Backyard Photo Opportunities

How to Attract Birds to Your Backyard

Bird pictures are not always easy to get. That's where backyard photo opportunities come in handy. Attracting wild birds to your yard or garden is a fun way to capture your feathered friends in images.

Add a secluded sitting area that is out of site yet open enough to take pictures through and you are on your way. Nature Photographers call these blinds. And having them in your own backyard makes it even easier to set your camera on automatic and carry on with your indoor tasks.



Learn the fundamentals of attracting wild birds to your backyard. If you're consistent with supplying the birds' needs, you will have a yard that you and your feathered friends will enjoy year round.

Lets start with……..

Food

Place bird feeders 8 to 9 feet from trees or walls to keep the squirrels from jumping onto the feeders. Bird feeders need to be kept clean and filled with fresh feed. Once the seed gets wet and moldy the birds won’t eat it. If the seed is over 6 months old it is no longer fresh. Your feeders should be cleaned with soap and water once a month.

Water

Keep fresh water available for your backyard birds all year long, like humans they need water too. Place a birdbath near cover such as a shrub or other planting. The birds prefer shallow water with a narrow edge or stones to perch on. They also like running water. A good choice would be a birdbath with a drip or warbler in it. Or perhaps a fountain. I like that fountain idea for the relaxing nature it adds to your garden or outdoor sitting area, don't you?

Shelter

Birds need shelter from predators and the elements. If your yard is lacking in trees or shrubs consider planting a shrub or two. Some shrubs produce berries or seeds that attract wild birds.







We have an ornamental cherry tree in our front yard and the birds love it. You might find me lurking behind the bushes on my patio on an early winter morning. The birds seem to like to visit when the leaves are gone and there are still berries on the tree. I like it too because they are most visible then.

Make sure you don’t use pesticides or chemicals on your lawn or trees where the birds feed as they could ingest the poison.

Patience

Once you have decided to set up a feeder or two, don’t expect your feathered guests to
arrive for dinner the same day. It could take a week or two for them to discover your
feeder. Once they discover you have food available for them, they will stop by on a regular basis. If you already have a feeder in your yard and decide to set up a second, it may also take a week or so for the birds to get used to it. They will come.

Conclusion

Building a habitat allows a safe place for your feathered friends to get the food and water they need. The added shelter will also allow you to see various types of birds. Depending on where you live, a backyard habitat has other advantages too. Other forms of wildlife can be attracted as well.

And of course the best advantage of all for us nature loving photographers are the many backyard photo opportunities. Be sure and check out more stories about birds on my main site. Nature And Flower Pictures / Bird Pictures

Happy Bird Watching

Sally

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