Attract More Birds

Don’t wing it. Plan a garden your feathered friends will frequent.

By Brian M. Collins

Published: February 1, 2005

The blue-winged warbler dines on insects and may be attracted to your yard for a brief stay if you provide blossoming trees, a variety of shrubs and/or thickets. This warbler migrates between the continental United States and the tropics.

Photo by Brian M. Collins

Sunrise. On any spring morning, I can stroll away from my cottage to gaze in awe at fog in the valley and freshly budding leaves. Above, I’ll hear the sweet and simple sounds of migrating songbirds as they call back and forth, searching for a place to rest, to find food and water after a long flight.

While I stand watching in my woodlot garden, the birds descend all around, their colors bright, their activities exciting. Warblers, vireos, flycatchers and thrushes flit about in the branches, a pallet of vivid color.

Each tiny bird seems packed with more life than animals a hundred times larger.

I always feel fortunate to witness such a show, but it’s not just luck. This garden holds all of the right ingredients.

Attract More Birds

CabinLife.com site map