Attracting Birds Year-Round

I have lots of birds visit my yard year-round! If you want to attract more birds, there are a few things you will want to consider. Your location and the time of year will determine which birds you can likely attract. You will also need to provide the appropriate habitat, a source of food and water, nesting capabilities, and shelter from weather and predators. I live on a fairly busy street, but my backyard is pretty private and has woods with a stream running through them. I win LOL. Even though I have logged hundreds of different types of birds in my yard, I am still unlikely to see many birds, such as a gull for example. You are more likely to see a Rock Pigeon if you live near town, such as on Main Street in Monson. You could see a Great Blue or Green Heron if you live near a lake, such as Sawmill Pond in Wilbraham. You can also see more birds and species if you live near a sanctuary or other large space that contains varied habitats. Laughing Brook in Hampden, Fannie Stebbins in Longmeadow, and Forest Park in Springfield always have lots of birds that will come take advantage of your feeders if you are lucky enough to live nearby!

Seasons, weather and climate patterns matter too. Here in Western Mass, we are less likely to see Orioles in Autumn than people who live near the shore because they have milder winters than we do. That being said, strange weather patterns can make a difference too. During rainy springs, my woods became a swamp and I have Green Herons, Wood Ducks and Mallards that I can watch out my window! This past winter (2025-2026) was a huge irruption year for finches. When seed crops fail and there is a shortage of pine cones in eastern Canada, birds will migrate south to find food. During these irruption years, Purple Finches and Red-breasted Nuthatches start arriving in the fall. Then, some lucky people in Massachusetts can see Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Crossbills, and Pine Siskins visit their feeders if they put out back-oil sunflower seeds.

No matter the season, you will need food and water to attract birds. Autumn brings colder temperatures here in Western MA. The birds begin running out of natural food sources and water begins freezing over in places at night. There are a couple of things you can do to attract birds to your yard now and help them to survive the colder temperatures. My first suggestion is to BE LAZY! Don’t rake up all the leaves and deadhead your plants. The birds will find the bugs that hide under the leaves and eat the seeds off the dead flowers! This also helps bugs and pollinators hibernate which, in-turn, helps birds in the spring! Fresh water is critical during every season. Birds need to hydrate AND keep their feathers clean year-round to ensure their survival. Heated birdbaths bring lots of birds to my yard. On freezing days, it steams like a sauna and the birds will sit long enough for me to really enjoy them. The birds can find food in the warmer seasons, but they need help in the winter. They need to eat often to keep their metabolism high enough to heat their bodies now. You can read about which foods to buy to attract different birds in my blog pages but I included a suet recipe below.

This is the suet recipe from the National Audubon I used with a couple changes. The birds really seem to love it!

3 blocks rendered suet
1/2 cup peanut butter
9 cups bird seed
dried fruits/berries
(I added shelled nuts.)
Cooking Spray
Wide ribbon (I used wire.)

Melt suet over low heat, stirring consistently-don’t let boil.
Add peanut butter, let melt and remove from heat.
Add the bird seed and stir.
Spray a Bundt pan (for a wreath). I made suet muffins and a wreath with a pie plate and a glass as I couldn’t find my Bundt pan that I put away somewhere….sigh……
Add the suet and put in refrigerator over night.
Add the wire/string etc. for muffins.
Ready to go in the morning! Tie ribbon if you went with wreath.
* It makes a lot of muffins so I put them in sandwich bags and they are doing great!

Next, your yard needs to provide shelter to keep the birds safe from the weather and predators and use during the spring for nesting. Some birds like pine trees, such as Pine Warblers, while other birds prefer shrubbery close to the ground, like American Robins. Eastern Bluebirds will take shelter in tree trunks during the winter and nest in bird houses you provide during the spring. If you would like them to nest with you, you can encourage this by providing nesting materials! I wrote a blog about this too that you can read. But, a quick tip is to put out things the birds can use to build/line their nests with and houses for them to build their nests in. You can pay a lot for some of this or make your own. I have had success with using my Maine Coons Cashie and Callie (before she passed tragically) fur. You can see that the Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmouses love this material! I posted videos of them gathering the fur on my sites.

The seasons will impact which birds you can see in your locations. Check my blogs to see which birds we have year-round here in Western Mass, which birds visit for the summer and winter, and which birds you may see pass through your yard during spring and fall migration. Be sure to follow me here on my site so you don’t miss my blogs and updates. I add birds to my local birding pages as I see them. I also post lots of local birds and more on my social media pages. I appreciate all likes, follows and comments! I will leave you with 3 of my favorite migrants from my yard in Wilbraham. 🙂