Backyard Bird Feeding

     Backyard bird feeding is a convenient way to enjoy wildlife. More than 65 million Americans of all ages watch feed, and landscape for birds.

     It doesn’t matter where you live – in an apartment, townhouse or single family dwelling, in the city, suburbs or country. Just stand still and you’ll hear them: wild birds. It is hard to imagine life without them.

     Bird watching is one of the fastest growing forms of outdoor recreation in the country. Each year millions of people discover for the first time the joys of birdwatching. It’s easy to understand why. Birds are fun to watch.

     And you can watch them just about everywhere. The most convenient place to start is right in your own backyard. All it takes to get their attention is food or water, a place to build a nest and appropriate vegetation.

Getting Started

     When you want to attract a particular bird species and keep it coming back to your backyard, what you do will be determined by where you live, and the time of year. For example, on any winter day, you are likely to see a cardinal at a sunflower feeder in Virginia, a goldfinch at a thistle feeder in Massachusetts and hummingbirds at a nectar feeder in southern California.

     A bird field identification book has pictures of different birds and will help you find the names for the birds you’re likely to see and the time of year you’re most likely to see them. So, first, determine what birds are likely to occur in your area.