Oh, how enjoyable it is to view our birds coming back every spring! And every year it becomes even more rewarding to carefully construct a miniature nature preserve in the backyard to invite our little friends in. Just a few small changes to your outdoor environment can help guarantee your yard becomes a seasonal home to the lovely singing birds and the beautiful colorful visitors.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check Price1. American Robin
The American Robin is one of the first signs of spring. Because of their beautiful orange chest and lovely song, the American Robin has captured the hearts of many people. These charming birds come back to the same territories year after year. If you want American Robins to come back to your territory, shallow bird baths will attract them, they love water features. To attract these thrushes, we recommend planting dogwood, crabapple, and serviceberry trees as well as shrubs. With these plants, you will create an irresistible buffet for them. To help American Robins, leave some areas of your lawn untreated with pesticides so they can hunt for earthworms.
Save this article for later so you don't lose it. Enter your email and I'll send it to you now—plus you'll get my favorite backyard birding tips delivered to your inbox.
2. Eastern Bluebird
The vividly bright blue of the Eastern Bluebird can make any backyard happy. And these birds love doing the same thing over and over. Build suitable bluebird houses (with 1 ½ inch entrance holes) about 5-6 feet off the ground and away from the wind. Space your houses at least 100 yards apart, because bluebirds are very territorial. Make an open space for insects, so the birds will have easy access to their favorite food: beetles, caterpillars and grasshoppers. Avoid using pesticides, and keep an open grassy area.
3. Baltimore Oriole
Brightly colored Baltimore Orioles travel north at the start of every spring. Because they are a species of tropical migrant, they are able to remember certain areas where food is readily available. To attract these birds, special food sources such as a feeder filled with sugar water (1 part sugar to 4 parts water) should be put out at the end of April. These birds also love to eat orange halves, which can be hung on tree branches to attract them. Flowering trees such as wild cherry and serviceberry are great to plant as they also provide nesting sites. The dark fruits that are loved by the Baltimore Oriole will be readily available on these trees. The sock-like nests that these birds hang from tall trees are a wonderful sight to see.
Get our free Hummingbird Attraction Guide! Plus, we'll send you our best tips for attracting more birds to your yard.
4. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
These small gems of the sky have amazing memory and will come back to the same nectar sources year after year. To get ready to welcome them back to the area, hang hummingbird feeders that are filled with an \n+ 1 part sugar to 4 parts water \n + ( no red dye needed) about two weeks before they are expected to arrive. Plant bright-colored evergreen trumpet vines, bee balm, and cardinal flower, to set up a natural buffet. The feeders should b cleaned and the nectar should be changed every few days when the weather is hot to prevent the growth of harmful molds.
5. Purple Martin
The Purple Martin birds in eastern North America are almost completely reliant on humans for shelters. For this reason, they are ideal loyal returners. Place a suitable marti house or gourd rack in a space that is open at least 40 feet away from tall trees and between 15-20 feet off the ground. These social birds like to nest in groups, so houses with many compartments are ideal. Open the house just before they are expected to arrive in your area, and close it again after migration to stop the sparrows and starlings from claiming the house.
6. Tree Swallow
Tree Swallows are pretty and helpful by eating insects. The are blue and green with white undersides. Place nesting boxes with 1.5 inch diameter holes in open space close to water. Swallows will nest at the same place many times. If you leave open space, they will do their feeding flights. They will be helpful by reducing mosquitoes in the area, and your summer evenings will be better.
7. Barn Swallow
Barn Swallows are great builders and create their nests using mud and other materials. To help them out a little, you can put up nesting shelves by your barn, garage, or even your porch. In spring, keep an area of your yard muddy since these birds need mud to help build their nests. Nest-building materials can be found in nature, and these birds are known to visit the same nesting site. They arrive there with great timing, often just a few days from the date they arrived the previous year.
8. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
If conditions are ideal, the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak will return to visit. The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak is quite a stunning site with a triangular rosy patch on its breast its black and white plumage, which makes it a sought after visitor. To maintain ideal conditions, fill the platform feeders with black sunflower seeds since that is their absolute favorite. In addition, planting wild cherries, dogwoods or serviceberries will help. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks also enjoy nesting in older deciduous trees, so having some larger trees on your property will help attract the larger trees in your property.
9. Northern Cardinal
The lovely red birds that we love so dearly don't migrate, but they claim homes that defend year-round as long as the habitat is right. Create thickets of dense shrubs, including evergreens and spiny nesting/thicket shrubs, to provide them safe places to nest and evade predation. It's very important to position your feeders with black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and cracked corn year-round, Heaped birdbaths will crisp them loyal to your yard year-round. These birds are the true sounds of Spring, as they return to previously claimed homes year after year. If there is a wet area or pond on your property, consider planting cattails as nesting habitat. If you don't have a wetland, platform feeders with cracked corn, millet, and sunflower seeds will bring them in. They love foraging on the ground, so be sure to scatter seed under shrubs!
