Backyard Bird Habitats

Introduction

In April 2003, the Mayo Clinic published an article that said that bird watching could keep your mind sharp and agile. Other researchers have found that bird watching can lower blood pressure. I just like to relax and enjoy the pretty songs and funny antics of backyard birds. The average bird-feeding backyard attracts 15-20 bird species on a regular basis.

At our house in New England, we are lucky to have a variety of birds come to our yard. My goal, however, was to add elements to our backyard habitat that would attract different birds than we usually see and to safely draw three existing species closer to our home so that we could observe and hear them better. The new birds I chose were downy woodpeckers and ruby-throated hummingbirds. Although hummingbirds are migratory birds, I have always wanted to attract them to our yard. The ruby-throated hummingbird is found in our area during the summer months and then migrates to Central America for the winter. It is the only hummingbird found in the eastern half of the United States.

I also enjoy the bright canary yellow of goldfinches and the splashy red of cardinals. The songs of chickadees remind me of lazy summer days. I decided that those would be the three birds that I wanted to bring closer to our house.

My backyard habitat plan worked. I want to share with you the steps to take to welcome birds to your backyard. The birds will benefit and so will you!

I think this course is an excellent way for beginner and advanced backyard birders to learn how to achieve an environmentally sound habitat for the birds in their life. And have fun doing it!