Buffalo , New York - based author Alan Baczkiewicz became an zealous birder as a teenager , when his parent took steps to attract bird population to the backyard . “ I was in eminent shoal when I first started , ” he hark back . “ My parents put up bird feeder . We had a suburban yard of just Tree and gage . ”
These days , Baczkiewicz has 40 - plus years ’ worth of birding experience under his rap , along with his own birding blog , BasicsOfBirding.com . He shares some of his avian expertness in his fresh al-Qur’an , The Backyard Bird Sanctuary : A Beginner ’s Guide to create a Wild Bird Habitat at Home . “ It ’s the Word that I would ’ve want to register when I first started , ” he says . “ It ’s like knowing what you have intercourse now after all these years . ”
Eggcetera
The Backyard Bird Sanctuaryshowcases 50 bird species unremarkably found in backyard across the U.S. For each one , Baczkiewicz profiles prefer intellectual nourishment and feeder types , migration wont and natural ranges , bird nesting habits and even description of each bird ’s egg .
Baczkiewicz knew he had to add this last part . After all , neighbors on his street — with bits of eggshell in hand — routinely visit him to ask , “ What bird was this from ? ”
“ I thought that would be a courteous addition , because people are always finding eggshell in their curtilage in spring , ” he says . “ And sometimes ballock are indicative of what [ species ] they ’re from . ”
Read more : tempt wild birds with a hand - built nest boxwood !
Blank Slates
The book is particularly well - suited for beginning birdwatchers . “ It ’s for somebody who does n’t have any bird feeders in their railyard , ” he say . “ It ’s just down from the basics . You ’re starting with a fresh yard . You ’ve got dope . What do you do to make it enticing for the birds to occur in ? ”
And not just any wench . Baczkiewicz extend enough particular for readers to formulate alimentation strategy to attract specific type of hiss . For instance , in his own grand , he separates several different nutrient seed .
This helps to attract certain birds and circulate the denseness of at least two nuisance mintage — starling and household sparrows .
Susan Brackney
Care & Feeding
“ I have one eating system at my house , ” Baczkiewicz explain . “ It ’s just one rod with a squirrel baffle at the bottom . And we have shepherd ’s hook extensions with [ six individual feeders for ] sunflower , thistle , false saffron , suet and monkey nut [ in the shell . ] There ’s one other one with peanuts in a mesh container . That ’s for the woodpecker — so the profane jays do n’t take them all . ”
He continue , “ Every food origin is separated by a few feet with the sheepherder ’s hooks going in opposite directions . You ’ll get starling on the suet tributary . The goldfinch and the house finch will be on the Carthamus tinctorius and the thistle . And , because the starlings do n’t want the thistle or the safflower , they do n’t go on there .
“ The pecker and the chickadee will go to the mesh feeder with the earthnut in it . I have a small tray bird feeder that holds the peanuts for the blue jays , so they go to that . And , for the most part , they keep it civil . ”
Susan Brackney
Even dropped seeded player will draw specific birds , let in doves , Indian grackle , red - winged blackbirds and the occasional snowbird .
Read more : Learn how to make a birdhouse with homegrown gourds .
Start Small
Of course , that does n’t entail you have to go stone-broke buy multiple types of come . “ If you have black oil color helianthus seeds at one bird feeder , you ’re going to have birds there no matter what , ” Baczkiewicz says . “ You ’re go bad to get finches , chickadee , pecker — you’re go to take out in a passel just with opprobrious crude oil sunflower . ”
Just do n’t expect to see visiting birds decent away . “ Usually , you ’re looking at about four or five days before anybody come to it , ” he adds . “ They have to find it . ”
Water & Shelter
Providing a water generator also helps . “ That can attract some fountain migrator , ” he says . “ You might get some warbler that mayhap do n’t desire to eat there but are looking for a water source . ”
As a teen , Baczkiewicz simply call on a garbage can lid into a bird bathtub . “ That was just something nice and easy , because , back then , I did n’t have money to drop on anything , ” he remembers .
Natural plantings of trees and shrubs will also give bird a peg up . These can be important food source in and of themselves . However , when put near — but nottoonear — bird tributary , such planting provide birds with much - require auspices , too . Susan Brackney
Take Note
Once you ’ve start attracting unexampled birds to your yard , you might need to keep tabs on them for posterity . To that end , check outThe Backyard Bird Journal : A guidebook to transcription and respect the Birds in Your Yard . The companion book includes spots for recording the dissimilar coinage you see , their alimentation habits , activities , behaviors and more .
