Wherever you are in the states, there's likely a species of chickadee residing near you. Unlike some other songbirds that head south for the winter, chickadees stick around braving some of the coldest temperatures North America has to offer.

These cute little creatures even allow migrating songbirds in unfamiliar territories to hang out with them, making unusual visitor sightings more possible.

If you would like to attract these hardy feathered heroes to your yard, turn it into a haven for chickadees, with the best plants for birds, like this Pink Crush New England Aster from Plant Addicts. There are other simple steps that can help to create a songbird sanctuary too. Discover the practices ornithology experts recommend.

Chickadee Species And Winter Behaviour

'These remarkably tough little birds can be found throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with seven species occupying distinct ranges across the continent,' explains Miranda Rinck, Engagement Support Specialist, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

'Chickadees spend the winter in flocks searching for food and shelter, with some species up north enduring months of freezing temperatures.'

Miranda tells us that in the north, Black-capped Chickadees can be found coast to coast, including much of Canada and the northern two-thirds of the United States.

'Black-capped Chickadees live in a mix of deciduous and mixed deciduous and coniferous woodlands, as well as suburban areas,' she says.

The west coast is where the Chestnut-backed Chickadee resides. 'These birds can be found in coastal and interior forests from southeastern Alaska down to southern California.'

In the northern boreal forests of Canada and the adjacent United States, you can spot the Boreal Chickadee flocking amongst coniferous forests with spruce and sometimes fir.

'As you venture further south, you can find the Carolina Chickadee with overlapping ranges with Black-capped Chickadees,' says Miranda. 'Out west, the Mountain Chickadee can be found in montane coniferous forests consisting of pine and spruce-fir.'

Lastly, is the southernmost North American species, the Mexican Chickadee. 'This bird can be found in two mountain ranges in the U.S., in Arizona and New Mexico,' continues Miranda. 'However, it is mostly restricted to the mountainous regions of Mexico.'

1. Avoid Pruning Native Pines, Spruces and Firs

Unless you are pruning damaged, diseased or dead branches, the fall is generally not a good time to heavily trim native pines, spruces or firs, for the health of the tree. Another good reason to leave this task until late winter or early spring, is that is ensures respite for chickadees retreating from cold conditions.

'Dense cover provided by shrubs and evergreen trees provides protection from wind, snow, and predators – and can even provide places for chickadees to store their cached food,' says Miranda.

'We recommend avoiding heavy pruning of native pines, spruces, firs, and dense shrubs in October, particularly along woodland edges and in sheltered corners of the yard.'

2. Create Brush Piles

Creating brush piles has so many benefits in a wildlife garden, particularly as these stacks of sticks, twigs, logs and branches provide overwintering habitat for beneficial bugs – and the birds that feed on them. They have other advantages where chickadees are concerned too.

'Chickadees store food by caching seeds in various places,' says Miranda. 'These "hoarding" sites consist of tiny crevices in trees, dead leaves, pine needle clusters, and more.

'By creating brush piles, you can help chickadees find more little spaces to collect their food for the winter. Brush piles in your yard can also provide a great resource for chickadees in the cold to take cover.'

Moving heavy branches and large twigs to a quiet corner of the yard is a breeze with this steel wheelbarrow from Ace Hardware.

3. Amass Piles of Leaf Litter

Sweeping up fallen leaves can feel like a never-ending chore at this time of year. Yet this natural golden treasure serves multiple purposes in the garden. Aside from the alchemy that eventually turns dead leaves into nutritious free mulch for flower beds, piles of autumnal leaf litter can offer a bug buffet for hungry chickadees.

'Chickadees are professionals at foraging for overwintering insects and eggs on branches, bark, and buds; so, leaving your leaves in October can be a great way to help these birds out in the late fall,' says Miranda. 'Leaf litter provides habitat for hibernating insect species, but also places for insects to lay eggs that chickadees eat.'

These steel leaf scoops from Walmart make light work of moving garden debris into leaf piles.

4. Plant Native Trees And Evergreens

Just as foliage on existing evergreens offers up shelter and sustenance for chickadees and other overwintering avians, planting native potted trees (both deciduous and evergreen) such as alder, birch or juniper can provide extra cover too. This should still be possible for those in regions where the ground is soft and the first frost is still six weeks away.

'Planting native spruce, pine, oak, fir and juniper trees can be an excellent way to provide natural food sources and shelter for these birds throughout the year,' says Miranda. 'Not only do some native plants provide seeds, but they also support the insects that chickadees rely on.

'Chickadees spend much of their time foraging in trees, searching beneath bark and among conifer needles for food. Even in the winter, chickadees continue to forage insect eggs and overwintering insects.

