When I first started bird watching, we had neither birdfeeders nor store bought solutions. Nature had everything the birds needed, and with some creative planning, so can your yard. If you want to draw birds to your yard more naturally, or want to add to your existing feeders, here are some perennial ways to attract birds to your yard without standard bird feeders.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
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Elderberry, holly, and viburnum shrubs provide birds with food sources that they instinctively forage for. Additionally, these plants offer nesting habitats as well as shelters from predators. The shrubs’ berries serve as feeders for birds, providing them with crucial nutrients and energy during their foraging seasons.
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2. Create a Water Feature
Birds love water! They will flock to a shallow basin with a solar bubbler (or a solar drip system) to get moving water. Just like us, birds need water to drink and stay clean and take baths. You will be surprised by all the wonderful visitors your basin will attract!
3. Maintain Natural Meadow Areas
Leave a section of your yard to grow wild with native grasses and wildflowers. These spaces provide seeds, insects, and nesting materials that attract birds, and they will find these natural buffets quickly. You will also enjoy less mowing and a beautiful low-maintenance yard that supports wildlife!
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4. Build Brush Piles
Rather than taking away fallen branches and yard trimmings, place them in the back corners of your yard in the form of brush piles. These natural brush piles help provide much-needed cover for ground feeding birds, as well as helping to hide them from the predators. To provide a welcoming place for birds in your brush piles, place larger branches at the bottom and cover them with smaller twigs and leaves.
5. Plant Native Sunflowers
Want some natural bird feeders in your garden? Native sunflowers fit the bill. Plant them in clumps and let them go to seed. You will attract finches, chickadees, and other seed eaters. The tall stalks make a perfect perch, and large flower heads provide easy access to nutritious seeds. Plus, they will keep birds visiting well into fall and winter.
6. Cultivate Fruit Trees
Crabapples, serviceberries, and native cherries are small fruit trees that provide food and shelter year-round. Birds appreciate the trees as food sources and the branches as view point lookouts. If you don't collect the fruit, the birds will make sure it won't go unharvested.
7. Create Rock Piles
Create rock gardens that provide perches and hiding spaces for insects that are eaten by birds. Rock gardens soak up the sun and attract the insects that birds like to bask near. The gaps between the rocks collect seeds creating small feeding stations.
8. Leave Dead Tree Snags
If you have a dead tree on your property, and it’s not a potential safety hazard, you might consider keeping it as a natural habitat for birds. Snags provide woodpeckers and other cavity-nesting birds with both food and nesting opportunities. Just be sure that the snag is stable, and is far enough away from any structures to pose a risk.
