Building a wildlife pond is an excellent idea. A birdbath will go a very long way to offering water for many birds. But, just as important as water is the food. And if you have enough room to consider building a small wildlife pond in your garden.
On the north side of your house, dig out a bit of land and add some soil. Then add some medium density grass and some smaller plant species like junipers and ferns. In the southern half of your yard a mix of evergreens, poison oak, hollyhocks, sweet pea, sedum and cosmos will make a beautiful border. Toss a couple of herb pots on top of the grass and then add some fishy 65 degree soil. Keep in mind that you need at least six inches of water in the bottom of the pond in order to be able to safely float fish in it. One thing you want to avoid is having fish in the water too long because they can swim away too easily.
In the spring of April 2021 we went to our friend’s farm and dug a hole about two feet deep, five feet wide, and four feet tall. In it we dumped all of his daughter’s old wicker rattles. The rattles were rusty but not damaged. I removed all the rocks and picked up some rustic looking rocks from my local Home Depot and set them in the hole. After that, I bought some fishy 65 degree sand, threw it on top of the gravel, and spread some herb seeds on top of the sand.
One idea for providing water and seed for small wildlife ponds is using birdbaths. They can be made from a variety of materials including wood, concrete, PVC pipes, and colorful screen. A birdbath will provide your birds with a natural birdbath. If you are interested in providing waterfowl food, there are many options for you to choose from including sunflower seeds, suet, berries, niger crickets, pine nuts, mealworms, and grasshoppers. You can also purchase bird bath liners to place on top of your garden hose to attract more birds.
In April 2021, we had a frost and rain and we decided to fish from a garden pond we created using three-foot posts. We placed the pond in a large pot filled with three feet of black dirt. With this setup we created quite an attraction for birds and dragonflies. Another idea is a fish pond. You can purchase a pond kit that contains the liners, water pump and filter. You can find these kits at your local garden stores or online.
One idea for supporting birds in your garden is to create a birdbath. Birdbath is made from an assortment of garden soil, peat, sand, and other components. It also consists of tiny water pearls, which are attracted to the water. Water pearls can be purchased in various colors; you may want to buy some that are different colors so that you have an idea of what species of birds will be found in your area. You can also add small stones, pebbles and other objects that will attract different types of wildlife.
I planted a mixture of bog garden soil, fiddlehead fern, bog plants, and a variety of weeds in order to create a pond with multiple types of plant life. After applying several products that were made specifically for this type of environments (like mosquito dunks), we began to see a number of aquatic insects begin to come to the surface. The most apparent was the Lady Gouldian Finch. I have seen this species of fowl several times before, but never in the bog because I do not know if it was during its migration or during a typical feeding time.
During our research, we found that a combination of plants, wildlife, and birds are the best way to attract native birds and other wildlife to your backyard. A small water garden provides a great place for them to roost and nest. You can also use native plants and flowers as borders and mix them with ferns and grasses that are native to your area. If you do this, you will provide your local wildlife with shelter and food, which will be greatly appreciated. There are many resources on how to attract more birds and other native animals to your yard, and this will all be found online.