Attracting Wildlife To Your Garden
Wildlife gardening can be so exciting as you watch the many activities which go on in your garden and landscape. These practices have become so popular because of the life and energy which they bring to a garden setting, how wonderful it is to connect with nature as we watch our garden friends in their natural habitat going about their daily activity collecting their foods ( pollen ) bees and butterflies, even feeding their young however in this article we will be discussing how to attract robins to our gardens.
A little history on the robin
Robins are songbirds that are native to and popular in North America. They can be found in the city, parks, gardens, woodlands, home lawns, fields, and so on. It’s said that the male robins sing so sweetly.
The American robin can produce up to three successful broods in a year’s time. Some of their favorite foods are earthworms, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and berries. Once a male robin finds his mate
he will continue to bring the female robin food to strengthen their bond. Robins were once hunted for food but is now protected by the migratory bird act that is in the U.S. A robin can live 13 months in captivity and up to 6 years in the wild.
Garden plants that attract robins
While it may be true that having a garden will automatically attract wildlife, it is best to install plants that will attract the kind of wildlife you want to see in your garden. To have greater success at attracting robins to your garden here are a few plants to consider.
Sunflowers
1. Sunflowers are great to add to your garden area, leaving the faded flower will allow seedheads to form which will attract robins to your garden.
Ivy
2. The ivy plants are a favorite of robins as well as many other birds, installing the ivy plant will have your garden buzzing with activity from your garden friends.
Honeysuckles
3. Honeysuckles are beautiful garden plants with showy flowers that can bring much flavor. During the autumn months, these garden beauties provide berries for a range of birds including robins.
Holly
4. Holly plants produce beautiful bright red berries that can light up your garden area, during autumn these berries are ripe and are sure to get the heads of robins, redwings, blackbirds, and other birds turning as they feast upon this delight.
Marigolds
5. Marigolds are beautiful garden plants with amazing colors of bright orange and yellow along with a mixture of orange and yellow. The dry seeds which these flowers produce is a real treat for birds.
Planting Shrubs
Installing shrubs is great when seeking to attract wildlife including robins. What makes shrubs so great is shrubs will provide the following.
1. Shelter.
2. Protection from predators such as cats.
3. A nesting site.
4. Shade from the summer’s heat.
Some shrubs which make a great habitat include
1. Sage.
2. Juniper.
3. Holly.
4. Dogwood.
5. Wax Myrtle.
6. Lilac.
Shrubs that are native to your region should be installed to have success.
Adding garden features
Here are other features that can be added.
1. A birdbath makes a great garden feature but besides a great garden feature birdbaths will attract robins so investing in a birdbath will work wonders.
2. A fruit feed that is hanging from a tree will encourage robins to your garden to ensure that the fruit feeder hangs from a tree. Fruits may consist of grapes, pears, plums, apple strawberries, and raisins.
3. The use of a nesting box is an added benefit if you hope for your invited guest to mate and have their young. The nesting box should have an open front and be placed in a secured area that is quiet and will give robins their privacy. Ensure the nesting box is hidden from cats.
4. Adding a bird feeder will attract them, this feeding station will be buzzing with excitement as they feast on their favorite seeds. Ensure that the feeder is in an area or high enough of the ground away from cats, dogs, and other wildlife that can be a threat to robins.
5. Mealworms are a real treat to robins and will get them excited.
Note: Providing plants that produce bright flower bloom will attract wildlife to your garden
Feeding robins in the winter
During the winter months help your feathered friends along by placing foods on the ground. These foods can consist of.
1. Strawberries.
2. Sliced Apples.
3. Blueberries
4. Raisins
5. Cherries.
Note: Only install shrubs that are native to your region for garden success.
Providing a water source for birds in the winter
During the winter months it can be difficult for your robins to find unfrozen water, a great feature is to add a birdbath which comes with a built-in heating system this way your robins will be able to enjoy a good drink of unfrozen water during the winter months.
