Summer is almost here and there's no better time to attract those lovely birds to your backyard.
You may notice the odd bird fluttering around your yard, but if you put some thought into it you can make your backyard a hot spot for our little feathered friends.
"If you live in a newer area without a lot of trees, it's a challenge but there are ways to help spruce things up," says Kathy Russell, category manager for Scotts.
"You can create an area for them by planting some shrubs and bushes and you will get a lot more birds."
Russell says you should always keep the bird feeder up in high areas where cats or other animals can't get at them.
She also recommends keeping them away from windows as birds often fly into them.
She says birds love places to hide so placing feeders near trees is a good idea.
Of course, we all know the way to a bird's heart is through its stomach, but that doesn't mean you can put just any kind of food out there.
"You should stick to raw feed if you're going to be feeding birds. They can't handle salt so keep salty feeds out of their diets," she says.
Russell also recommends putting out some fruit.
"Birds love fruit, especially oranges. Robins and Orioles especially love fruit."
Mac Brown, owner of The Wild Bird Store on Macleod Tr., says "people should be aware the best feed is fresh feed. And water is very important.
"All birds drink water while not all birds eat feed."
He says it's always good to complement bird feed with a bird bath and a bird house.
