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Cardinals are beautiful birds, and their songs make them worth watching. You can find out more about them in this link here. Their stunning plumage can add new colours and hues to your garden, which is why many people wanted to attract them in their backyards.
The good thing is that both the experienced and the novice birders can attract these lovely birds through baths, nesting areas, and the right feeders.
They have brilliant red plumages that are easy to spot and recognize. Even the female species which are more reserved can showcase their fawn-coloured and lovely red highlights through their feathers.
In the winter, these birds don’t typically migrate to other areas, so cardinals are always considered as welcome guests the whole year-round. They can be stunning decorations on bare trees in winter since their colours are brilliant, and their beautiful voices are still music to one’s ears. If you want to know more about attracting them, here are some tips for you.
Bird feeders
The medium-sized birds, such as cardinals, need feeders where they can comfortably eat, sit, and perch. You can visit sites like Bird Informer to know more about the feeders that are ideal for cardinals. Look for standard tubes that are sturdy. You need heavy duty poles because the feeders can be very heavy, especially if they are full of seeds.
These birds’ bills are thick, which makes it ideal for larger seeds such as safflower or black oil sunflower varieties. If you want to give them something different, you can try fresh berries, apple chunks, bread crumbles, cracked corns, or suet shreds.
Many people opt to go with wide and large feeders where there are plenty of spaces for the cardinals to perch. The smaller and narrow ones are not suitable for them because they won’t feed well. You can check resources for the top best feeders available for more designs and capacities.
Other factors that you need to consider when looking for the feeders are the following:
Water
The Northern cardinals enjoy birdbaths for drinking and washing. Since they are songbirds that are large in sizes, you need a slightly deeper depth for the baths, which is about three inches. You may want to add drippers to attract the birds to the bath further. They will welcome this water source and stay for a few days in full view of your home. Read more about bird baths here: https://medium.com/@birdfoodbox/birdbaths-why-should-you-have-one-5f5adb99744a.
Since the cardinals tend to go farther north during the winter season, a heated bath can be advantageous for them. Placing the baths to the ground can also be a good idea since most of them like to forage on land for a quick drink or bath.
Providing shelter
Even if the birds are known to have colourful feathers, they still prefer to hide and live in secluded areas. They are discreet to avoid predators preying on them. Most of the shrubs or dense thickets can be a good cover for them to feel more secure and safe.
These species mostly prefer shelter in blueberry, mulberry, and sumac since these are all excellent food sources. You can try to design a cardinal-friendly landscape and provide various layers of bush covers that reach 20 feet. Shrubs and evergreen trees are ideal and comfortable shelter in the winter months, so you are lucky if you have them.
Nesting sites
The birds want to have a safe area where they can lay eggs and nest. They prefer clematis, grapevines, and hawthorns since these plants are dense. You can help them with the nesting materials by providing pine needles, small twigs, and grass clippings. Most of them are not comfortable living in birdhouses and want to use the dense natural covers, so you may want to make an effort to make their space safe to attract other families.
Know their preferred food
Their beaks are very powerful compared to other backyard bird species. It’s easy to imagine how they can crack open a seed with ease and agility.
Their food choices can consist of black oil sunflower and a mix of other seed varieties. These are often inexpensive, and you can get ones that are sold from your local pet shop. You can also buy a bag of safflower seeds that can last until winter.
Safflower seed is the white variety that most squirrels often ignore. You can be guaranteed that the cardinals will be feasting on them each time they decide to visit your backyard.
Put their food out the night before
Most cardinals will visit your place in the early hours of the morning, so make sure that you won’t have to dash through them when they do. They get the bulk of their daily nutrition when starting their day. When you put the seeds the night before, you increase your chances of attracting them and not scare them because of the extra fuss that you may do in your seed bags.
Put bird feeders to different locations in your yard. If the other one is already filled with birds, they can still go to other areas where they will feel more comfortable. The more food sources are there, the more attractive your garden to the cardinals.
Leave the open and high branches of trees in your garden alone. Don’t cut them down as they can serve as perches for singing cardinals. You can guarantee to hear their sweet songs in early summer, especially if the breeding season begins early.
Let the cardinals claim their territories in your backyard so that they can safely look for other mates. When you meet almost all of their needs, you can rest assured that they will stay longer. The freshest water, abundant food, and secure nests can make them stay whole year-round.
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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