Well,  we have reached the last day in our series on how to attract more birds to your yard.  The tips so far have been –

1) Offer a variety of food.
2) Set up an assortment of feeders.
3) Water water everywhere.
4) Create a bird friendly environment.

This final idea is simply this…

TIP FIVE: USE YOUR IMAGINATION

Bird watching and bird photography are meant to be enjoyable…so have fun, get creative, and think a bit outside the box.  Ask yourself questions like – “What would be a nice setting for a bird picture?” and “How can I get the birds to land there?”  Here are a few ideas that I have tried and found successful.

Find natural cavities in trees and fill them with food.  The birds love discovering these secret stashes!

Use small limbs and branches to provide perches.  I strap them to my deck and then spread a little Bark Butter on the back to entice the birds to land on them.

Consider making feeders out of stumps and logs, even if it means scavenging other peope’s yard waste.  (Hey, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right?)  One of my neighbors lost a tree in a storm and was more than happy to let me haul off the stump to use as a feeder.  My husband (with the help of my son’s muscle and my daughter’s truck) lugged the thing home.  Then he carved a bowl to hold seed in one section and cut grooves that I stuff with peanuts in another section.  We set it up next to a rhododendron bush and the birds LOVE it.

Okay…so these are some of the tips that came to my mind for luring birds to your backyard…but the bigger battle is taking the time to be still – to watch, to wait, and to listen.  In this fast paced world where the art of stillness is on the verge of extinction, it is hard to slow down and notice the beauty that surrounds us.  Bird watching is not for the swift of spirit, but great reward awaits the patient observer.

I enjoyed writing this series.  And if any of you have ideas to share I would love to hear them!