'Native plants are one of the best ways to provide food and habitat for chickadees.'

This Colorado Blue Spruce from Trees.com has beautiful silvery blue-green foliage, is suitable for zones 2-7 and hardy to -40ºF.

'There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of cultivars of native species available in garden centers across the U.S.,' adds Jen McGuinness, author, Bird-Friendly Gardening. 'Some cultivars of natives aren’t much different from the true native, but some are significantly altered, causing the plant to become less recognizable to insects, birds, and other wildlife, specifically if the bloom is altered.

'Ecologists agree that some cultivars of natives may hold ecological value—at least more than exotics from the other side of the planet—but it is generally believed that the true native is best.'

This Hazel Alder from Plant Addicts is native to North America and is suitable for zones 4-9.

5. Put Up Feeders

Feeding birds in winter can increase thir survival. For chickadees it's a time they can struggle to find the seeds, insects or invertebrates they usually feed on. Even though these clever little creatures are capable of remembering thousands of places they have hoarded their food hauls, they may not be able to access them, due to icy conditions. So putting up bird feeders can be a lifeline for chickadees.

'In the winter, chickadees need a lot more food to help their energy levels as they fight to stay warm,' says Miranda. 'Leaving out feeders in your yard with seeds such as hulled sunflower seeds, nyjer, safflower seeds, black oil sunflower seeds, or mealworms and suet, can attract chickadees and provide these birds with a supplemental food source to help them in harsh winter conditions when their usual food may be scarce.

'They will often eat at hopper and tube feeders. Although, it is important to routinely clean your bird feeders every one to two weeks to feed birds safely.'

This Audubon Hopper Bird Feeder from Ace Hardware has four ports and an easy to fill swivel top. Keep it topped up with this Black Oil Sunflower Seed from Ace Hardware, a favorite food for chickadees, finches, cardinals and other beautiful songbirds.

6. Provide Access to Unfrozen Water

Natural water sources like puddles and ponds can freeze over during the winter making hydration and preening plumage tricky for chickadees. Maintaining garden bird baths can play a vital role for these cute creatures when it's seriously cold.

'While fresh water is important throughout the seasons, providing unfrozen clean water for birds to drink from in the winter will not only help your resident birds, but may attract others in the area,' says Jen McGuinness.

'Heated birdbaths can be plugged in with an outdoor-rated extension cord to an outdoor outlet (make sure to use a cord protector to keep he plugs dry). The options include a unit that can be inserted into an existing birdbath to keep water above freezing, or an entire basin that keeps the water temperature above freezing.

'Birdbaths (in all seasons) are best located in an area where birds can spot any movement or threat from predators. Having shrubs or a tree line nearby (within 6 to 10 feet) for birds to escape to is beneficial if hawks are also residents in the area.'

This bird bath heater from Lowe's is low wattage at 44 watts and can be placed in a shallow bowl to prevent water from freezing.

7. Adapt A Nest Box

Like bluebirds, chickadees are cavity nesters, which means they will nest – and roost – in tree cavities left by larger birds, like woodpeckers. And although, it's not nesting season, these adorable avians will also use bird boxes to shelter during the winter.

'Since flocks move around quite a bit in search for food, you might not notice a nest box being used every day like in the breeding season, but these boxes can provide a great resource for chickadees to escape from the rain, snow, and cold weather,' explains Miranda. 'Providing a roost box or reconfiguring your nest box in the winter can be a great way to provide shelter and keep these birds warm.'

A roost box differs lightly to a nest box, as it's designed to prevent the birds' body heat from escaping, so has fewer ventilation holes. It may have a few perches inside made from dowel rods and the entrance hole is lower to reduce warm air escaping. A chickadee roost box is often smaller than a nest box too, as these birds tend to roost alone, rather than in groups.

'Some people modify their nest boxes by plugging some of the ventilation holes and adding twigs for perching,' says Miranda. 'If it's easy to take a part, you can also turn the front panel upside down, so the entrance hole is lower. However, if you'd like to go further, it's also possible to provide chickadees with a specially designed roost box.'

This Chickadee roosting box from Etsy is made from cedar and has a 1⅛ inch diameter entrance. It can be mounted on a fence post or wall and comes with mounting screws. The front panel can be removed for easy cleaning at the end of the season.

Shop Chickadee Kit

Turning your yard into a winter haven for chickadees will not only attract these curious little creatures for you to watch and enjoy, but will likely bring a "bird bonus" of warblers, nuthatches, kinglets and other species they associate with.

Start now with the steps outlined above and you will soon have a songbird sanctuary that will support chickadees and other adorable avians through the chilliest months.

