Do you recall just tossing stale bread into the backyard and hoping to get a bird or two to show up? These times have changed a lot! Now, attracting backyard birds is a skill that takes a lot of time to develop. With specialty bird foods, designer bird baths, and bird gadgets galore, opening the backyard up to birds has become a true hobby. But wait! Before you get all the way into this hobby, you should know that there are some mistakes you may be making that are really going to hurt your chances of creating a bird friendly backyard.

Your Feeders Are Like a Fast Food Drive-Through for Squirrels

The thing that you bought that is marked as squirrel-proof has become a new obstacle course for local squirrels. These furry little athletes see your feeder as a new acrobatic challenge to take. While your guests are going to be fed squirrels are going to take all of the food, and your guests are going to be stuck watching them take all of the food.

The Plastic Bird Bath is effectively a heat lamp.

That bright plastic bathtub in the direct sun is not the cool oasis you think it is. On warm summer days, it heats up faster than the road in August and thereby turns your best intentions into a little soup for the birds. It's no surprise that the only visitors are the occasional frantic bee.

You're running a social club for only Starling users.

Your yard may sound like a heavy metal concert of squawks and squeals, and that\u2019s because you have probably created a hotspot for European Starlings. These feathered party crashers come in huge numbers and monopolize the buffet while driving away your songbirds before you can say ‘invasive species' and pack their bags. You need to rethink your menu and feeder style.

The "bargain" birdseed is just birdseed floor sweepings.

The big brand birdseed can contain more cheap broken corn, wheat, and unidentifiable grains than what you would find in clearance bins. Your birds will end up tossing all of this seed on the ground and creating a rodent feeding free-for-all.

You're Managing a Year-Round All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

More food means more birds, right? Not necessarily. Your kind heart could be causing more issues than you think. When feeders are constantly filled, birds can become reliant on you, and they can spread diseases much quicker than you can imagine. In this case, tough love means allowing them to find food on their own.

Mirrors Are Causing an Identity Crisis for Birds

Up until dawn bird fights with reflections, garden mirrors seemed like an adorable addition. Now your local cardinal is engaged in combats with a false enemy, and your calm garden is a war zone. Poor bird is driving himself nuts defending his territory against just his own reflection.

Your 'Natural' Garden Is a Five-Star Restaurant for Cats

What a beautiful native garden with thick shrubs and ground cover! Did you know that native plant gardens double as stealth-training courses for all of the neighborhood cats? While you enjoy watching the birds at the feeders, the cat next door, Fluffy, has a different idea. Instead of hunting in the backyard, they will use your native garden as a cat playground.

The Water is Deeper than the Titanic

Having a bird bath that is deep is like making an olympic swimming pool. Most birds won't dive into the bath if they have to swim. Most of the time a shallow dip of about 1 inch is enough for the birds to take a dip. A deeper bird bath will actually scare away birds because they might think it will be too deep to swim.

You have inadvertently created a hawks hunting zone

That big open area where feeding is really easy for birds? That’s like a drive thru for hawks! While you sit back and enjoy the popularity of your feeders, you have unwittingly created a version of dinner theater with the songbirds as the unfortunate stars!

That old bread has about the same nutritional value as cardboard

It might seem frugal to throw out stale sourdough, but feeding birds is just as unhealthy as a candy bar is to humans! Birds need a balanced diet including protein and carbs, and just like with people, feeding them empty carbs will leave them malnourished!

Your Feeders are a Petri Dish of Bird Flu

Do you remember the last time you cleaned your bird feeders? If not, you are essentially operating a restaurant for birds that is highly unhygenic and getting a low health score! Your filthy feeders are more likely to spread diseases compared to a preschool during flu season.

The 'Ideal' Location Is Really A Death Trap For Windows

Birds can use picture windows as obstacles. Your feeders may give you a nice view through the window, but will cause more bird head injuries than a Stooges marathon. Birds use reflected and virtual structures as a clear path to fly through.

Tiny Leg Traps Could Be Those String Decorations

While pretty decorative garden twine and strings are Pinterest-worthy, they can become a serious hazard. The loose fibers can easily trap a small bird's foot, converting your yard into a trap.

The Hazard of Nesting Materials That You "Helpful"

While it may seem like a nice idea to leave yarn scraps and dryer lint for birds' nests, it is not a good idea. Yarn and dryer lint aren't great for birds since \they are construction materials that will fall apart after rain.

The Feeders Are Playing Musical Chairs

Feeding birds should be more comfortable than your dinner party analogy with chairs all bunched together. Different species like to hang out in different zones. Set up your feeders spaced out enough to avoid more drama than a reality show.