A Top Ten Guide --
1. If you plant it, they will come
Select native plants for your garden
Native Plants Attract Native Birds
Birds and Berries
Hummingbird Haven
October Planting for Wildlife
Pileated Applepeckers
Robins and Berries in Winter
2. Variety is the spice of life
A variety of food sources attracts a broad range of birds
Seed and Suet - Just Add Water
Fruit as a Bribe for Birds
Birds as Pollinators
Winter Birds Love Suet
Hummingbirds and Sapsuckers
3. Planning for a choir... and soloists
Plant in layers for a medley of birdsong
Nesting Niches
4. Don’t forget the water – all year round
Birdbaths, ponds, streams, and misters
Birdbaths in Winter
Birds Need Water in Summer
How Birds Drink
5. For every bird, a home
Nestboxes, snags, leaf piles
The Perfect Nestbox
Swallows Return to Nest
Song Sparrow in Your Brush Pile
The Snag: A Wildlife Condo
6. Minimize predation and be a responsible landlord
Locate food sources, water, and nestboxes
away from cats and dogs
Keep Your Cats Indoors
Responsible Birdfeeding
7. Let the birds be superheroes
Harness the power of birds to fight
common garden pests, and eliminate pesticides
Barn Swallow - Natural Pest Control
How Many Bugs Do Birds Eat?
An army of Bushtits
8. When Things Go Wrong
Helping Birds Avoid Collisions with Glass
Helping Birds Survive Window Strikes
Baby Birds: “Rescue” Them — Or Leave Them Alone?
9. Relax…
and let your garden “go to seed”
Birds in the Winter Garden
The Moon of Falling Leaves
Leave the Leaves
10. Take the bird’s eye view
See your garden through the eyes of birds
Learn everything you can about your garden birds: their names, their calls, their songs, their alarms. Observe what they flock to, and enhance that resource. Noticing birds and digging deeper into their lives will bring you a deeper appreciation of their many contributions, deepen your enjoyment, and greatly enrich your gardening practice.
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Additional Resources…From BirdNote and Beyond
Native gardening and landscaping
Plants for a Bird-friendly Yard
Master Gardeners Can Help
Garden Design for Birds
BirdNote: Autumn Tasks
Russell Link: Planting with Wildlife in Mind
Russell Link: My Favorite Things(plants, that is…)
Joanna Buehler, Creative Landscaping Captures Run Off
Audubon: Planting for Birds and Wildlife
Cornell: Attracting Birds with Landscaping
Carole Sevilla Brown: Ecosystem Gardening
Birdbaths and Water Features
Birdbaths - More at All About Birds
Birdfeeding
BirdNote: Feeding Birds Responsibly
Audubon: Birdfeeding Basics
Audubon: Feeder Location
Hummingbird Homebrew - A Recipe
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Thanks to the following photographers:
Anna's Hummingbird © Michelle Lamberson
Chestnut-backed Chickadee © Mike Hamilton
American Robin © Mike Hamilton
Chipping Sparrow © Gregg Thompson
Bushtit © Mike Hamilton
Pileated Woodpeckers © Gregg Thompson
Black-capped Chickadee slideshow - Lalo Pangue CC