DNR News
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
April 6, 2012
Welcome migratory songbirds to your yard
Nothing says spring like the sweet sounds of songbirds. As warmer temperatures begin to arrive, so do the many familiar sounds of spring, including the songs of returning migrant birds.
After a long winter and tiring migration, our feathered friends need a welcoming haven to come back to. How can you ensure your yard or garden is bird-friendly?
To get you started, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), offers a few helpful tips for creating an outdoor space birds will flock to:
- Keep dead trees. Dead trees provide cavity-dwelling places for birds to raise young and collect insects for food. Many species will also seek shelter from bad weather inside these hollowed out trees.
- Eliminate pesticides from your yard. Even those pesticides that are not directly toxic to birds can pollute waterways and reduce insects that birds rely on for food.
- Prevent birds from hitting your windows. Move indoor plants away from windows so as not to confuse birds, or plant shrubs in front of them. Additionally, a variety of decals and treatments are available to create a visible alert to birds.
- Keep feeders and birdbaths clean. This helps birds avoid disease and can help keep mosquitoes at bay.
- Create a diverse backyard habitat. Plant native grasses, flowers and shrubs that attract local birds. A variety of plants will provide birds with food, shelter, places to raise young and even protection from predators.
Find out more about DNR's wildlife management guide on songbirds.
More News
- Now is the time to prepare and plan for fall dove hunting
- Aiken County WMA opens to the public Saturdays in May
- Welcome migratory songbirds to your yard
- Two funds now available to help wildlife when doing state taxes
- Additional dates added to Family Fishing Clinics
- S.C. High School Fishing State Championship April 28 on Lake Greenwood
- What can be done to control coyotes?
- Brushy ditch banks, weedy field borders are beneficial to wildlife around farms
- Jocassee Gorges roads in Oconee County to open late due to prescribed burning
- Boardwalk at Dungannon Plantation closed to protect nesting wood storks
- Reel Art contest winners announced
- DNR seeks help in updating list of wildlife rehabbers
- Spring turkey hunters should order tags now for upcoming season
- Camp Wildwood of South Carolina open for 2012 registration
- Freshwater fishing trends
- Saltwater fishing trends
- S.C. weekly tidetable
- DNR video
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