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Wildlife cameras have more use than one in the garden. Not only do they use motion detection to capture adorable footage of your backyard visitors you would otherwise miss, they can serve security purposes. If you can't figure out what animal is helping itself to your crops, for example, a wildlife camera can reveal the culprit.

There are so many different types of wildlife cameras, depending on what you want to achieve. Smart bird feeders (for example, like this Walmart smart bird feeder) are integrated into bird feeders, capturing close-up footage of any visitors. You can even get specific smart hummingbird feeders (like this Birdfy one from Amazon) if you often get visits from these charming birds during the hummingbird migration. Or, opt for a smart owl nest box (like this wooden owl house with a camera from Wayfair) to watch these beautiful creatures nest and shelter.

Other wildlife cameras are more general and can be used in multiple ways, often with night vision to capture nocturnal wildlife activity. This includes this Walmart wildlife camera and this Amazon wildlife camera that can be attached to a pole or post. You can use these smaller, more subtle wildlife cameras to monitor specific areas of your yard, such as catching deer, rabbits, rodents, and causing trouble in your planting (you may then want to pick up this Amazon ultrasonic animal repellent to keep them away).

No matter which kind of wildlife you're trying to catch on camera in your yard, there's an option for everyone. The 16 wildlife cameras below won't compromise on your garden's aesthetics or disturb wildlife while recording their activity.

You can use your wildlife camera footage to inform your wildlife garden decisions. Knowing which animals frequent your yard can help you put out the right food, grow native plants for birds, create DIY wildlife shelters, and more.

One easy wildlife shelter you can make for a wide range of birds, mammals, and insects is a brush pile. It's particularly useful to put in place during fall, so wildlife have a shelter to escape the cold before winter settles in.

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Keeping your bird bath filled up through winter is invaluable to wildlife, but keeping it ice-free is the real challenge to ensure it stays accessible. Luckily, there are so many products on the market that do the work for you.

While you can manually remove ice to stop your bird bath from freezing over in winter, the likes of heated bird baths (this gorgeous green heated bird bath from Amazon is my top choice), submersible bird bath heaters, and floating objects will do it for you. The best part is they're all perfectly safe for wildlife, so you can install them worry-free.

So, whether you've just acquired a new stylish bird bath or you're looking for ways to stop your existing one from freezing this winter, consider the below tools to keep your bird bath ice-free.

Heated Bird Bath

A heated bird bath is exactly what it sounds like: a bird bath with an integrated heater that stops the water from freezing over.

These can be a bit more pricey than a standard bird bath, but it's arguably the easiest way to stop your bird bath from freezing.

Typically, heated bird baths have a thermometer which detects when the temperature drops. It then automatically turns on to a safe heat that melts ice but isn't too warm for wildlife to use.

Bird Bath Heater

If you don't want to invest in a heated bird bath, you can turn your existing bird bath into a heated one using a bird bath heater.

This is a submersible heater that can be used in winter to warm up the water when freezing temperatures arrive, stopping ice from developing.

Many of these heaters are plug-in and have an automatic function to detect the temperature and turn on and off as needed.

They can typically be used in bird baths of a wide range of materials, including metal, plastic, stone or glass, but it is worth checking your chosen heater is compatible with your bird bath.

Floating Disk

Another way to stop bird baths from freezing over is by keeping something floating in the water. This creates movement in the water which disturbs it, breaks up any ice that is forming, and stops it from fully freezing.

There are a few DIY solutions to this, including using a rubber ball or even a rubber duck, but if you're after something that doesn't compromise on aesthetics, you can purchase specific bird bath floating disk.

Likewise, a copper bird bath disk can be used as a natural purifier, which will also prevent the build-up of grime and algae.

FAQs

Can a Solar Fountain Pump Stop a Bird Bath from Freezing Over?

While a solar fountain pump will provide movement in the water to stop it from freezing over, it isn't the most reliable tool to use. The darker days of winter may limit its ability to charge and operate, and freezing temperatures may even damage the pump.

Stopping your bird bath from freezing over is just one element of bird bath winter care. You should also clean your bird bath frequently, keep it refilled, and remove any debris (like fallen leaves). Keeping your bird bath in shape like this will help garden birds in winter by providing a fresh water source.

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Beautiful bird houses add charm and character to a garden all year round. Hang one from a porch post or place one in a garden border, and it earns its place even before birds move in. There are plenty of bird house ideas that work just as well on a small patio as in a bigger, open backyard.

