How To Attract Birds To Your Yard: A Complete Guide For Tennessee Gardens
Food‚ water‚ and cover are the three ingredients to successfully attract birds to your yard․ Get these three things right and you can have a yard full of chickadees‚ titmice‚ goldfinches‚ bluebirds‚ and warblers during all seasons of the year‚ instead of just the occasional cardinal․ This guide will show you how to set up each of the pieces‚ especially for Tennessee and the Southeast (Zones 6-8)‚ where a mix of hardwood forest edges and suburban land use creates opportunities and competition for local bird populations․
Tennessee has come to the rescue (or helped them come to Tennessee)․ We have year-round residents like the Carolina wren and the cardinal‚ winter visitors like the junco and the white-throated sparrow‚ and summer breeders like the indigo bunting and the ruby-throated hummingbird․ You would have to build a habitat suitable to all three groups‚ not just who happens to be around when you plant․
Start with feeders‚ but don’t limit yourself to one․
A single seed-mix tube feeder may attract a few birds‚ but you’re leaving a lot on the table․ Different species feed in different ways‚ and the feeder and seed mix you use really determines the variety of birds you attract․
Goldfinches prefer nyjer (thistle) seed offered in a sock or mesh feeder they can cling to sideways․ Cardinals and doves prefer to feed low or on the ground‚ so a platform feeder or scattering seed around shrub cover is preferable to a high-mounted tube feeder․ Orioles are attracted to sliced oranges or nectar feeders in late spring‚ and suet cakes attract woodpeckers‚ nuthatches‚ and Carolina chickadees‚ especially in winter when insect protein is scarce․
Feeders should also be at least 10-12 feet (3․0-3․7 m) from the nearest shrub or tree so that birds can fly to cover when a hawk flies at the feeder‚ but far enough away that cats cannot ambush birds from shrubbery or trees․ It is this detail‚ so easily overlooked‚ which makes the difference between a feeder which is constantly busy and a feeder which the birds will abandon after one or two near-misses․
Water Matters More Than Most People Realize
In order for birds to bathe and keep their feathers clean and therefore useful for heat insulation and flight‚ the birdbath should be filled adequately․ A shallow birdbath no more than 2-3 in (5․1-7․6 cm) deep at the center attracts the widest variety of species․ If the basin is deep‚ consider adding some flat stones to create shallow areas where small birds can stand․
Water evaporates quickly in Tennessee’s summers and can quickly stagnate․ Change it every 2-3 days at a minimum‚ and more frequently in July and August․ A moving or dripping water feature will attract birds better than a stagnant birdbath‚ and for $15‚ a solar fountain attachment is well worth the cost․ Water carries sound so the birds hear it from a distance․
If cats or raccoons visit your yard‚ use a pedestal birdbath‚ and locate it at least 5 feet away from any structure (fence‚ ledge‚ porch‚ etc․) from which a predator could jump․
Cover Is The Piece Most Yards Are Missing
This is the part of the puzzle people skip and the reason a lot of feeders sit half-used․ Birds are prey animals․ A yard with food and water but no cover is a yard where the birds are exposed the entire time they are eating‚ and many birds will not risk that․
Include three layers of cover‚ low shrubby cover of 2 to 4 ft‚ mid-size shrubs or small trees 6 to 10 ft tall‚ and canopy trees․ This allows ground foraging birds like towhees and juncos to approach the feeder out of sight and gives cavity nesters and songbirds a place to perch before heading to the feeder․
You can’t beat the native viburnums for a shrub layer․ They are dense‚ fruit in the fall‚ provide a real food source (not just decoration)‚ and tolerate more clay and climate humidity than most plants do․ The bright red berries of winterberry holly persist long into winter after other food sources are gone and its fruits are a major attractor of robins‚ waxwings‚ and mockingbirds during the coldest part of winter․ Serviceberry can be a large shrub or small tree․ Its early spring bloom provides a food source for pollinators‚ earlier than most other flowering plants‚ and its early summer berries are eaten in a matter of days․
All three of these are available through TN Nursery as bare root or container material․ The minimum size is appropriate for a first season or two of establishment․ This is a big deal‚ because a shrub planted at the 18-24 inch size will fill in and provide usable cover within 2-3 growing seasons‚ rather than the 5+ years you’d wait on a from-seed planting․
In the canopy‚ our native oaks and maples contain more species of insects than nearly any other genus of trees and insects are what a nest of nestlings eats‚ whatever their parents eat․ A single‚ mature oak tree can host hundreds of species of caterpillars‚ and a pair of chickadees can raise a brood on one oak tree‚ or two․ With new plantings‚ a red maple will provide usable height in 5-7 years (faster than oak) but oak pays off much more long-term‚ providing vastly more insect activity․
Don’t Forget Nesting Sites
Feeders and cover may get more attention‚ but without a place to nest the birds will come and go․ Bluebirds‚ chickadees‚ titmice‚ and wrens are cavity-nesters who will use a correctly sized box‚ especially if mounted on a 4-6 ft pole with a predator guard․ Make sure bluebird boxes have a 1․5-inch entrance hole to exclude larger starlings․
The best thing you can do for woodpeckers and for secondary cavity nesters alike is to leave a dead tree standing‚ so long as it doesn’t pose a safety risk․
Timing And Patience
It won’t happen overnight‚ but feeders are usually visited more frequently after 1-2 weeks․ The seed will last․ Shrubs take a full growing season to provide thick enough cover‚ while trees can take several years to grow․ The best yards for the most entertaining birdwatching are almost certainly yards that have had food‚ water‚ and multilevel plantings for a minimum of three years‚ long enough for the birds to feel safe and secure in the area․
"Start where you can‚ with a feeder‚ a birdbath‚ maybe one or two native shrubs; then build the canopy layer over the next few years․ The birds will find you faster than you’d think․
