Birds can turn any property into a sanctuary. Not only do their pretty feathers add color to your yard, but their often-sweet songs fill it with melodic tunes. If you are an avid bird watcher who would like to attract more winged friends to your property, review some tips from Doppes Building Materials in Cincinnati, OH. The building supply store offers a wide range of materials for DIY projects, including those for bird-friendly structures.

How to Make Your Property Bird-Friendly

Plant More Trees

Choose fruit and seed-producing trees such as holly and crabapple options to attract more birds, as well as deciduous, or broad-leafed, trees. Deciduous tree leaves collect water that birds use for drinking and bathing. Plant coniferous, or evergeen, trees to offer them shelter from bad weather and provide them with extra food from cone seeds.

Offer a Variety of Food

Create numerous other food sources to attract a wider range of birds. Suet “cakes” provide woodpeckers, nuthatches, and many other birds with fat and protein. Seed mixes made with sunflower, safflower, and millet seeds also work well, as do shelled nut and peanut combinations. Orange, apple, and melon chunks on platform feeders attract orchard orioles, among other unique species.

Install Numerous Water Sources

Add multiple bird baths to your property in sunny and shaded areas so birds don’t have to fight for water. Use moving water such as drippers and misters, as birds will hear the water and want to find its source. Install heaters on bird baths in the winter to keep the water from icing over.

Create Additional Shelter

Group flowers and shrubs together to create more shelter for birds. Roost boxes also provide shelter to a variety of species, including the Eastern bluebird and black-capped chickadee, while brush piles in unused areas of your yard offer safe places for birds to hide and rest. Use materials from your local building supply store to make birdhouses specific to the species you wish to attract.

Deter Neighborhood Cats

Keep cats, who kill 2.4 billion birds in the U.S. every year, away from your property in various ways. Plant lavender, rue, and other annuals and perennials that are repulsive to cats to keep them out, and use barrier methods such as chicken wire or electric wire fencing. Also, consider water sprinkler scarecrows and using water guns to prevent feline invasions since cats detest getting wet.

Whether you’re creating birdhouses or require building supplies for any other project, find what you need at Doppes Building Materials. The building supply store stocks everything from roofing products to electrical materials and plumbing fixtures, and they have proudly served the Tri-State area since 1869. Call the building supply store today at (513) 421-4850 with product questions, or review their inventory online.