Creating a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary 

Creating a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary 

Homeowners spend plenty of time making their backyards something that they can be proud of, a place they can relax while entertaining friends and family.  There is no shortage of choices when it comes to creating your perfect backyard.  One of the things that you should consider is creating a backyard wildlife sanctuary.  It allows you to help the environment and create a home for animals that have been displaced by urban sprawl. Here are some things that you can do to help wildlife make your backyard a home.

Here are the things that you will need:

A Food Source

Providing a good food source is the single most important thing you can do to attract wildlife to your backyard.  It doesn’t matter if it is just birds and squirrels you are looking to feed or you want a garden that is a little wilder you are going to have to provide a food source.  If you are unsure what kind of food is suitable for birds and squirrels, they both enjoy birdseed.  If you put out a bird feeder you will find both of them raiding it for their next meal.  However squirrels can hoard food and have a tendency to steal all of the seed so you might want to get a squirrel proof bird feeder and feed squirrels some nuts separately.  You can buy birdseed and nuts at your local grocery store.

Water

All living creatures need water to survive including the creatures that are going to call your backyard home.  In the summertime it gets scorching hot and water dries up that makes it hard for birds and squirrels to find a clean source of water.  Keeping out bowls of fresh clean water offers them a place of safety.  It will also keep them returning if they are getting what they need in your backyard.  You will have to change and clean out the water every couple of days.  Standing dirty water brings you a guest you don’t want…mosquitos.

Providing Shelter

You don’t necessarily have to provide shelter in your backyard in order to attract animals and birds but it does help.  Having a shelter available when the weather changes from fall to winter or even on stormy summer days will also help to stay.  For animals like birds and squirrels simply having a tree is enough to offer them some shelter.