We talked about pollinator gardens recently, but what about those other flying creatures – birds. While the pollinating insects tend to get the most attention in our gardens, there’s no reason why we can’t also support birds with a little special attention to how we approach our landscape.

When we talk about using our landscapes to support the local bird population, the first thing we probably think of is a bird feeder. Bird feeders are a great addition to our gardens but are most useful in the winter when more natural food sources are scarce. However, if you enjoy seeing birds in your yard all year long, there’s nothing wrong with supporting them with a bird feeder.

Bird feeders don’t need to be fancy. A simple tray type, hanging feeder works just fine. If you would like to attract smaller birds like finches, there are special feeders for them. Either way, a seed mix rather than just sunflower seeds or some other seed is a good way to start. Bottom line, a variety of seeds will help attract a variety of birds.

There are quite a few options available that you have probably seen online that combine a web camera with a bird feeder. These sound kind of fun in that you can get some close-up photos of birds dining at your feeder. But a camera with a zoom lens will do pretty much the same thing.

While bird feeders are great, a more natural approach to attracting birds to your landscape would be found in providing them an ecosystem or habitat in which they can live. Here’s how you can do that.

We have a sizeable holly in our yard and the smaller birds tend to use it as home base when visiting our bird feeder. They pop in and out of the holly to feed and at the hint of danger they all disappear inside the shrub. Hollies are great at providing shelter, but there’s an added bonus for the birds with those berries. If you have a holly, you’ll soon learn that cedar waxwings and robins love those berries. Plus, hollies are typically buzzing with bees in the spring when the holly flowers bloom. In addition to hollies, clematis, honeysuckle, or grapes also provide a good place for birds to shelter. Other evergreens are also great since the provide cover throughout the year.

Birds can be your first line of defense for your garden in that birds enjoy eating caterpillars and there are a variety of caterpillars that enjoy dining on your vegetables. The birds will come for the feeder but find the caterpillars. It’s a win-win.

Another thing that will help encourage birds to hang around your landscape is your lawn. A healthy lawn will encourage the development of worms, and a variety of birds including flickers, robins, and mockingbirds will enjoy dining on those worms. In addition, I remember mowing our yard and seeing insects lifting off from the ground ahead of me, only to see birds swooping in to dine on those insects. Speaking of lawns, dandelion seeds will also be enjoyed by finches and sparrows.

And here’s an idea for those pruned branches from trees and shrubs. What about rather than sending them off in the trash, try piling them up in an out of the way place. This is a good excuse for you to get out of some yard work since these piles will also provide a place for birds to shelter. Birds that will appreciate these piles include towhees, wrens, cardinals, and sparrows.

Providing a water source is also a good idea and by water source, we are mainly talking about bird baths. When selecting a bird bath, be sure to pick one that isn’t more than two inches deep. Depositing a few rocks in the water is also a good idea since it will give the birds more places to stand. Just remember to hose out the bird bath a couple of times a week to help minimize disease. And then, once or twice a year, clean it with a 10% bleach solution.

Be sure to keep bird feeders and bird baths about 10 feet away from trees and shrubs. This will make it more difficult for a neighborhood cat to sneak up on your birds. Granted, they are not your birds, but we do kind of adopt them into our outdoor family as they come to visit us every day.

Last but not least, birdhouses can be fun. You can purchase kits online or build one from those wood scrapes in the garage you are saving for a special project. We have a link to more information on building birdhouses on our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org). Just click on the Hot Topics button on the home page. See you in the garden…maybe along with some birds!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo OSU Ag. Comm.