for ventilation and drainage. Also, it is best that it doesn’t have a perch by the entrance since this can attract predators. The entrance hole should be facing north or east to prevent overheating during hot summers. You should also place no more than one house per tree for the same species,

It is also best to place houses on metal poles rather than wooden ones; this will help keep predators away. You want a place where the birds can safely build their homes and if you take these precautions, you can have a most delightful aviary sanctuary .

The problem for most beginning birders is simply finding the bird. Look for bird watching binoculars that have a wide enough field of view to locate a bird and then follow its movements. The binoculars must provide a bright enough image to allow you to distinguish subtle features and also focus quickly to capture sharp images of fast-moving birds.

Binoculars are described by two numbers — for example, 8×32 or 10×40. The first number is the magnification and the second is the size of the objective lens, in millimeters. A bigger ratio will always give a sharper, brighter image. Most birders agree that 7 or 8 power is about right for most birding. 10 power binoculars have a smaller field of view and a dimmer image. A bright wide field is much easier to hold steady; higher magnification also magnifies the movement of your hands. You may want to consider purchasing mid-size binoculars, such as 8×32s since they are bright enough and easy to carry and pack and may have a field of view as good as many 8×42s.

Always spend as much as you can afford — you will never be sorry to have purchased high quality binoculars. Never buy before trying the actual instrument you plan to purchase. You need to be comfortable using a particular brand and model.

Make sure you know how to use your binoculars — practice! Don’t try to locate the bird with your binoculars. First find the bird with your unaided eye, then keep your eyes on the bird while you raise the binoculars to your face. Focus and enjoy!

Make your backyard spectacular with decorative bird houses! Avian housing reaches new heights with distinctive architectural bird houses. There are Victorian designs enhanced by authentic scroll work and turn-of-the-century, cottage inspired embellishments. These birding products are designed for outdoor use or can be enjoyed in the home as a decorative accessory.

A Farmhouse bird house with an adorable potted plant on the front porch and a French Country Chateau with dramatic window, door moldings and intricate details are just a few of the spectacular bird houses available.

Birds will be thrilled to find these bird dwellings equipped with removable back walls, unpainted natural interiors and non-toxic outdoor grade paint. Topping off the pieces is a western red cedar or pine shingled roof that will patina to silvery gray color with sun-bleaching.

Artwork of Marjolein Bastin is featured as well as a Victorian cottage and a wind swept cottage on the high ground of Siasconset in the Claire Murray series. Paint used on these is for outdoor use but with artists like this, how perfect for indoor decoration!

All creatures need food, water and shelter in order to exist and birds are no exception. Providing bird feeders in your backyard will not only attract your feathered friends and give you hours of enjoyment watching their antics and pleasure but you will also benefit from their keeping the bugs to a minimum in your yard. With the decline of bugs, you will have little or no need to use pesticides, therefore, greatly helping our environment. Talk about a “win win” situation!

Bird feeders come in a vast array of designs and sizes so you are sure to find some to enhance your yard as well as attracting a variety of birds. Seed feeders are the most common type. These can vary in design from tubes to hoppers and trays. Sunflower seed or mixed seed are popular for use in these feeders and will attract many songbirds. There are finch feeders with smaller openings to dispense the tiny nyjer thistle seed which is a favorite of smaller finches.

Hummingbird feeders supply liquid nourishment to hummingbirds in the form of a sugar solution. This can be made of a mixture of 3 parts water to 1 part sugar.

Oriole feeders also supply artificial nectar. Orioles and some other birds will also come to fruit foods, such as grape jelly or half an orange.

A suet feeder will contain a block of suet to feed woodpeckers, flickers, nuthatches and many other species of insect eaters. Suet is high in fat which helps to keep birds warm and nourished during the cold winter.

Do you ever have a day when you have nothing to do and you feel bored? Now there is something to do on these dull days — go bird watching.

No matter where you live you probably have birds of some kind. Even folks in New York have central park and other places where they can go bird watching. There are only three essential things you should have when bird watching — a pair of binoculars, a notebook, and a bird guide book.

Specially priced Audubon binoculars with a magnification of 8X40 are perfect for bird watching. A small spiral notebook works great for taking notes, and you should know what kind birds you are looking at when you spot a new one, so a bird guide book is very helpful. Now you are ready to go bird watching.

If you have any grassy, wooded or open areas with trees or bushes, you can usually find birds. One of the best things about bird watching is anyone can do it, even if you are in a wheelchair, you can sit and watch birds. It is a great recreation for anyone that is alone, or for the whole family to do together.

Bird feeders are an old staple for attracting birds but they should serve as supplements to the various plants in your backyard that provide food and shelter to encourage the birds to think of your backyard as home.

A landscape to attract birds should provide shelter to protect birds from the elements or from predators. Evergreens are great as they provide plenty of space for a bird to disappear into, but they are very difficult for predators to penetrate. Additionally, they can be thick enough to provide adequate shelter against the elements. Other woody plants also provide good shelter. Bird houses and decks are great places for birds to shelter.

In designing your landscaping to attract birds provide plants that offer a consistent food supply. They should produce enough food to help meet the bird’s needs in addition to your bird feeders. Plants that provide berries and seeds are excellent choices for our feathered friends. While selecting plants that attract birds keep in mind those that attract insects. Not only are there many beautiful flowers, like roses, but these also in turn smell very pleasant. Among your choices for insect-attracting flowers, choose some that bloom during the spring migration periods. Then you will be sure to get birds on their way through town, headed north.

A final landscape feature that cannot be overlooked is water. Birds like to have places where they can bathe and drink. A bird bath is the most practical solution and you will find it can give hours of entertainment for you as well as fill a need for the birds.

Birds are attracted to the sound of dripping or moving water. You can buy bird baths or create a shallow pond with a fountain. If you’re short on time or resources, you can hang a water-filled container with a hole on the bottom above a dish. Try not to place the water source near trees or bushes where cats can hide before pouncing. Also, make sure the water is not more than 1 inch deep.

If you want to accentuate the look of your backyard, birds, as nature’s cheerleaders, will make your garden area look beautiful.  A great way to attract birds is to install bird feeders in your yard. 

With some research, you can find out how to set them up properly and you can also find out what kind of birds your bird feeders will bring in.