One of my favorite reference books is the Bird
Gardening Book by Donald and Lillian Stokes. It gives a great overview on easy
ways to help out the wildbirds while you get the enjoyment of watching them. In
the book they mention the four needs of birds...1. Food..2.Water..3.Nesting
Sites..4.Shelter.
Food... food for birds includes seeds, fruits, leaves, flowers, nectar,
buds, insects,earthworms, and more. The easy one for us to provide is seed but
there are many plants, shrubs, flowers and trees that we can plant to provide
food for birds.
Water...Birds need water for drinking and bathing. Birdsbaths or pools
should be shallow and having several will give the birds choices. They do not
need to be elaborate, just a shallow dish placed on a stump and some rocks or
bricks does the job. Birds love the sound of dripping water and are really
attracted to it. A fountain is great but even a plastic bottle with a small hole
placed in a tree over a birdbath does the trick.
Nesting Sites...Birds need a place to build a nest and raise young. Some
birds will use a birdhouse but many such as cardinals, blue jays, and
mockingbirds will only use shrubs or trees to nest in.
Shelter... Birds need shelter from the elements and from predators. Dense
shrubs or trees will help and with our summer heat a place to get out of the sun
is a must for our birds.
Enjoy this summer , think cool and help out the birds and you will receive
alot of joy.
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