You could be attracting over 50 species of birds to your yard without lifting a finger. Unlike your neighbors that spend hundreds of dollars to attract birds to their yards with bird feeders that need to be refilled, you can make a self-sustaining bird sanctuary by using a mix of native bird houses and plants that function together as nature designed.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check PriceThe answer is not just placing birdhouses in random spots. You have to know what each layer of the habitat provides. Some birds feed in the understory, while others have high-canopy nesting sites. When you incorporate suitable structures and seasonal food-providing native plants, you complete the ecosystem and support birds throughout their entire life cycle.
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1. Nestkasten-System für Ostblauhäher
Mount your bluebird house on a pole at 5-6 feet height in open areas with short grass nearby. The entrance hole should be 1.5 inches to keep starlings out and allow bluebirds in. Position the houses 100 yards apart as bluebirds are very territorial. Face the entrance hole away from the wind and the setting sun. Also plant some native berry plants, like serviceberry and elderberry, within 300 feet of your bluebird house; bluebirds need protein-rich insects to feed their babies, but the adults will switch to berries as fuel.
2. Tree-Cavity Specialists Haven
Even though their needs are similar, chickadees, nuthatches, and house wrens have different preferences when it comes to hole size. Install 1.125-inch holes for house wrens, 1.25-inch holes for chickadees, and 1.375-inch holes for white-breasted nuthatches. These should be mounted 6 to 12 feet high on either tree trunks or secured posts. If you put native seed producers like sunflowers, coneflowers, and black-eyed susans around your birdhouses, they will provide natural feeding stations from July through March. The flowers will provide food at different times, so you will have food consistently throughout that time period.
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3. Sparrow Sanctuary on Ground Level
You can make piles of sticks from fallen branches near the areas with native grasses. Song sparrows, white-throated sparrows, and juncos need thick brush piles low to the ground to help them nesting and protecting them from predators. Also, plant native bunch grasses such as little bluestem and buffalo grass. These grasses provide small seeds that are suitable for sparrows. For the winter, leave the seed heads standing, which will create natural bird feeders that will be feeding the birds when they need it the most.
4. Network of Hummingbird Fuel Stations
To attract hummingbirds, plant native red columbine, bee balm, and cardinal flowers in clusters instead of single plants. Hummingbirds follow what are called 'traplines' – regular routes between reliable nectar sources. To encourage this behavior, space flowering plants 10 – 15 ft. from one another. To create natural refueling stops for both resident, as well as migratory hummingbirds, include plants that bloom in succession: wild bergamot in early summer, bee balm in mid-summer, and cardinal flowers in late summer.
5. Bat Conservation Tower
Install bat houses facing southeast so they can have morning sun but not get too hot in the afternoon. Bat houses should be placed at 12-15 feet high. One bat can catch and eat 1,000 mosquitoes in one hour. This makes bats the best option for pest control in your yard. To lure bats, plant native flowers that bloom in the evening such as four o'clocks and night-blooming cereus. This will establish a full nighttime ecosystem where the plants feed the insects and the insects feed the bats.
6. System For Water Feature All Year
Most water features fail due to the lack of perching areas or the water being too deep for birds to access. Add perching spots by creating shallow areas (1-2 inches deep) with flat stones. Include a small dripper or fountain as the sound of moving water will attract birds from great distances. Use a heated bird bath in the winter and enjoy the limited reliable water source as other birds will be drawn to the water source that will be only birds from your neighborhood.
7. Native Berry Production Line
In a triangular configuration, plant the elderberry, serviceberry, and dogwood. Each will mature at different times, providing a continuous supply of food for birds. Elderberries will feed over 40 different species of birds, serviceberries will support all types of robins and cedars waxwings, and the dogwood berries are high in fat and fuel for the migratory birds in the fall. Be sure to plant these close to your nesting boxes for birds because the parent birds like to nest their babies close to dependable food sources.
8. Multi-Story Habitat Structure
Construct a basic tripod using three eight-foot poles. Use native climbing vines, such as Virginia creeper or native honeysuckle, and plant some native shrubs around the base of the tripod with wildflowers on the outside. This provides three habitat levels. For ground foraging birds, use the flower area, for mid-level birds who nest in the shrubs, and for canopy birds who use the climbing vines. You will have created a bird apartment complex where every species has their ideal floor.
The beauty of this system is that every year, as time goes by, it becomes more enticing to the birds. The native plants you select will develop more robust root systems, produce more seed and berry food sources, and draw in more insects. Your bird houses will naturally weather and become more appealing to cavity nesting species. In just three years, you will have established an entire ecosystem that is far more efficient than any artificial bird feeder and will require almost no work from you.
