Sustainability and Conservation
Nearly 3 billion birds are gone since 1970 within the U.S. and Canada, largest cause of bird decline is habitat loss. Bird feeding can help provide a safe environment for birds to easily access a food source, water, and habitat.
By welcoming birds into your yards, you are increasing healthy vegetation, natural pest control, and supporting the spread of plants back into the ecosystem. Most sick or injured birds look at feeders as a place of refuge since they do not have to struggle to find food.
The individual health of a bird is improved with proper supplemental feeding. It increases antioxidant levels, reduces stress and, in some species, improves body condition index scores and innate immune defense.
How to Attract Birds to Your Yard
- Provide water year round
- Plant native species
- Eliminate insecticides in your yard
- Offer food in feeders
- Remove invasive plants from your property
#FEEDSMART Suggestions
Be sure to clean your bird feeders regularly!
- Throw away any food that smells musty or may have mold on it.
- Have multiple sets of bird feeders to switch out for ease of cleaning.
- Keep cats indoors to prevent bird loss.
- Keep a distance between multiple feeders.
- Refrain from placing your feeders too close to your house to avoid window collisions and add reflective decals on windows for birds.
Plants That Attract Birds
- Sunflowers
- Coneflowers
- Marigolds
- Black Eyed Susan
- Virginia Creeper
Creation Improves Mental Health
In 2019, bird watching was studied by the American Psychiatric Institute. Their research found that 7 out of 10 people experienced a change in their mental health after bird feeding for only once a week. 70% of people who engage with birds in their yard will experience a mental health change.
The intimacy of being in nature and having a careful and protective connection with the birds can make all the difference in your day to day life.
Spending time outside for 10 minutes a day has been proven to boost serotonin and dopamine level.
Sources:
Why bird feeding is important. Wild Bird Feeding Institute. (2022, January 31). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.wbfi.org/2021/11/30/why-bird-feeding-is-important/
Attracting birds – garden for Wildlife. National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Wildlife/Attracting-Birds
