How to attract birds into your garden
Birds can be delightful to watch, as they fly, chirp perched on branches, or flutter around bushes in search of food. Besides an enjoyable watch, having birds visit your home or surrounding has a lot of benefits. They help in pollination, act as a natural pest controller and also take care of weeds in your garden. Here are a few ways to invite them.
Install a birdbath
Make birds in your locality visit your terrace or balcony for a daily bath! Place a tub of freshwater large enough for the birds to get in and splash around. You can also invest in a proper birdbath and have it placed in a prominent area of your terrace, garden or balcony and watch birds play there every morning.
Have the right plants and trees
Another very effective way of inviting birds is to have the right kind of plants and trees in your space. A large tree could be a potential nesting ground for some birds. Whereas flowering plants would attract birds in search of nectar, berries, pollen and insects. Hibiscus, dhatura, sunflower, lilies, and aromatic herbs will also attract birds to your garden.
Welcome them with food and water
Buy bird food from verified places. Get local grains that are suitable for your local birds. You can also buy a few birdfeeders and refill them with seeds regularly. Tray feeders, house feeders, and tube feeders are a few types of feeders. The feeders must have small openings so that the squirrels don't raid them. Also, the grains in them should stay dry.
Don't just feed them anything
They can easily get poisoned by contaminated food or something that's hard to digest. Avoid giving stale bread, sugary foods, and cooked oats, which can solidify around beaks. Bread in large quantities isn't nutritious for birds, so reduce the number of breadcrumbs and soak them before distributing them to the birds. You can give them chopped corn, pieces of fruit, rice, millets, and wheat.
Create nesting-friendly spaces
Assure the birds that they can build a nest in your garden. You can install some artificial nests to make them feel like there are other birds living peacefully in your garden, making them consider the place as a potential nesting ground. You can also provide foundations made of sustainable materials like coconut shells or case baskets to build their nests on.
