Turning your backyard into a natural oasis for birds is a great way to attract a variety of wild species to your yard. This simple project will not only delight your local wildlife, but it can also bring you joy and a deeper connection to the natural world right outside your door.
Imagine how you'll feel stepping into your backyard and hearing the cheerful song of tiny wrens, spotting a pair of bonded red cardinals building their nest, or seeing flashes of blue as blue jays dart to and from your feeders.
With a few intentional DIY changes, like planting native flora or adding water features, you can create a thriving habitat that supports birds year-round. We spoke with four experts to find out exactly how to get started.
Keep your yard a bird crossroads by knowing which birds are native and which ones are just passing through.
To ensure your backyard is fine-tuned for your region, you want to identify which birds are natives and which ones may stop for a visit during different seasons.
Sheridan Samano, co-founder of Reefs to Rockies, shared insights about how to attract birds to your backyard.
"It's best to spend time in your yard and neighborhood across the seasons to become familiar with the birds that are likely to visit," Samano suggested. "That'll provide the foundation for plant and feeder selection."
You can also use online tools to help research which birds are native to your area, such as the Audubon Society's Guide to North American Birds. Then research how to attract the native birds you're most interested in.
Once you've identified which birds you want to attract, the next step is to make sure your yard meets their most essential needs, advised Don Orkoskey, a wildlife photographer with more than 25 years of experience, teacher, and owner of WDO Photography.
"Just like with people, birds have a hierarchy of needs," Orkoskey explained. "They need food, water, and shelter. They also need to feel safe, have places to rest, places to raise their young, and places that allow them to preen to keep their hygiene in good order. To that end, add as many things that will fulfill these needs as possible in the space and budget that you have to work within."
Keep it interesting by choosing food and feeders to attract a variety of birds to your yard.
Once you identify which birds are native to your region, it's time to pick your birdseed and bird feeders. Remember: Variety is the spice of life!
"To attract a variety of birds, consider a variety of feeders," Samano said. "Some birds use only platform feeders, with others preferring tube feeders. Suet feeders may attract woodpeckers and bushtits. You'll need a nectar source if you want to attract hummingbirds."
If you have a small yard that only has room for one feeder, that's OK too, said Rebecca Lexa, a naturalist who offers opportunities like guided tours in the Pacific Northwest to learn more about nature.
If you're new to backyard birding, suet cage feeders may be a great option.
"Suet cakes in cage feeders tend to be the most beginner-friendly," Lexa said. "You might try rotating suet flavors to see what your local birds like the most. Try starting with a suet that has seeds, and then perhaps one with fruit in it."
Rendered beef tallow is a great source of protein and calories that birds need. C&S Suet products are made from the highest quality beef kidney fat and blended with a variety of seeds, nuts, and fruits that birds love. Attract a variety of wild birds to your backyard with these high-nutrition suet options:
Attracting birds by incorporating native plants adds interest and food sources to your yard.
Native plants can play a key role in attracting birds and creating a stunning oasis in your yard.
"Filling your yard with plants native to your region is the single best thing you can do for your birds," Lexa advised. "The more habitat structure you can offer, the better. A sterile, closely-mowed grass lawn is about the worst thing for your birds."
Don't buy ornamental plants you think will look pretty and exotic. Instead, look for native, fruit-bearing bushes that can provide natural feeding options to complement your suet.
"Go to a local garden center that offers plants native to your region," Samano said. "This is an excellent way to attract birds. In addition, native plants attract an array of insect pollinators like bees, butterflies, and more."
You might even want to replace that polished Bermuda grass lawn with a wildflower meadow.
"Birds might not seem to exhibit a preference for native species versus a well-manicured lawn. However, they actually do," Orkoskey added. "In addition, yards full of native plants have native bugs and provide the types of native seeds that native birds are interested in eating."
Lean into local flora, like grass and flowers.
"Replace some or all of your lawn with native wildflowers, grasses and forbs, and build up structure in your yard with native shrubs and trees if you have room," Lexa said.
And if insects get the munchies on your plants, that's actually good. There's no need to turn to pest control to fight them off.
"Don't worry if local insects eat the leaves; they are an incredibly crucial part of a bird's diet, especially in nesting season when baby birds need lots of insect protein," Lexa said. "Minimize the use of herbicides, pesticides, and other lawn and garden chemicals, as these can harm your birds either immediately or over time."
Help wild birds feel safe by giving them places to tuck in.
Your yard should have plenty of shrubs, trees, and vines that provide a canopy from above, where birds can hide and feel safe.
"Many birds don't like to eat at the feeder," Orkoskey said. "For example, if there are seeds that need shelled, they usually like to do that activity somewhere safer."
An open lawn with very little plant cover is an invitation for birds to feel vulnerable. So walk around your neighborhood and take note of which plants and trees the birds are spending time in. This is where they feel safer, Lexa advised.
"If all you have is a big, open lawn with one or two small trees, birds aren't going to feel like they have safe places to go," Lexa said. "They also won't be able to find as much food in a grass lawn. Planting more native plants of various species and sizes will give your birds more places to hide, nest, and feed, and over time, it will offer them more natural foods to go along with any feeders you have."
Consider planting crabapple trees, milkweed, and spruce trees, as these are especially attractive to many types of birds.
The adage is true for birds, too: Location, location, location.
Are you hoping you might end up with baby birds in the spring? Don't just buy a birdhouse online and call it a day. Picking the right birdhouse requires diligent research.
"Birdhouses are specific to certain species, e.g., chickadees, woodpeckers, and bluebirds," Samano said. "Be sure to use the correct type and understand that some species, like House sparrows and starlings, may outcompete the birds you're hoping to attract."
