As the days get longer and the temperatures begin to increase, our resident birds who stayed all winter will start to fill the air with song and look for places to nest. Although most birds don’t begin nesting until April and May, there are still a lot of things you can do to prepare your yard and garden for birds this season.
If you haven’t already, make sure that any bird houses you have from last year have been cleaned out. Any old nests and debris should be removed from the house to prevent mold or insects from making a home inside of it. The houses can be cleaned with diluted white vinegar or with a mix of water and dish soap. Scrub the house well and let it dry thoroughly before closing it back up.
Bird feeders can also be cleaned using a water and dish soap solution. Soaking bird feeders in a warm dish soap solution will do most of the work for you. Clean them well with a bottle brush and dip them in a solution of one part beach to nine parts water for best results. (See our “Around the garden” section for more tips)
Birds and other wildlife will be attracted to your yard if there is a source of food, water, and shelter. Water is easy to provide with a birdbath. Make sure the water is changed out often, every day if possible. There are also enzymes that can be added to the water in a birdbath to break up some of the residue that may build up in them. Moving water is always best! You can turn any standing water into a fountain by adding a solar fountain insert. The sight and sound of moving water will attract more birds to the birdbath. Having moving water will also prevent mosquito larvae from being able to develop in the bath.
Shelter can be provided with bird houses and plants. Consider making a brush pile of the sticks and debris from trees that you may be picking up around the yard this year. Brush piles are very easy to construct and give wildlife a place to hide from predators and from inclement weather.
Food will attract the greatest number of birds to your yard. Food can be provided with bird feeders. Offering a mix of sunflower seed, nyjer, peanuts, and suet is always going to give you the most diversity year-round. When migrants start to arrive in late April and May, you may want to add oranges and grape jelly for Orioles and nectar for Hummingbirds.
Providing native plants can provide birds with food and shelter, food in the form of seeds, berries, and the insects that are attracted to the plants. Having a selection of native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials will give birds the variety of food and cover they need. You may already have some of these plants in your yard.
Native oak trees, for example, are fantastic. They attract a wide variety of insects, especially caterpillars, that birds need to feed their young. American beech, basswood, elm, sycamore, Eastern hemlock, white pine, and flowering dogwood are other trees that are beneficial to birds. Serviceberries offer beautiful spring blooms that attract insects in the spring and will supply berries in the summer. Popular shrubs to attract birds include highbush blueberry, witch hazel, buttonbush, spicebush, pink azalea, and chokeberry. Perennials are often used to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, but their seeds can attract songbirds as well. Cardinal flower, milkweeds, goldenrods, blue lobelia, phlox, asters and native lilies like Michigan lily, turk’s cap lily, and Canadian lily will add a burst of color to your garden while also providing food sources for birds. (See Colleen Nice’s article in this issue for more native plant suggestions).
When planning your garden this spring, consider adding some of these plants to benefit local birds. They are low maintenance, will certainly benefit the wildlife around you, and are a great complement to bird feeders, houses, and baths. The Audubon Society has a vast database of native plants that can be searched by zip code in order to find which plants are recommended for your area. Simply visit audubon.org to explore all of the options!
Liz Magnanti is co-owner of the Bird House in Brighton.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Upstate Gardeners’ Journal.
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