Increase Your Backyard Bird Watching Traffic Today
Bird Watching at Home – for CHEAP!
Updated: January 29, 2024
That’s right, it’s easy and inexpensive to bring backyard bird watching to your living space with these simple techniques. Songbirds, hummingbirds and other pollinators are easy to attract. Whether you live in a lush, green climate, desert or area with harsh conditions like the coast or high mountains, inviting birds to your yard is absolutely possible! Let’s talk about what birds love and how to attract them year-round for excellent bird watching!
My yard is like Grand Central Station for the backyard bird. I have at least 20 species of birds that visit my feeders at any given time of the year. (Do you love hummingbirds? Here’s my tried-and-true system for attracting hummingbirds.) Here in the high desert, I welcome year-round birds such as bluebirds, sparrows, finches and woodpeckers. Throughout the year, it’s common to see beautiful flickers, hummingbirds, waxwings and more at the feeders! There’s no secret to bringing in the birds throughout the year, but definitely some strategy to creating this habitat!
You don’t need a fortune – here are my tried-and-true strategies for attracting birds for bird watching, encouraging nesting, and drawing in various species.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Food
I know it sounds simple – it IS simple! Birds love food. And they really love a reliable food source. If you want to have steady traffic year-round, as well as visits from those rare migrating birds, keep those feeder full year-round. You see, the feeders that are well stocked are noticed by birds on migration paths. You’re more likely to see that “rare” beauty by being a reliable stop for other birds.
Are you a fellow gardener? If so, you have probably seen birds who love to eat your flower seeds in the fall. Each year it’s a race between me and the birds to harvest my sunflower seeds. I save my seeds each year using my DIY Seed Catalog and enjoy the same varieties each year. The birds also love to each little bugs off of flowers, which I don’t mind. It’s natural pest control!
I provide a variety of food sources for the backyard bird, so I can attract diverse species for bird watching. This encourages nearby nesting, too. It’s best to keep my feeders full so the little chirpers come to rely on the source. In my yard, you will find several types of food at a time: sugar nectar, suet, wild birdseed, and black-oil sunflower seeds (BOSS).
I live in a rural area, so I naturally have lots of rodents – mice, packrats and rabbits. Therefore I store my birdseeds in a secure tote, stored in my garage. If I leave the seed in bags, the little rodents eat right through the bags and then I have “other” visitors for a few months! Heavy Duty Rubbermaid totes have been perfect for this. I can fit one large bag of wild birdseed mixed with BOSS in each tote.
How Many Feeders for Bird Watching?
At any given point, I have 8-10 feeders throughout my yard that is 2-3 fenced acres. I space my backyard bird feeders throughout the yard so that one area doesn’t get taken over by a territorial bluejay, starlings or those pesky boat-tailed grackles (I experienced them on the East Coast). Some feeders are small, some feeders are large. How do I go about keeping them full? I load my birdseed-filled tote into my wagon and do a lap around the yard, filling the feeders about once every 2 weeks.
Now some of you might be thinking, “Whoa – that’s a TON of feeders! I can’t do that.”
It’s really not as hard as it sounds. If you’re like me, I really love birds and am a dedicated bird watcher. I also participate in Project FeederWatch from The Cornell Lab. As a science teacher, I loved to teach my students about the annual bird counts and about the fun species I see from my windows.
Start as small as you’d like; choose whatever is best for you, your family and your yard. Even one feeder is sure to bring you backyard bird traffic and lots of joy! I recommend that people start with one birdseed feeder and one hummingbird feeder. That combination is sure to bring activity and fun to any yard, patio, window sill or balcony.
Types of Food Matters in Bird Watching
“Different strokes for different folks,” they say! The same is true for the backyard bird watching strategist. My backyard bird feeders hold the following foods: sugar nectar, suet, wild birdseed and black-oil sunflower seeds (BOSS). These foods are all super easy to find (or make from scratch); I grow my own sunflowers to help offset the cost of buying seeds all year long.