Even deciding where to put the birdhouses requires research. Some birds are tolerant of people, but others need birdhouses far away from bustling activity, Lexa advised.
While you want to see the birdhouses, you should place them a safe distance from your home, so the birds aren't potentially crashing into windows or making a mess on your patio furniture. Consider picking a favorite tree or one of the areas in your yard full of native plants.
"The size of the opening and the birdhouse makes a difference, too, as these need to be large enough to accommodate your local cavity-nesting birds, but not so big that they get lost in them," Lexa added. "For example, if you know you have bluebirds in your area, pick birdhouses that are just the right size for them so that larger birds can't move in and chase them out."
You also want to make sure the birdhouses are protected from predators.
"Mounting birdhouses on smooth metal poles helps keep climbing predators out of them," Lexa said. "Outdoor cats are a serious menace to wild birds. Keeping cats inside is one of the most important ways to protect your local birds."
A birdbath with moving water provides a place to play, drink, and bathe for wild birds.
The sound of running water can play a key role in attracting birds to your yard, shared Jordan Schaul, a zoological curator and veterinary scientist.
"I love incorporating water features into backyard landscapes," Schaul said. "Moving water features are visually and audibly stimulating to people and wildlife, particularly birds."
Samano agreed.
"Birds respond positively to the sound of running water," she said. "You can keep it simple with a shallow bird bath and solar-powered bubbler, or go all out with a landscaped water garden."
As long as the water's moving, your birds will love it, even if your yard's not large enough for an expansive oasis.
"Fountains and 'pondless' (aka basin-less) waterfalls or streams can provide a source of moving water for birds to drink and bathe in," Schaul suggested. "Bubblers or other aerators can be installed in bird baths to help circulate water and improve its quality, and they also help prevent ice formation in colder months."
If you live in an especially cold climate, you might want to add a heated element to your water feature.
"In cold climates when lakes and ponds freeze over, water becomes even more important," Samano said. "So maybe consider a heated bird bath."
And keep that water moving. Stagnant water attracts egg-laying mosquitoes, and you don't want that.
"Managing even small amounts of stagnant water in or near a home should be part of a comprehensive pest control program," Schaul said.
Installing water features, like bird baths and fountains, can turn your backyard into a thriving ecosystem. And they may even attract certain species of waterfowl, like passerines.
"Passerines help transform garden ponds into self-contained aquatic ecosystems," Schaul said. "They do this by introducing microorganisms, plant fragments, seeds, and fish and amphibian eggs on their feathers and feet (and from what they ingest, digest, and excrete) when they arrive to drink or bathe in garden ponds or fountains."
If your yard has natural water like a pond, river, or stream, lean into it and make it part of your backyard oasis.
"If you have a natural source of fresh water nearby, this is the best option of all," Lexa said. "Keep the water clean by not using chemicals on your yard or garden, and plant native plants along the edge to give birds safe shelter when they go get a drink."
Learning what wild birds want and need will bring them flocking to your yard.
No yard is going to be perfect, and that's OK. Take time to observe how the birds interact with your feeders and plants, and make notes in a journal of what's working and what's not. Keeping a journal allows you to better remember how your birds and their interactions with your oasis change throughout the seasons and years.
Don't be afraid to adjust accordingly.
"Research what sorts of foods and feeder types they like the best, and then try putting those feeders out as an experiment," Lexa suggested. "You may need to wait a while for the birds to notice them, and you may find that relocating the feeders to a different spot — such as closer to shrubs instead of out in the open — gets you better results."
As birds visit, you can use apps — like the Cornell Lab Merlin Bird ID — to help identify them through their appearance or song. And if you're so inclined, take pictures of the birds that come to your feeders or make sketches of them in your journal. If you have children, be sure to get them involved in tracking the birds' activity and identifying new species as they visit. This can be a fun, rewarding activity for the entire family.
Squirrels are just one of the critters interested in eating bird food.
When you're setting up your bird feeders, keep in mind that other creatures might be interested in the seed too.
"Perhaps nothing is more enticing to a squirrel than a bird feeder," Schaul said. "And nothing may be more frustrating to a backyard birder than a hungry and disruptive squirrel, except for a raccoon, which can also wreak havoc on bird feeders."
Look into which birdseed thieves are native to your region, and research their habits. Are they active during the day like squirrels? Do they look for food when it's darker, like raccoons? Utilize deterrents that work for that specific species while making sure you don't scare your birds away.
Motion-activated sprinklers are effective against squirrels and raccoons, but they scare birds, Schaul warned.
"While birds may not be feeding at night, if seed is left in the feeders, it may attract unwanted species after dark," Schaul said. "Sometimes flashing LED lights in combination with ultrasonic sound waves are effective at repelling raccoons. Or an easy solution is to bring feeders inside at night."
Scent-based repellents, like cayenne pepper, peppermint oil, coffee grounds, or oil and vinegar, can work, Schaul suggested. Or you might install baffles or cone-shaped guards that make it difficult for pests to climb your bird feeders or birdhouses.
Creating a backyard oasis starts with a weekend project.
Transforming your backyard into a nature oasis doesn't happen overnight. Start small, maybe with a few native plants or a simple bird feeder and bird bath, and build from there. Over time, you'll see your outdoor space come to life with new bird songs and colors. Soon you'll feel a deeper, more peaceful connection to the world right outside your door.
To learn more about feeding birds that visit your backyard, check out Bird Feeding in Hot vs. Cold Weather. And for a deeper dive into preventing other animals from eating the suet, read Preventing Raccoons and Squirrels from Eating from Your Suet Feeders.
Feeding birds suet throughout all four seasons can transform any backyard into a hub of avian activity.
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