Sally Roth - Attracting Songbirds to Your Backyard: Hundreds of Easy Ways to Bring the Music and Beauty of Songbirds to Your Yard

To my friendswild, feathered, and furredof the Buckhorn Canyon

I was glued to the window on a snowy, bone-chilling day, watching the crowd of birds at the feeder just a few feet away, when the friend with whom Id been staying offered some sage advice.

Youd better get your book finished before its spring.

Why?

Because as soon as it warms up, youre going to want to be outside.

I laughed, because he was right. But what he didnt know was that I wasnt only enjoying watching the birdsI was researching. And from what I was seeing and hearing through the glass, I could tell the season had already turned the corner.

I was new to the Rockies, but I was learning fast. Winter weather lasted forever at 8,000 feet, from what I could tell. Yet no matter how much snow was piling up outside, or how much peanut butter wed gone through to help our little friends get through the bitterly cold nightsor how much firewood wed burned to help ourselves do the samethe signs of spring were all around us. A little bird had told me.

Listen, I urged my friend, putting my ear closer to the glass. Hear that? The chickadees have started singing.

Pursing my chapped lips, I whistled a feeble imitation of the simple Fee-bee song of the black-capped chickadee. The little guy outside paused in the midst of hammering a peanut and cocked his head, wondering if there was a competitor nearby.

And lookthe goldfinches are starting to turn yellow. See that guy that looks sort of blotchy? Hes molting. Its spring!

We both laughed, because it was snowing like crazy out there. But it was true.

And I guess spring fever is contagious. Robins in another month, my friend said.

Oh boy, robins! I didnt know robins even came up this far into the mountains. Now I had something else to look forward to.

Anticipation may well be my favorite thing in life, and spring is full of it. I stroll the yard with head down, looking for the first green shoots of daffodils and pointy, red-tinged tulips pushing up through the earth. The first new growth on the perennials. The fattening buds of any plant you can name. Every day, theres something new to get excited about. I keep my ears open, too, while Im puttering around, because the soundtrack changes in spring.

The birds are singing!

It doesnt matter whether we know who those voices belong to. The singing makes us happy. Even folks who dont pay much attention to whats going on outside notice the difference.

Got up too early this morning, said a friend who lives in town, trying to sound peeved. Some bird singing right outside the window.

Oh, nice!

Wonder who it was? And why it picked that spot to sing? Kinda made me feel special.

Nope, theres no need to know the name of a singing bird. But knowing who it is thats serenading us sure increases our connectionits an introduction to a new friend that we can then call by name.

I took a guess. Little brown bird with reddish purple coloring? Kept singing and singing and singing?

Howd you know?!

House finches just started singing last week down in town. Heard em when I went to the grocery store. And yep, hell be backhes claiming his territory and he likes your place.

Cool!

You bet it is. Getting to know songbirds is just like learning to garden. We feel a deeper, satisfying connection to nature that makes it more fun to be outdoors in our own backyard. And we learn the rhythms of the seasons, so that we know what to look forward to, what to revel in, and when to say goodbye.

Birds sing only during breeding season, so their music is a seasonal treat. But what a season it is. Whether its the simple notes of that first singing chickadee, or the bubbling cascade of a house wren, or the ecstatic carol of an oriole, songbird voices announce that winter is gone and spring is really here. Theyre a symbol of all the things we love about the seasonthe time of new beginnings, the warming sun on our shoulders while we putter around the garden, the thrill of finding a bird nest or watching our chubby baby cardinals try their wings.

But singing isnt all there is to songbirds.

Many singers are drop-dead beautiful, as well as talented. Red cardinals and tanagers, orange orioles, yellow goldfinches, green vireos, blue buntings, purple finchesthey cover every color of the rainbow and then some.

The best thing about songbirds, though, is that most of them happily share our yards with us. Theyre around every day, making use of our birdbaths, our feeders, our plants, and raising their families in our birdhouses, bushes, and trees.

In Part I of this book, The Joy of Songbirds, youll meet the singers and learn when and why they use their wonderful voices. Youll discover which songbirds are likely to stay year-round, which ones will most likely move on, and what the miracle of migration is all about. And youll learn music appreciationthe repertoires of the birds and the best times to book a seat for their concerts at dawn, dusk, and even midnight. Youll find plenty of tips for understanding the behavior of your songbirds, too, so you can make them happy right in your own yard.

Attracting songbirds is different than bringing in other birds, because many songbird species depend heavily on natural foods instead of feeders.

Still, its food thats the way to their hearts, as many songbirds are changing their habits and learning that feeders mean food. Seeds take a backseat to soft foods, though, as far as many songbirds are concerned. Suet and other fat-based foods mimic their natural diet, which relies on insects, and fruity treats at the feeder supply another favorite part of their menu.

In Part II, Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, youll find lots of suggestions for catering to the tastes and to the feeding habits of songbirds of every kind. Youll learn who eats what; whats tried-and-true; and what kinds of foods to experiment with to attract your friends. Youll discover the whole range of commercially made foods and feeders that are tailored to songbirds, and how you can make your own versions of both to save some, ahem, dough, as well as to enjoy the fun of doing it yourself.

Water is just as big an attraction to songbirds as feeders, and it can attract songbirds that wont even look at the offerings in your feeder (at least, not yet). In Part II, youll also find out how to put water to work and bring in even more birds, including lovely little wood warblers of a dozen different kinds or more.

When it comes to coaxing songbirds to stop in, whats in our yards is just as important as whats in our feeders. Cardinals, robins, wrens, and some other species have already adopted backyards as part of their natural habitat, but others are birds of the forest, treetops, or brushy edges, and theyre still learning.

Plants, especially trees and shrubs, are absolutely vital for making songbirds feel at home. They provide cover, which is a must for every one of these birds, and plants supply all sorts of natural food, from buds to insects to fruit and berriesfoods that can be tricky to duplicate at a feeder, even if we could coax the birds into landing at the tray.