Additional Information
Don’t use harmful chemicals in your garden because these chemicals can be harmful to your robins, their young, and other wildlife.
The final word
Creating a garden habitat that will attract wildlife is a creative way not only to connect with nature but to also give nature a helping hand in ensuring that wildlife is being taken care of. If this garden type interests you then I encourage you to invest in a garden of this sort as you provide a home for these garden beauties which I believe is so amazing.
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About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Having birds in the garden is always a good addition. I think you made a great post with a lot of information. I discover that birds liked mealworms, which is interesting because I have a lot of them. How should I place them for the birds to find?
I do not reside in the USA but I hope to apply your advice to see if I can be able to attract some local birds here.
Thanks
Hello so happy to meet you, mealworms are a real delight. Place them in a container along with some wheat-bran just enough to almost fill the container. There should be plenty of space left between the mealworms and the lid for air, before placing the lid punch small holes for ventilation. Hope this help and have a good day.
So much to learn about nature this time how to attract robins to your garden. This article has enlightened me on particulars on how you could genuinely attract Robins. There are garden plants which are something like a favorite of this kind of bird. Such as if I remember it right Marigold, Holly, Ivy, honeysuckles, and sunflowers. In addition, shrubs provide robins nesting sites, shade from the heat of the sun, protection from wildlife such as cats. It pinpointed which shrub would be great for Robins, they are Jupiter, dogwood, sage. in the end we could also preserve the ecosystem by knowing a few tips here and there to nurture certain animals such as birds and robins in particular. it might be a small effort in the eyes of many but it is a big step forward to contribute to the preservation of beautiful birds like robins that sing without comparison. Isn’t it great to hear them tweeting their tune every now and then from dawn to dusk, What a day it could be! Beautiful article. it is inspiring to do something for nature,
Hello so happy to meet you and you are so right with what you have said. All the best to you and have a good day.
During the summer months, I love just sitting on our front deck and watching the wild birds come and go and build their summer homes. It is a busy and fascinating site to see. My favourite bird to watch are the hummingbirds with their speed and beauty. I provide 3 feeders for these feisty species. They are territorial and bold and so much fun watching.
I have never really paid attention to what plants to use to attract the birds, but I am going to give it a lot of thought going forward after reading your article. There are so many species out there and they are all beautiful in their own ways.
I would like to share a little story. We have a small juniper tree at our back door. Well, for the past two years we have had a chipping sparrow nest and raise young in this shrub. It is so amazing to watch all the stages of growth, from the laying of eggs, to the hatching and then when they leave the nests. It is absolutely incredible to watch this experience. This year our little sparrow had 3 beautiful birds.
I have never thought much about the marigolds, but you mentioned that the birds love the seeds that these plants produce. I think these are a must next year.
I enjoyed your article and have learned a few more practices to entice the birds.
Hello so good to meet you. Watching nature in their natural habitat can be so exciting. Thanks so much for sharing your amazing story. I am so happy that I could help. All the best to you and have a good day.
At first, I wanted to ask about the values robins can offer when we make our garden conducive for them. But I later realise that nature need to be protected so that many wildlife will not go into extinct. They can also contribute to the environment, maybe through food web or food chain. Birds are good friends. Their faeces can also be a fertilizer for good growth of our precious plants. In a country where there is no law that protect wildlife, am very sure the captive animals have tendency of living longer than the ones in the wilderness. For Robins to be able to make three successful brood in a year make them appear to be a successful creatures.
Hello, Stella so happy to hear from you. Robins are amazing birds and we should do all that we can to protect them. So happy to help and thanks so much for sharing. All the best to you and have a good day.
It is a return to nature, it is very rare to see such robins in our nature, we should all take action to protect our birds and our nature. it is a good behavior like you to attract more robins to your garden, and make your garden lively with so many lovely birds. it will attract more visitors to your garden, many wildlife, and wild birds are our human being’s friend, we should take more attention to their lives and protect them, make our environment to be ecological balance with this life wildlife and food cycle supply. a good post to broadcast with the human being to protect our nature.