Feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, or anxious? Let us help you create a backyard bird habitat. You will be surprised how much peace and tranquility can be found with just 10 minutes of birding. We encourage you to start your birding journey. Depending upon your budget and interest level, it may be as simple as a single bird feeder. For others, a more elaborate habitat is desirable. Within this article, we provide you with ways to create backyard bird habitats and some lessons on what birds need in their habitat. If you still have questions after reading the article, please reach out to us to talk about your project.
Get in Touch with Nature
As soon as I see my first palm warbler in the field behind my house, I know winter is coming. These little birds with their bright white eyebrow and yellow tail feathers make Jacksonville their winter home. As you can tell from this example, backyard birding allows you to connect with nature and the seasons.
Far too often, we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we get disconnected from nature. Being disconnected from the natural environment is not ideal for human health and happiness. There is joy and happiness in noticing the small things happening in the natural world around you!
What Do Birds Need in their Habitat?
You want to start birding now, don’t you? Ok. So, your first mission is to understand the basics of what birds need in their habitat to survive. The core needs are food, water, shelter, and places to nest. Fortunately, humans can help provide wild birds with all of those needs.
Let’s look at the basics of these needs:
Food
With so many different types of birds, food sources vary greatly. Birds feed on seeds, nuts, insects, and more. Of course, there are birds of prey, like hawks and eagles. Since this article focuses on backyard birding, we are going to focus on common backyard bird food.
There are three categories of feeding behavior preferences most backyard birds fall into.
Ground feeding, elevated feeding, and a ground/elevated combination. Selecting the type of food you provide will depend on what birds you want to attract.
We recommend working with your local Wild Birds Unlimited store to find recommended seed blends and foods for your area.
Ground feeding
Some birds prefer to forage on the ground for their food. A common example of a ground feeder in Jacksonville is doves. Other species include sparrows and juncos.
Elevated feeding
Other birds seek out elevated food. Their feeding preferences are influenced by their natural feeding habits. Here in Jacksonville, Carolina chickadees and titmice are classic examples of elevated feeders.
Ground/Elevated Combination
This category encompasses the most species of backyard birds. Many birds will feed both on the ground and at elevated feeders. They are opportunistic and will eat freely at either. A long list of birds fall into this category, but a few Florida backyard bird examples are cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, red-bellied woodpeckers, Eastern bluebirds, and house finches.
Water
Birds need access to water all year long for drinking and bathing. They are forced to seek this out, so providing a fresh, clean, and reliable water source in a backyard habitat is a great investment.
Shelter
As you can imagine, birds need shelter to protect themselves from wind, rain, extreme temperatures, and predators. Protective cover, or shelter, provides the most benefit to birds when it comes in a variety of configurations. A variety of trees, shrubs, and groundcovers with different heights and branching patterns provide many options to birds. Surprisingly, log piles and rocks also make nice additions to habitats.
Places to Nest
Depending upon where you live, your backyard birds may have limited places to build nests. With natural habitat destruction and land development, birds will be seeking out places to raise their young. Nest types vary by species, but providing a place to nest is a wonderful thing birders can do.
How to create bird habitat
Now that you have a grasp on the basic needs of birds, we can explore some ways to create backyard bird habitat.
Plant natives
The best thing you can do is to use native plants in your backyard bird habitat. The native birds eat native plants and insects. It’s important to select plants that produce berries, nuts, seeds, and flowers. Native plants also attract native insects which are a food source for birds.
There is an extensive list of native plants to choose from. However, your unique backyard growing conditions will dictate which plants are best suited for you. The right plant, right place principle is still your best bet.
Some of our favorite native plants to attract Florida backyard birds are yellow anise, firebush, yaupon holly, muhly grass, red maple, sweet gum, bald cypress, and cabbage palm.
Ethos Landscapes provides the landscape design and installation of backyard bird habitats. And we love talking about it. If you would like more information, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Add Bird Feeders
Introducing bird feeders is a great way to supplement the natural diet of Florida backyard birds. While natural, native foods are best for birds, bird feeders can provide much-needed support to birds when natural food sources are scarce.
As you learned earlier, birds have different feeding preferences, so providing different styles of feeders will attract the largest variety of birds. The primary types of feeders used in this area are tray/platform feeders, tube feeders, suet cake holders, and hopper-style feeders.
Since birds use sight to find food, the placement of the feeder is important. The goal is for birds to be able to locate the food quickly. However, carefully consider the placement of the feeder so they are protected from predators, such as house cats or larger birds of prey. Usually, this requires the feeder to be placed in an open space allowing birds to see predators early.
Another important consideration when determining the placement is the proximity of trees or structures which provide squirrels an opportunity to jump or climb onto bird feeders. Squirrels can quickly devour the food before birds have an opportunity. At least 10 feet of separation between the feeder and trees is ideal to prevent squirrel access.
Provide a water source
There are many options for providing water. Sources range from elaborate ponds to simple water dishes. As long as the water is kept clean and fresh, the birds will love it. Your budget and availability for upkeep will play an important factor in deciding what is right for you. Remember, there are many commercially available products for providing water, including recirculating bird baths.
Provide places for nesting
If you added native plants, you have already given the birds a great head start. If they don’t nest directly in the native plants, they still use the leaves, twigs, or other parts to build their nests.
Of course, you may also choose to install bird boxes or nesting boxes. Encouraging birds to nest near your backyard bird habitat will allow you to observe the family life cycle of birds. Observing the interactions between baby birds and their parents can be quite interesting.
Calming Benefits of Birding
As you can see, backyard birding in Florida is a fun and easy activity that anybody can do. The truth is, stress levels are at an all-time high for a lot of us. We are constantly confronted with challenges, tasks, and stressors. Over time, it’s easy to forget that we can always step back for a moment and bring our awareness back to the present moment. This is incredibly calming and energizing at the same time.
You may be surprised how much joy, peace, and tranquility can be found through birding. It brings your presence back to your current surroundings. Birding activities allow you to watch the daily lives of birds, like eating, drinking, bathing, and playing. While that may seem boring at first, it allows you to focus your mind externally rather than on your current stressors. Racing thoughts can be set aside for a few moments. Perhaps you notice a new bird species or maybe a baby bird on its first flight or simply a backyard bird enjoying the food you have provided them. You may even get lucky and attract a rare bird to your feeder, like a painted bunting in this photo:
Whether you live in an urban city environment, in a suburban neighborhood, or a rural farmland setting, there are birds around you. Birding is one of the easiest and quickest ways to bring your awareness back to your surroundings. You will notice more, see more, hear more, and feel more changes around you. Set up your backyard birding habitat today!
Closing Thoughts:
If you would like to continue learning all about birds and birding, we recommend visiting the National Audubon Society website. Audubon also has a great mobile app for bird identification called “Audubon Bird Guide” which may be found on most devices.
For great birding products, such as feeders, bird baths, bird food, and beyond, we recommend visiting the Wild Birds Unlimited website.
Ethos Landscapes offers professional assistance with creating bird habitats with appropriate plantings and feeding stations. If you decide that you are ready to start your birding journey, we are here to support you in any way possible. From full design and installation to simply answering your questions. Always feel free to reach out to us if you need assistance.