How to Landscape for Birds - Personal Touches

Gardening for Wildlife- Part Three in a Series on adding Personal Touches to your Landscape Design.

A custom wooden bird feeder adds a whimsical touch to an small garden arbor in San Diego, CA.

​     For some homeowners, the landscape design is for the birds. Literally. San Diego County hosts the most bird species of any other county in the United States,  with both land and shore birds adding to our county’s overall number of species. In some gardens, including my own, homeowners add lots of perks to attract birds, sometimes unwittingly (we’ll get to that later).  Enjoying the sights and sounds of the winged ones is only one benefit of encouraging wildlife into the garden, these added decorative elements -- especially bird baths and bird feeders -- enhance the look of the landscape, and can add just the right touch to long plant beds.  For this reason, we can add gardening for wildlife as a way to add personality to our outdoor spaces.
Here are some basic categories of decorative items that will attract birds and add whimsy to the landscape:

• Bird Baths – This is likely the first and largest item on the list.  Colored concrete, carved rock, or ceramic are the most popular materials used to create birdbaths.  The bird bath add an attractive center piece in an herb garden or bed of flowers.  I find those raised on a pedestal of some sort the most striking and functional, although hanging small bird baths with chains, situated to hang from tree branches or the eves of the home, can add a touch of whimsy as well.  Fountains also serve as bird baths, sometimes unwittingly, and should be maintained chemically free if your feathered friends use them.
• Bird Feeders –Bird feeders add the element of decoration as well, often hanging but sometimes sitting atop stands or even a decaying tree stump.  The bird feeder is likely the easiest of the bird items to find, not only sold in nurseries but in many chain department stores and home improvement centers as well.  Feeders are made of glass, plastic, ceramic, and metal or resin, with the most popular being the plastic and glass beaked hummingbird feeders.  Remember to buy seed that local birds actually eat;  some of the low cost seed mixes contain fillers that drop to the ground, sometimes sprouting to later become weed problems.
• Bird Houses – Ah yes, the bird house is the mark of the true avian devotee.  Made most often of wood, and sometimes hand-crafted, these decorative items must be chosen to not only match the theme of your landscape but to also house birds (whether or not the birds will use your house should be studied before making a purchase).  In regards to design, the frilly bird house with Victorian leanings or rustic bird house will not mix into the modern landscape. So choose wisely. As a side note: bird houses for owls are among the most popular nesting boxes used by San Diego gardeners, not necessarily the most attractive of bird houses for decoration but a great way to naturally control rodents and other garden pests.

 
      I have designed my own landscape to attract birds, and it is now a certified backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. I am continually amazed and delighted at the variety of birds, both year-round and seasonal residents, my gardens attract.  Providing fresh sources of water is essential, and it is also important the birds with food and shelter. While few of us have natural water sources on or near our properties, we can plant trees, shrubs, and perennials that will help in feeding and sheltering the birds.  Once everything is in place, the backyard habitat garden is a great way to both decorate the landscape and enjoy the birds.

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