Backyard Birding, Quick and Easy Getting Started Guide, Best Buys!

Consider having a notebook of some sort and started keeping track of the birds you saw in your yard. Do you want to go into more details of your observations? Draw columns across the page.

Set each column to represent a type of bird, e.g. cardinal, chickadee, house sparrow, etc. and each row down to represent a date. Set each column to represent a type of bird, e.g. cardinal, chickadee, house sparrow, etc. and each row down to represent a date.

List the date daily and put an X in the column for every bird you see. It is easy really, takes very little time of your time and you may end up enjoying it. Arrange the bird feeder so that it is in your view all the time so that you always see which bird is coming or going. You'll probably learn soon enough which bird will come at what time. It should be fun.

A bird guestbook can be as simple as you like. Use a journal type book and make an entry when you see something interesting. Get started, it will be great to know who are your guests.

Regardless of the season and where you are, it's always healthier for the birds to get their "hand-outs" at a feeding station, off the ground. Food that sits on the ground for even a short time is exposed to potential contamination by dampness, mold, bacteria, animal droppings, lawn fertilizers and pesticides.

When feeding, try to keep bird seeds as dry as possible - seed will spoil when it gets damp or wet. Feed sparingly, cover your feeder with a plastic dome. Look for feeders with drainage holes in the bottoms of both the feeder hopper and the seed tray. The seed tray is used to catch dropped seeds while allowing spent seed shells to blow away.

Where do you best enjoy watching the bird at? Choose a location that is easily accessible. Consider the seasonal weather pattern of where your home is - you may be reluctant to fill a feeder that isn't in a convenient spot when the weather is bad or so on. Make sure the spot you choose is easy for you to keep clean from discarded seed shells, bird droppings and other bits of rubbish.

Watch it! Squirrels can become a problem when they take over a bird feeder, scaring the birds away, and tossing seed all over. They have also been known to entertain themselves by chewing right through plastic and wooden feeders.

For warm weather locations consider also having other decorative elements in your garden to create a more exciting environment both for the birds and you.