The Bird-Friendly Garden

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Our 8,000-square-foot garden is surrounded by more than a dozen nest boxes inhabited mainly by violet-green swallows and tree swallows. Their acrobatics while catching bugs on the wing are fun to watch, and their ceaseless snacking has dramatically reduced the insect pest population of our garden. Actually, many species of birds, such as warblers and wrens, dine almost exclusively on insects. Others enjoy a varied diet consisting of seeds and fruits to augment the steady insect diet. Even hummingbirds are known to snack on small insects such as aphids.

Natural insect control is just one of the benefits that birds can bring to your garden. By creating your own backyard bird haven, you'll enjoy an ever-changing spectacle of melodious sound, graceful movement and lively color. Plus, their antics provide hours of entertainment. To attract a wide variety of birds, you must provide the right environment. Do so and your yard and garden will become the favorite destination of any manner of bird.

Creating a bird-friendly habitat is a bit of a no-brainer. Simply provide the backyard basics - fine creature comforts we all need for survival: food, water, protective cover, and a cozy shelter in which to raise a family.

PLANT A BIRD-FRIENDLY HABITAT

It's no secret that birds aren't attracted to bare yards. Most experts agree that to attract a variety of beneficial birds to your garden, you need to create a multi-layered canopy of plants, trees, vines and shrubs that offer a complete package of food, shelter and nesting sites. Simply put, the more plants you have, the more birds you'll have.

Nearby trees, vines and shrubs provide a place where birds can hide from predators or take cover from harsh weather, as well as a cozy spot to settle in for the night. Likewise, many of these plants also provide a bounty of seeds, fruits, nuts and nectar as well as plant-munching caterpillars and other insects that birds love to eat. This way, you'll also be creating a multilevel buffet for a variety of birds, whether they feed on the ground, in trees and bushes, or in the air.

My own garden includes a variety of groundcovers - from clovers to sweet woodruff - along with thymes, Roman chamomile and lady's mantle that house bugs for ground-feeding birds such as wrens, towhees and juncos. Goldfinches and pine siskins flock to feast on the seedheads from our many varieties of sunflower; they also like elecampane and purple coneflower. Wisteria vines are a haven for chickadees, viburnum shrubs and shelter nuthatches, and you'll always spy plenty of robins hanging out in our grapevines and jostaberry bushes. Surrounding our garden are numerous shrubs and trees - from hawthoms to oaks - that serve as an avian convention hall sure to delight birds and birdlovers alike.

When planning your bird-haven landscape, take a look at your existing vegetation and add to it as needed with additional layers of plants. For example, you might add heavenly bamboo, rhododendron or abelia bushes underneath existing trees. Cover fences with vines that can serve birds as hiding and nesting places as well offer up an additional food source. Honeysuckle, grapes, Virginia creeper and trumpet creeper are worthy candidates. For in-between layers, plant flowering annuals and ornamental grasses along with perennials like rudbeckia, coreopsis and asters. Other perennial favorites include poppies and liatris, along with globe thistle and goldenrod. Of course, no bird garden is complete without a variety of colorful, majestic sunflowers.

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