There are millions of people who spend a lot of time watching and enjoying birds … without even having a pet bird in their home !

You can set up your backyard, big or small, to be an inviting place for birds. And the birds will come, whether you live in an apartment in New York, a house in Seattle, a ranch in Montana or a beach front home in Miami. If you don’t think there are any birds near where you live just go outside, stand still, listen and you’ll hear them.

Setting up a “Bird Backyard” is really easy and you might find that some of the birds will live there all year long, raising their families. Here are a few things you’ll need to do.

Trees and Flowers …
Birds love to be around flowers and plants because of their berries and seeds. They also can get insects that live in a trees bark. Ask your local greenhouse owner what kinds of plants have non-poisonous berries and plant a few of them in your garden. Plant any new trees, or bushes, in your yard close enough to your house so you can watch the birds even when you are inside your home.

Water ….
Birds like water. There are tons of different kinds of birdbaths and fountains that you can buy at your local hardware store. If you want to make your own here’s an idea. Recycle an old Frisbee … take and put it upside down, put a few marbles or stones in the bottom [for weight], put it on a flat surface [top of a wall, tree stump or rock] and fill it full of water.

Feeders …
There are so many kinds of bird feeders you can buy. You can also make your own. Just be sure and fill it full of bird seed. In colder months, suet is a great way to feed your backyard birds. Suet [hyperlink to vid on suet] is a ball or square of wax / lard that has the bird seeds stuck all around the outside. It hangs from a tree in a wire cage and the birds can land on the cage and poke their beaks inside and eat the seeds.

Birdhouse …
This is something else you won’t have any trouble finding at your local pet store. It’s also a fun thing to make together with your family. Be sure to put it on the side of the garage or hanging from a tree away from the tree trunk and ground. This is to protect your backyard birds from other animals.