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Attracting Birds to your Sacramento Backyard
courtesy of Ed Pandolfino*
   

Ed is featured in the March issue of Audubon Magazine (that's him on the cover).
On newsstands now.

Local Audubon Chapters:
 
Who do I contact if I find an injured bird?
Birds of Winter
American River College Extension Class: Field Identification of Birds of Song
Is your backyard a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat™?
What you need
Binoculars
You can spend $80 to $1400 for a pair of binoculars, depending on your budget and seriousness.  I usually suggest that people start out with a pair in the $100 to $120 range.  I also suggest you buy one with magnification power of 8X (eight power).  The extra magnification of 10X is generally not worth what you lose in light and field of view.
Feeders & Food

A hanging feeder filled with black oil sunflower seeds

  • This will attract house finches, two kinds of goldfinches, oak titmouse, white-breasted nuthatches, western scrub jays and others.
  • Add a thistle tube (either a separate feeder or you a 2-tube or 3-tube feeder) filled with Niger thistle seed.  The both kinds of goldfinches (American and Lesser) love it.  The small holes in a thistle feeder allow the goldfinches to feast without competition from larger birds.

A hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water at a ratio of 4:1 or 5:1 water to sugar volume.  Remember, no coloring required.  You can attract Anna’s hummingbird year-round, black-chinned in spring and summer and Rufous hummingbirds during their spring and late summer/fall migrations.

  • Use at least one combo oriole/hummingbird feeder and you might attract Bullock’s and/or hooded orioles in spring and summer!

A ground feeder with white millet, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn will attract many of the same species that come to a hanging feeder, plus many more ground dwellers including several different sparrows, two kinds of towhees, California quail, doves, dark-eyed juncos, etc.

A suet feeder (use the big 4x4 inch cube with small mesh openings) can bring in different kinds of woodpeckers, nuthatches and many other feathered surprises.

  
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Hanging Mesh Feedericon
 
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Thistle Feeder
 
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Suet Holdericon
Other Attractions
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Crackle Glass Birdbathicon
  • A water feature:  This can be a simple birdbath, a small pond, a little waterfall.  Moving or dripping water is most attractive.  You can get all kinds of birds that will never come to feeders to visit water in any season.
  • Berry bushes in season will draw cedar waxwings, robins, mockingbirds and thrushes.  See the “Gardening for Birds” bibliography.
  • Brush piles provide important cover for lots of ground loving birds like sparrows, towhees and quail.
Field Guide
If you want to identify the birds you attract, you will need a good field guide.  I recommend the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America.  Make sure you get the new edition (3rd Edition).  Western Birds by Roger Tory Peterson is also a good one.  Avoid field guides that use photos.  Birds of Northern California by David Fix and Andy Bezener is a new, local guide that is interesting.
Other books you may want
Two great books on bird behavior, breeding, feeding preferences and other interesting facts are: The Birder’s Handbook by Ehrlich, Dobkin & Wheye and Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman.
Where to get equipment, books, feeders, etc.
There are several stores around, check under “Birds” in your local yellow pages.  One is Wild Bird Center at 5339 Sunrise Blvd (near Madison Ave.). In the Arden area, try Wild Birds Unlimited at 2533 Fair Oaks Blvd in Loehmans Plaza.
Gardening for Birds- Books
  Here is a list of books about gardening for birds and wildlife: 
Some of the Birds you can attract to your Yard  
  • American goldfinch (yr round)
  • Lesser goldfinch (yr round)
  • House finch (yr round)
  • Song sparrow (mainly winter)
  • White-crowned sparrow (winter)
  • Golden-crowned sparrow (winter)
  • Fox sparrow (winter)
  • Lark sparrow (yr round)
  • House sparrow (yr round)
  • California towhee (yr round)
  • Spotted towhee (yr round)
  • Dark-eyed junco (winter)
  • Black-headed grosbeak (spr/fall)
  • White-breasted nuthatch (yr round)
  • Oak titmouse (yr round)
  • Bullock's oriole (spr/sum)
  • Hooded oriole (spr/sum)
  • American robin (yr round)
  • Hermit thrush (winter)
  • Western Bluebird (yr round)
  • Cedar waxwing (mainly winter)
  • Northern mockingbird (yr round)
  • European starling (yr round)
  • Yellow-billed magpie (yr round)
  • Mourning dove (yr round)
  • Rock dove, aka city pigeon (yr round)
  • California quail (yr round)
  • Wild turkey (yr round)
  • Anna's hummingbird (yr round)
  • Black-chinned hummingbird (spr/sum)
  • Rufous hummingbird (spr/fall)
  • Downy woodpecker (yr round)
  • Nuttall's woodpecker (yr round)
  • Northern flicker (mainly winter)
  • Acorn woodpecker (yr round)
  • Sharp-shinned hawk (winter)
  • Cooper's hawk (winter)
 
Birds to Look for This Winter

The Berry Eaters: Cedar waxwing and Hermit thrush
Your yard can be a haven for winter birds, even if you don't put out feeders. Winter-fruiting bushes and trees (like pyracantha, native toyon, junipers) can attract some spectacular birds. A flock of Cedar Waxwings can suddenly descend on a fruit-laden tree to provide a stunning decorative touch to a gray winter day. Learn their high-pitched call and you will be more likely to detect them. Then grab your binoculars and enjoy! Play Call.
Cedar Waxwing

Another berry lover that is more subtle in appearance AND behavior is the handsome Hermit Thrush. This species breeds high in the mountains and spends its winter in the valley. They are shy skulkers that generally stay close to the ground under cover, but learning their little 'chup' note will help you find them. Play Call.

 
Hermit Thrush

Dark-eyed Junco:This is another species that breeds in the mountains and winters in our valley. They are mainly ground feeders and will come to millet or sunflower seeds in a ground feeder (or will feed on the seeds that drop from your hanging feeder).
Dark-eyed Junco
 
Feeding ALL the birds:
One of the joys of bird feeding is the occasional unexpected diner. The birds you attract to your yard with your feeders are just the kind of winter smorgasbord the Cooper's Hawk is looking for. These hawks are strictly bird-eaters and have learned that backyard feeders can be a good place to hunt. Don't be upset if this guy eats one of 'your' birds. The seeds you put out are helping the little birds survive the winter and any birds that get eaten are helping this hawk do the same. It's all just bird feeding.
Cooper's Hawk
*Ed Pandolfino, formerly board vice president of San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, is on the board of the Sierrra Foothills Audubon Society. He is also the sub-regional Placer County editor for North American Birds, and has written for Birdwatcher's Digest. He leads several yearly field trips for Sierra Foothills Audubon Society and teaches a Backyard Birding class at Sierra College. 
BirdWatcher's Digest
  Audubon Marketplace