Backyard Birding

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Food:
Quality seeds, suets, nuts, and blends provide birds with the calories that they need to thrive.

Feeders:
We have feeders for all kinds of birds and all kinds of situations. Small birds, song birds, tubes, platforms, squirrel-proof, squirrel-friendly, the choice is up to you.

Houses:
From basic to classic to stylish, every bird deserves a home of its own. And we have you covered. And them.

Amenities:
Homestead Gardens carries those hard-to-find items like nesting materials and birdbath de-icers that also make great gifts for the bird lover in your life. Plus, we carry one of the region’s largest and most beautiful selection of concrete birdbaths.

Cozy Nesting Material from Homestead Llamas
Give your birds a real treat with genuine llama fiber to line their nest. Simply pull fiber through several holes with tweezers and hang in a tree.

Building a Paradise for Birds

Native or indigenous plants provide seasonal habitat benefits to wildlife that non-native plants cannot. An added bonus to native plants is that they adapt well to drought and provide low-maintenance gardening. They require little water once established and need little or no fertilizer. Birds need shelter, food, water and a place to raise their young, so they find a native garden particularly attractive for nesting.

Birds need trees and shrubs for cover, nesting and perching. Provide levels of vegetation starting with large trees, secondary trees, shrubs and ground cover. Examples of native tall deciduous trees Red Maple (Acer rubrum), River Birch (Betula nigra), and Oaks (Quercus). Native evergreen trees Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), White Pine (Pinus strobes), Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda), Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Medium native trees such as Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) , Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) and American Holly (Ilex opaca). Native shrubs such as Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), Red Osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), Inkberry (Ilex glabra), and Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). Low vegetation can be provided by native perennials and grasses.

Cover can also be provided by placing nesting boxes in your habitat to attract bluebirds, wrens, Tufted Titmice and Carolina Chickadee. The box will be used in spring and summer as nesting sites. The species of bird attracted will depend on the placement of the box. In winter the box will be used as a roosting box.

Food sources are provided by native seed setting perennials such as Blackeyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Purple Coneflower, pictured below → Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea),































Narrow Leaved Sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)and ornamental native grasses such as Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). Fruits are provided by berry producing sources such as Serviceberry, Viburnums, Hollies, Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) and Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica). The planting of one native dogwood can feed over a hundred species of wildlife. 

Birds can be supplied with feeding stations of black oil sunflower seed, which is the preferred seed of over 50 species of songbird. Thistle seed will attract the American Goldfinch and Morning Doves. Suet will attract wrens, woodpeckers, and nuthatches.
Water can be provided by a birdbath or fountain. Birds are attracted to the sound of dripping or flowing water. A pond will attract a diverse species of birds.  Even a simple terra cotta saucer full of fresh water will be welcomed by your feathered friends.

Remember no matter what size your property, you can enjoy nature outside your window. Try to landscape your habitat so that you can attract the particular wildlife that interests you. Your habitat will bring you many every day simple pleasures.

The Bare Essentials :: Food, Water and Shelter

courtesy of Lyric® Wild Bird Food

If this sounds a lot like the basic needs of humans, you're thinking right. Our backyard friends have many of the same basic needs as human beings, and providing these bare essentials can mean the difference between life and death.

Wild birds rely on three basic survival needs:
food, water and shelter. Approximately one-third of adult Americans feed wild birds, and by providing food, water and shelter it helps birds survive, it supplements their daily diets of weed-seeds and chemically treated plants, and provides hours of enjoyment for those watching.

Food:
Food is the staple of a wild bird's life. Most wild birds that visit backyard feeders do not weigh more than 2 nickels, and they can expend up to 15% of their body weight each night just trying to stay warm. They spend up to 18 hours a day searching for food supplies, so providing healthy feeder food ensures their stability. Lyric Wild Bird Food is committed to providing healthy, filler-free food. Some wild bird food mixes contain fillers, which are neither healthy nor preferred by wild birds.     

Lyric's specially formulated mixes attract more birds, more often. Each mix contains only the freshest and highest quality ingredients, which means birds come back time and time again for the reliable (and delicious!) food source. Birds also have feeder preferences, so providing the right food in the right feeder means more types of birds, more often.

Water:
Birds like birdbaths! Just as humans need to drink water to survive, so do wild birds. Countless species of wild birds are attracted to water features, which increases the birds in the backyard, and provides a lifesaving (and fun) resource. If you offer water, especially if it's dripping or running, you may attract birds that do not feed at feeders. Many types of birds prefer insects or berries, instead of seed.

Shelter:
Shelter is essential in a bird's survival. Many species use natural resources to build their nests; however, diminshing natural resources and housing developments can strip a bird's of its natural ecosystem. This can leave species displaced, and in need of shelter. Especially in northern states, non-migratory birds need food, non-frozen water, and shelter to survive. A Lyric Bluebird House or Custom Nesting Box ensures a safe-haven for year-round birding!

Lyric® varieties at Homestead Gardens

courtesy of Lyric® Wild Bird Food

Cardinal Mix
Birds with prominent, seed-cracking bills, commonly called grosbeaks, easily crack in-shell seeds like sunflower, safflower and buckwheat. These seeds preclude smaller birds with finer bills yet attract larger, colorful jays and cardinals. In instances where these birds are frequent feeders, Lyric Cardinal Food is an ideal choice. Blue Jays often scoop small seeds aside probing for larger sunflower. Cardinal Mix provides their fundamental choice every time - which saves you wasted seed.

Chickadee Mix
What a lively group! These little, gregarious, tree-dwelling birds bring such pleasure as they acrobatically flit from limb to feeder to post. We fondly refer to them as the "social climbers" because of their congeniality and perpetual motion. Did you know that you can train a chickadee to eat right from your hand?
Chickadees, nuthatches and titmice tend to forage together in mixed flocks. They dwell in trees, and they relish sunflower seeds and tree nuts. We recommend Lyric's Chickadee Mix - specifically formulated for their feeding habits.

Delite Mix
Many people are reluctant to feed during the warm months because the seed germinates and causes a gardening nightmare. Shells make decks, patios and lawns unsightly. Resolve the problem by changing your mixture. Delite is waste-free, mess-free and weed-free. It's also a great value, because you don't pay for the shells. Four pounds of Delite is equivalent to nearly eight pounds of the same mix with the shells.

Finch Mix
In spring, flocks of goldfinches shed their dull feathers for a bright gold plummage, and the backyard springs alive with sight, sound and fragrance. Attract these brilliant little birds with seeds suited to the preferences and their bill size.
Finches' tiny bills are masterful at handling small seeds, and pound for pound, Lyric Finch Mix is easier on the budget than straight niger.

Supreme Mix
The excitement begins with a variety of colorful birds dashing about as they savor the food you've provided. Success in attracting multiple species depends greatly upon the mixture. Premium quality ingredients tend to attract an assortment of birds - worthy of any photographer's lens. Lyric Supreme offers the very best gourmet ingredients plus an assortment of preferred seeds and tree nut pieces. It is our strongest recommendation for attracting the most species possible.

Woodpecker Mix
Woodpeckers, with their bright markings, feeding antics and recognizable calls are some of the most popular birds, and you can enjoy them, too! All you have to know is what they prefer to eat - offer it in a selective feeder - and you've got woodpeckers! Lyric Woodpecker Mix is designed to do just that.