Hummingbirds: The hummingbird loves a simple sugar nectar and lots of it! I also have lots of trumpet-like flowers in my yard, so it’s no surprise that these territorial little babes take over the feeders in the warm months. Check out my post here on my secrets to happy hummers. There you’ll also find the *perfect* recipe for sugar nectar and how to take care of your feeders. They’re a little finicky but super easy to take care of, if you know what to watch for.
Woodpecker-types: We have a plethora of Northern Flickers in our area and they LOVE a great suet! I pair my feeders near basic birdseed to provide a buffet option. 🙂 Suet is also a much-loved treat for chickadees. I’ve made my own suet out of tallow, peanut butter, nuts, seeds and fruit. It’s fun to make and a great food for the winter birds!
Woodland Birds and more: For all the other birds out there, I provide a blend of (their favorite) black-oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) and a wild birdseed mix. My favorite ratio is about 80% BOSS and 20% seed mix. I’ve learned over the years that the seed mixes are usually of lower interest; it often end up on the ground. Some are comprised of “filler seeds” like corn, millet and wheat berries – not yummy! So the BOSS it is! Bird watching is a cinch when they have the food they love.
Here are some photos from the yard:
Types of Bird Watching Feeders – So Many Options!
I also use a variety of feeder types, spaced throughout my yard. Use multi-armed stakes to hang the buffets of bird seeds; that makes it easy to fill them all at once. My wagon gets loaded up with seeds/suet/nectar; I do a lap around the yard when it’s time to refill everything. Quick, easy and efficient!
Notice my photo above – suet next to seed mixes. This helps to keep everyone “happy” in the yard. When one territorial scrub jay takes over, another backyard bird can find what they want around the corner.
Here are some of my favorite, affordable feeders to mix-and-match throughout the yard:
Protecting the Food from Critters
A full backyard bird feeder is a welcome sight for other pests and rodents, so beware! It makes for more than just bird watching – it creates wildlife watching! If you naturally have a mouse problem, a bird feeder is not going to help your situation. But a well-planned layout and integrated pest management can make your pests a non-issue.
Here are some AWESOME tools to have as part of your anti-pest plan for your backyard bird oasis.
Baffler – These sweet little inventions are great at keeping squirrels and chip monks out of your bird feeders. They are wide plastic dishes that hang over your bird feeder. As a rodent climbs down to get food, the baffler flips them off and prevents them from getting food directly from the feeder. Instead, you’ll often see the little guys on the ground – cleaning up scraps.
Anti-Rodents – When we first moved to our spot, we had a serious packrat problem. They destroyed our first round of ductwork under our house! It wasn’t until they mowed down my dahlias that I declared “WAR.” We purchased “raticators” from Amazon (found here). They were AWESOME. Every day for at least a month we caught mice and packrats. Once the population dropped, we did away with the traps. Now we have a few happy barn cats.
No-Mess Mixes – The first line of defense in any pest management system is to eliminate the food source. I *love* the no mess bird seed mixes because everything gets eaten. There is so much “filler” seed in wild birdseed mixes (even the expensive ones) that birds toss it to the ground, leaving it for scavengers like mice. No-mess seeds (like these) reduce the waste and make for happy birds. I know it’s more expensive up front, but I have calculated that I spend the same amount because less is going to waste.
Water is Essential for Bird Watching
It sounds simple but yes, even birds need water! They use it for drinking and cleaning their feathers. I provide a water source as much as possible including bird baths and fountains.
It’s tough to keep them thawed in winter so I keep mine on the sunny side of the house in winter, and in the shade in summer. I don’t focus on keeping my bird baths full in the Spring; there is so much snowmelt that I know they do okay on their own. But in the other three seasons, I make sure my birds have a water option.
Bird Houses
Not all bird houses are created equal! Which house you should install depends on what you’re trying to attract. Here are some of my favorite types of bird houses and what they might attract.
