You don't need to travel very far to find amazing birds - often, they're right in our backyards.

If you want to encourage feathered visitors on your own property, there are lots of ways to make your yard, home, or apartment more bird-friendly. Below are some of our favorite resources.

Birdscaping your yard

Birdscaping is landscaping for the birds! With thoughtful plant choices (we love varieties that are native to Wisconsin), you can make your outdoor spaces (no matter how big or small) better for our feathered friends.

• Best Wisconsin Native Plants for Birds (via Wild Ones)

• How to Create a Bird-friendly Yard (via Audubon)

• 10 Plants for a Bird-friendly Yard (via Audubon)

• Attracting Birds to your Backyard (via Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

• Birdscaping in the Midwest: A Guide to Gardening with Native Plants to Attract Birds (book by Mariette Nowak)

• Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants (book by Doug Tallamy)

Feeding Birds

Feeding birds in our own backyards can bring us a lot of joy - but make sure you're doing your best to provide quality sources of nutrition for your backyard visitors! Here are some tips on bird feeding best-practices.

• Feeding Birds (collection of articles from Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

• Bird Feeding for Beginners: Four Can't-Miss Ways to Attract Birds to Your Yard or Deck (via National Wildlife Federation)

• To Feed, or Not To Feed? (via Audubon)

• Bird Feeding Tips (via Audubon)

• Guide to Winter Bird Feeding (via Audubon)

• Top 10 Backyard Bird Feeding Mistakes (via Birding at About.com)

• How to Create a Hummingbird Friendly Yard (via Audubon)

• Audubon Bird Feeding Brochures

  • Guide to Bird Feeding

  • Guide to Bird Seed

  • Guide to Bird Feeders

  • Attracting Hummingbirds & Orioles

Avoiding Window Collisions

While bringing birds to our backyards can be incredibly joyful, it's important to make sure you're not introducing them to other risks, including our own windows and buildings. Learn about different ways to avoid window collisions from National Audubon.

Attracting Breeding Birds

Your backyard can be a great place for a breeding birds to build their nests. Providing nest boxes for birds is a great way to help them raise successful broods. 

• Nest Box overview by the National Audubon Society

• Bluebird Nest Boxes via the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin

• All About Birdhouses with Cornell Lab of Ornithology's NestWatch

Banner photo by Phil Brown, Flickr Creative Commons