Birdfeeders

From a bird’s point of view, a lawn is like a clearing in the woods. They have a clear view of nearby protective trees and shrubs while feeding in the open space. Please avoid using chemicals on your lawn. The “perfectly groomed” lawn is really not bird friendly (not a problem at our house!). For the most bird visitors, have a lawn that has some weeds growing in it. If the lawn is allowed to grow a little long, these weeds will have seeds that attract doves, finches and sparrows. We have hung a platform feeder above the lawn so there are constantly ground feeders exploring below the platform feeder for the seeds dropped from above. Robins will hunt for worms and grubs, starlings will be checking out small holes for insects, flickers search for ants while all the ground feeders will be searching for seeds. Open soil at the edge of the lawn and around plants will attract seed eating birds such as doves who need to swallow grit to help their stomachs grind hard food. For us, the biggest advantage of the lawn right outside our family room window is the delight of easily watching all the activity on our lawn.