Michigan Audubon Society
Living with Wildlife
Your Backyard: A Wildlife Invitation
by Cyndi Lieski
There are many ways to invite wildlife into your backyard. It can be as simple as putting up an inexpensive bird feeder to as complex as designing an area specially landscaped to attract wildlife.
Here are a few ways you can invite birds into your backyard.
- Sources of fresh water can be the most important way you help birds in your area. Birdbaths, small ponds and fountains all can be used to offer water. Water drippers, either homemade or purchased from garden stores, will attract birds with dripping sounds.
- Birdbaths should be filled with fresh water two to three times per week and cleaned periodically with a weak solution of 1/4 cup of bleach in two gallons of warm water.
- Use a birdbath heater, usually found at specialty stores, to provide drinking water through the frigid Michigan winters.
- Provide native plants or hanging feeders to attract hungry birds to your yard. Black oil sunflower seeds are a good and economical choice to use as they appeal to many different birds and they can be less expensive than many "gourmet" bird seed mixes. There are many on-line resources that provide information on the best food to attract different species of birds.
- Clean feeders regularly to prevent the spread of disease or to eliminate seeds that may be rotting in the bottom of the feeder. Use a weak solution of 1/4 cup of bleach in two gallons of warm water.
- Feeders should be located 10-12 feet from low shrubs or brush piles. Make sure the feeders are not located in an area that provides hiding places for cats or other predators.
- A number of birds will not eat at seed feeders or prefer only fruits or insects. Using native plants and keeping your yard a pesticide-free zone will help provide for these species.
- Woodpeckers, nuthatches and other insect-eating birds prefer suet feeders. There are many on-line resources for making homemade suet cakes. Suet feeders and cakes are also available at many specialty stores. Please be aware that during warm weather suet will become rancid in a short period of time.
- To discourage raccoons or deer from raiding your feeders, put out only the amount of seed that will be eaten in one day.
- Hang 8-10 inch lengths of yarn, string, excess hair from pets, small strips of cloth, and or dried grass from trees for birds to use as nest-building material.
- Provide shelter by planting trees, shrubs or tall grasses or by hanging bird houses and nesting boxes in your yard. Before placing a birdhouse in your yard, determine what kind of bird you want as a tenant. Birds have specific requirements for the type of house and the size of the entry hole they will use. If the species you want doesn't like the house you select, a less desirable species may move in. Also, make sure the house is the specified height above the ground and offers access to vegetation and water.
To attract other wildlife to your yard consider these ideas.
- Evergreens can be especially attractive as shelter in the winter for many species. Low growing plants will provide protection for small animals such as rabbits.
- Provide shelter for ground dwelling species--such as toads and chipmunks--with small piles of rocks, branches, or a decaying log or stump. A piece of drain tile or other tubular material can provide protection from predators and the weather.
- Birdhouses may provide alternative nesting sites for some species, such as squirrels and mice.
For more information, visit http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/index.html.
