By caring for your yard, and its outdoors components, you can boost the health of birds as well as your indoor ones, especially since they often feed at your feet.
More cold weather is coming, so it’s important to follow the birds in your neighborhood. You can follow bird migrations or merely prepare your yard and bird feeding station for them, providing meals for any creatures that are stopping by.
To do your bird list, take time to try to distinguish the different types of birds you see in your area. For example, once you see a relative newcomer such as a rookery, note their ability to catch a nice meal and help prepare what is available to them.
Letting people know their neighborhood birds are enjoying natural foods, such as fruit, will make them more willing to stop at your feeding station.
It also helps to consider designing a bird-friendly structure in which the building materials are able to absorb bird droppings.
For a gorgeous winter home for birds, plan around what birds and insects you can appreciate and what you will feed them.
Every element of any great urban bird spot counts.
For those interested in bird migration, that means knowing where birds are from and for which species they are flying.
But if you live in a small town, like New Paltz, N.Y., which boasts so many birds on a given day, know that many of those can only be seen in one place.
On a more practical level, know that even in an urban setting, a garden can not only attract lots of food, but also as a backcountry homeowner, knowledge about what you need to care for them.
It’s not enough to plant flowers — you also need to be ready to turn on the mowers and kill off weeds.
Since adult birds use feathers for insulation, knowledge of how they should be handled in your home is important.
And as someone whose eye would be immediately drawn to a bird-looking nesting kit, know that it can come in handy.
With any energy you allocate, get ideas from experts. The Claremont Zoo has a wealth of information and resources to share for you and your children.
A great resource is The Silverspot Gardener, where You can learn about some of the best bird feeders as well as get instructions for making beautiful birdfeeders.
If you do not want to plant them yourself, make use of both plants and seeds that have been selected for birds by Pardus Critica International and BirdLife International. There are millions of seeds available online and in supermarkets, and most of them are free.
Search for bird feeders with a descriptive label as well as designs that appeal to your children. (Many adults want to make as well, using pictures in particular for inspiration.)
Once you’ve chosen the right ingredients, lets let the birds know that the stars are watching.