Chickadees, Wrens and Small Songbirds – The most common bird at my feeders is chickadees. These tiny songbirds bounce through the sky while in flight and bring beautiful chirping to your yard.
Hummingbirds – These voracious eaters are very prolific in my yard, thanks to my best practices for attracting hummingbirds. Provide them with simple hanging nests, tucked up in trees, and help keep them around throughout the year.
Nesting Material – Give your hummingbirds and songbirds a little extra help with their nests by providing them with comfortable nest-building materials. You can refill this with fabric scraps or refillable cotton as it empties in Spring.
Bluebirds – Bluebirds are great nesters and will quickly fill the classic bluebird box in your yard. Ours are filled with Western Bluebirds; we have them situated on the far edge of the yard to provide these little birds privacy.
Songbirds – Attract a variety of your native songbirds with a multi-compartment birdhouse. Nuthatches, wrens, chickadees, and martins will move in and be very happy in a place like this.
Robins and Cardinals – Some birds like platforms upon which to build their homes. These sturdy flat, covered surfaces will attract larger songbirds to your yard.
Protecting Birds While Bird Watching
Birds are timid. They need protection to keep coming back over and over again. It’s best to hang feeders near trees so they can scope out the surroundings before coming in for dinner.
Don’t forget about pets! We have cats to help control the pests in our yard. I’m glad that they are such good hunters, but I want them to stay away from birds! Do your best to position feeders high off the ground and away from where cats might frequent. Be careful – cats can jump higher than you think!
We placed bird boxes throughout our yard. This also helps encourage nesting and provides protection for young families.
That said, I really like bird watching! So I have some feeders close to the house. Be careful though! Place them too close to a window and you run the risk of losing birds to window crashes. Test your locations to see which are best for them.
Plants and Flowers
Flowers and plants are a wonderful, natural source of food and shelter for the variety of birds that you’ll find in your backyard! Our birds love to eat bugs off of flowers (thank you for eating aphids!) and it’s very common to see our rufous hummingbirds drinking nectar from our salvias, penstemons and trumpet flowers.
Visit your local native-plant nursery to find flowering plants and shrubs that will be perfect for your yard! This will also help your native birds find shelter to which they may already be adapted.
These are some of our favorite flowers!
Putting it all together for excellent Bird Batching
Here are my tricks for keeping the bird traffic hopping in my backyard oasis:
- Keep feeders full with a variety of bird-loving foods (seeds, suet, nectar), especially black-oil sunflower seeds!
- Provide fresh water sources
- Protect the bird feeders from risk of cats, squirrels and dogs
- Place feeders near trees so they can perch before swooping in
- Provide bird boxes and habitat options for safe breeding
Best of luck with your backyard bird-loving oasis! Post a comment or share a link to photos of your yard. I love to see how others are bringing in the birdies.
Take care!
4 Comments
Carol
Hello! Thank you for this article. I have become very interested in habitats that support bird life and how to make my own wiser choices in the yard. Do you have information on “caterpillar gardens” to support the needs of baby bird food?
Sassy Bluejay
Hi Carol ~ I don’t have any specific information on this concept but I am so interested! This year I’m planning to expand my butterfly and pollinator garden. I’ll look into this as I’m deciding on species to plant. Great idea! That blends my passion for bird watching AND gardening 🙂
Lois
Re: multi compartment bird houses
I had a cute birdhouse which eastern bluebirds used. Unfortunately it wasn’t deep enough and a woodpecker destroyed the eggs.
What would be a good depth for songbirds?
Sassy Bluejay
Oh no 🙁 That is unfortunate. We have Northern Flickers in our region and they, too, are curious about songbird nests. Have you seen the predator guards available online? Amazon has 1.5″ ones. They make bluebird house openings tiny so that only little bluebirds can get in. Good luck! Let me know what you find that works!