Allways Aviod the Tidy Look
Always avoid the tidy look
It seems like today’s back yards and or gardens all have that same look, sprawling green lawns, with very few trees and bushes and a few color spots here and there. The manicured look is popular with lots of people but not so popular with birds. You can keep the manicured look closely around the house, but try to keep some less managed areas open for birds and other wildlife.
Try to avoid pesticides as much as you can in your garden, millions of birds get poisoned every year and die.
Birds are much more attracted to a garden or back yard that has a more grown in look to it, but it does not mean it has to look messy or unclean. If you have more trees, bushes and shrubbery, slightly overgrown, makes a big difference. Selecting more plants that are native to your area and the birds can nest in and feed from will also make a big difference and bring you more visiting birds.
Remember that when you trim all your bushes in the fall, it takes away shelter and falling seeds from the birds. Also do not rake up all fallen leafs and twigs in the fall since this provides leaf mulch. Beetles, ants, spiders and earthworms live in leaf mulch and many birds like thrashers, sparrows, wrens and song birds depend on this food.
A great idea is to make a pile of branches, twigs and leafs, stacking them together and creating a place for birds to feed from and find cover from stormy, rainy nights or really hot summer days.
Here is a plan for how you can turn your big open lawn into a friendlier place for the birds. Only have half your lawn cut and manicured, then let the other half grow high and leave all fallen leafs to grow into a beautiful meadow. Only cut it once a year in the fall and you will create a place, great for nesting and privacy for the birds.
By creating a meadow out of half your lawn will also give plants a chance to bloom and create more, healthy, nutrias seeds for your visiting birds, all year long. Especially in the summer when the meadow will be full of flowers and many butterflies and insects will pass by, will help greatly in feeding hungry off springs.
Of course always avoid lawn chemicals, this can kill the birds when they are eating insects and bugs feeding on your lawn. Around seven million birds in the U.S alone die from eating poisoned bugs and insects every year.
