There are a number of ways to attract birds to your yard, from planting native plants to providing safe stopover areas for them to eat, drink and nest.  Having a bird-friendly yard has never been more important – nearly 80 percent of wildlife habitat in the United States is in private hands, and an average of 2.1 million acres each year are converted to residential use (Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2012).

Creating a Backyard Habitat
To help you protect the bird population of the area, as well as maintain your backyard habitat, we have included the following links to other informational sources:

• Audubon at Home (National Audubon Society) – Info on healthy yards, helping birds, neighborhood conservation, and ways to make a difference for migrating birds
• "Create a Bird-friendly Habitat" (National Wildlife Federation)
• "How to Attract Birds to Your Yard" (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)
• “Beyond the Birdfeeder: Creating a Bird-Friendly Yard with Native Wisconsin Plants” by Mariette Nowak
• Bird-related Publications (Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative) – Info on bird feeders, bird houses, landscaping, and cat predation
• Cats Indoors (American Bird Conservancy) - Further information on cat predation and tips to keep both cats and birds safe and healthy
• "Make Your Windows Bird-Safe" (Humane Society) - Provides a variety of methods that you can use to prevent birds from striking your windows

  
Certify Your Yard
By providing food, water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise their young, you not only help wildlife, but you also qualify to become an official Certified Wildlife Habitat™ and join the nearly 176,000 sites across the country.

Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual 4-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are. The 2015 GBBC will take place February 13-16.