While their appetite for my lettuce seedlings is a cause for frustration, our family does enjoy watching the antics of the quail around our garden.  The enjoyment is increased when the babies arrive; even the worst moods are transformed when you see a group of “puffballs” scattering across a street, accompanied by mom and dad.
The songs of finches and meadowlarks are especially lovely when heard from your deck while you’re enjoying morning coffee or an evening glass of wine.  Birds are truly a treat to have in your garden, and if you want to attract more of them there are several steps you can take to make your garden more bird-friendly.  These tips come from a new book published by Cornell University Press titled ‘The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds.”

A water source near protective shrubs will provide a place to drink and bath for birds.  It can be a bird bath, or a running fountain, as the dripping effect will attract more birds.  Make sure prowling cats can’t access the bowl and clean it with a stiff brush once a week.

If you’re landscaping a new property or renovating an old one consider creating a songbird border.  Plants with thorns, like berberis, hawthorn, Russian olive and firethorn, are good nesting sites, berry-producing shrubs and trees such as mountain ash, cotoneaster and viburnum will provide food and evergreens give year-round cover.
If your property has enough space create a pile of brush in a corner.  It will provide cover for birds during extreme weather, not only in the middle of winter, but during summer when thunderstorms descend upon us.
Raking leaves under shrubs, or leaving them where they fall each year creates natural feeding areas for ground feeding birds.  The decomposing mulch will attract earthworms, pill bugs, spiders and other insects that the birds will love.

Keep feeders clean and locate the feeders within three feet of the house.  Birds at feeders are often startled by predators.  Their flight is so quick and scattered that they can collide with windows and be killed.  Keeping the feeders within three feet of the house makes it less likely that the birds will gather enough momentum to be harmed if they should strike a window.

Keep the cat indoors.  Cats eat birds; that’s no secret.  It’s estimated that in the United States there are about 100 million pet and stray cats.  Outdoor cats kill hundreds of million birds every year, especially in the spring when the newly-hatched birds are unable to fly away.  Indoor cats don’t have to worry about cars, coyotes, raccoons or other potential dangers either.