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Plant Native Plants:  They are pre-adapted to your local climate and are more likely to leaf out and produce the right food at the right time for native birds.

 

Provide a Water Source:  Put these near protective shrubs during summer months.  On hot days birds are especially eager to drink and bathe.  Birdbaths should be only an inch or two deep with a shallow slope.  A dripping effect or fountain will lure even more birds.

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Create a Songbird Border:  Plant native trees and shrubs along the edge of your property that meet the needs of birds through the year.  Remember to include evergreens for cover during extreme heat and cold.

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Plant Long-Lived Native Trees:  Oaks and Maples can provide shelter, food and singing perches for birds for centuries to come.  Planting a long-lived tree is a gift to future generations of both birds and people.

 

Create a Brush Pile:  Each time a storm drops limbs on your property, pile them up.  During spring cleanup save those downed limbs and tree trunks.  Layer the larger logs as a foundation, and then build up the pile in successive layers.  Songbirds will find shelter from extreme weather in such cover throughout the year.

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Reduce Your Lawn:  Favor meadow and taller grasses to provide seeds and nesting places for birds.  Cut this meadow just once a year and let the remainder of the lawn grow at least 3 inches tall before cutting.