Spring is Coming!

We have seen our first robins this week. Hooray!

We are putting out raisins and fresh suet. Matthew said he woke up to a robin singing right outside his window this morning. Found this info on a site www.all-birds.com

How to attract Robins to your backyard

Water will attract Robins and many other birds. Robins love a birdbath and are fun to watch as they drink and bathe. They will come to a bird bath and really like running water. You will often see them under a sprinkler.

Plat form feeders are good. Robins will eat apples, grapes, other fruits and suet. They will also come to feeders with seeds, doughnuts, bread, peanut butter mixtures and many other foods.

Natural food sources in your yard will attract them. A damp lawn will have earthworms. A pile of leaves or brush will have worms and other insects they love such as caterpillars, grasshoppers and beetle grubs. A good way to supply an area for them to forage in is to use fall leaves as mulch in your flowerbeds.

Plant berry bushes and fruit trees. A large part of their diet is fleshy fruits and berries. A yard with natural fruit sources will be returned to over and over.

Robins will use a nesting shelf to build their nest in. This shelf can be attached to the side of a barn, garage, or under the eaves of a house. Since the female lines the nest with it is good to have it near a mud source such as a garden.

A nesting shelf can be made from three boards nailed together to form the floor, back and roof of a house. Make it about 7 inches by 8 inches and 8 inches high. Mount it in a shaded spot. A good place is on the side of your house under overhanging eaves.