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How to Attract Wild Birds in Colorado

Attracting wild birds into your backyard in Colorado requires a basic understanding of the types of birds found naturally in the state and then providing an inviting habitat containing food, water, shelter and nesting areas. Nearly every size yard throughout Colorado has the potential to attract the local inhabitants. Wild birds may visit a bird feeder filled with a basic birdseed mixture, but identifying which specific bird species are common in your Colorado geography and then offering their food of choice will increase significantly your chances of attracting more feathered visitors.

Things You'll Need

Wild birdseed
Bird feeders
Birdbath
Birdhouse

Instructions

- 1
  Identify the native species. According to Project FeederWatch, sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, common visitors to backyard bird feeders in Colorado include black-capped chickadees, house sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, common redpolls, house finches, gold finches, mourning doves, red- and white-breasted nuthatches, downy and hairy woodpeckers and northern flickers. All of these wild bird species may visit a feeding station in your yard.
- 2
  Offer specialized bird feeders filled with the preferred birdseed. Black oil sunflower seed attracts many of the wild birds found locally in Colorado. Perching birds such as chickadees, sparrows, redpolls and juncos will flock to a hanging feeder filled with black oiled sunflower flower seeds, while ground-feeding birds--including doves and jays--may visit a feeding tray. Goldfinches and house finches favor hanging feeders containing thistle or nyjer seeds, and suet feeders attract the attention of nuthatches, woodpeckers and flickers.
- 3
  Plant shrubs and flowers found naturally in Colorado. Birds eat a variety of different foods, including seeds, berries, fruits, insects and pollen. Planting native trees, shrubs and wildflowers increases the types of available foods, in turn attracting different species of wild birds into your yard.
- 4
  Give them shelter. In addition to offering a natural food source, native plantings also provide protection from predators and from the elements. Conifers buffer wind, rain and snow, while deciduous shrubs provide protective nesting areas. Hanging a birdhouse gives cavity-nesting birds a place to raise their young; example of these birds chickadees, sparrows, nuthatches and woodpeckers.
- 5
  Provide a water source. Wild birds need year-round access to clean drinking water. A birdbath, rinsed and refilled daily, offers fresh water and removes any mosquito larvae. Installing a small heater keeps the water from freezing during the long Colorado winter. The sound of splashing water attracts birds from long distances, and installing a small garden pond and waterfall may encourage more birds to visit your backyard.

Birding