It’s easy to love wild birds. They can be colorful, beautifully patterned, charismatic, and offer wonderful seasonal soundtracks to our landscapes and lives. In addition to these gifts they provide, research shows that living around wild birds, and inviting them into our yards and neighborhoods, can bolster our wellbeing and provide positive benefits for our mental health. 

If you want to become the most popular house on the block, offering a wide variety of bird food is especially effective. A great way to invite new and different birds to the backyard is to broaden the menu.

This month marks the beginning of winter, and while we gather by our fires for warmth and light, the birds are dealing with dark days and long frigid nights. Many backyard birds are accustomed to the winter weather; however, there are still several things you can do to help!

Bird feeding offers endless enjoyment, but sometimes there are challenges. Here are solutions to the most common problems birders face at the feeder.

The basic needs of wild birds are simple: food, shelter, and water. A thoughtfully planned garden provides the necessary elements for attracting wild birds. Birds prefer yards that are similar to their natural habitats. To landscape your yard for wild birds, consider these core principles.

If you’ve decided to feed your backyard birds, you can start by simply mounting a single feeder outside a window and filling it with birdseed. Information on placement, types of feeders, and more can be found on-line.

Looking for the answers to your bird feeding questions? We asked Audubon Park co-owner Ed Mills and professor and author John Marzluff to answer the most common questions we receive.