The right design can help garden birds in winter by giving them somewhere to shelter. Wood is generally a good choice, as it provides insulation and allows some moisture to escape, while metal can heat up quickly if it's in direct sunlight. Whatever material you choose, position it away from strong sun, wind and rain. Keeping it separate from your bird feeders so feeding birds don't disturb a nest.

With so many decorative designs to choose from, you don't need to compromise on style to make your outdoor space more welcoming to wildlife. Anthropologie's Victorian Manor Birdhouse is a standout option with its miniature mansion resemblance, but it also features a removable back wall to make cleaning easier. West Elm's Scout Regalia Birdhouse Kit comes ready to assemble, and can be decorated to suit your style, while Terrain's Woven Seagrass Birdhouse Hut offers a rustic charm but will need to be hung in a sheltered spot.

From traditional, practical designs to more elaborate statement pieces, we've rounded up 16 beautiful bird house designs to help encourage birds into your garden and make the space their home.

A beautiful bird house goes further alongside a few simple ways to help birds in October, and a bird bath in the right spot means visitors have fresh water close to home.

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A bee hotel is one of the most charming garden accessories you can get your hands on. With lots of crevices to hide away in, they provide crucial shelter for nesting bees and you'll even spot the likes of butterflies and other insects using them. But many bee hotels on the market can look a little cheap and gimmicky (especially when they're made of plastic). That's why we've scoured the internet for the best natural bee hotels to shop for.

You can make your own bee hotel if you're looking for a fun DIY project, but there are also plenty of bee hotels crafted from natural materials that beautifully blend into the garden landscape. There are lots of options for bee hotels in a classic house style, like this teal wooden bee hotel from Amazon and this tall wooden bee hotel from Wayfair. This wooden bee hotel from Amazon even has a water tray to provide bees with a water source. Or, you can opt for a more unique shape, like this teardrop bamboo bee house from Amazon.

Bee hotels are often used by other beneficial insects, too. This Walmart bee hotel has a butterfly house section, with narrow slits that allow these charming pollinators to get inside and keep predators out. Of course, these bee hotels also suit different types of bees, though you can also purchase a specific mason bee house (this one from Amazon is a hexagonal shape and coated in beeswax). If needed, you can pick up mason bee house refills from Walmart to refresh the tunnels.

Whether you want to hang up a bee hotel, mount it on your fence post, or find one with a stake to insert in the ground, there's an option for every yard. Here are our top 16 picks, all built with quality to last for many years to come.

A bee hotel is just one way to make your garden wildlife-friendly before frost. You can also grow the best plants for fall pollinators, which bloom later in the growing season and provide nectar where it's otherwise hard to find. Likewise, avoid over-tidying your yard this fall. Fallen leaves and garden debris provide shelter for a wide range of insects.

Another DIY wildlife shelter you can try making is a brush pile. It's essentially a pile of woody garden debris that allows not only insects but also small mammals and birds to shelter and escape the cold.

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Sighting a flash of crimson plumage from a beautiful male Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in the winter landscape can lift the spirits for many reasons.

Loved for their symbolism as much as their striking color, these special songbirds can benefit from support, particularly when their wild food sources and shelter are in short supply.

There are several ways you can attract cardinals to your yard, which can help them through winter, such as installing this bird bath heater from Ace Hardware. Ornithology experts explain how to start preparing your garden now, with these seven simple steps.

Cardinal Behaviour in October

As fall progresses and the temperatures drop, it's likely you will notice a few differences in cardinal behavior.

'People tend to observe cardinals gathering in larger groups compared to seeing pairs in the spring and summer,' explains Miranda Rinck, Engagement Support Specialist for Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 'This is because there is less competition between pairs, compared to the breeding season where food, mates, and territories are in high demand.'

Miranda explains that cardinals are usually quieter in winter months too. 'They are no longer singing to attract a mate and defend their territories,' she says. 'As winter approaches, you might find cardinals in search of areas with protection and places to rest, as well as food such as seeds and fruit from plants.'

1. Leave Leaf Piles

Being relaxed about fallen leaves or gathering them into leaf piles has numerous benefits for the garden. In addition to free nutritious mulch for flower beds, a leaf pile offers a place for cardinals to forage and find food.

'Leaving your leaves is a great way to provide a variety of food for Cardinals and other birds in your yard,' says Miranda. 'These leaf piles can harbor insects, dried seeds, and fruits creating a trove of resources for birds who spend time foraging along the ground.

'This is a quick and easy way to support Cardinals and other feathered friends, especially for those in deciduous forest regions where leaves fall as the temperature drops.'

Create a leaf pile for cardinals in your yard with this Fiskars rake from Ace Hardware

2. Create Brush Piles

Brush piles are made up of fallen branches or chopped logs and twigs and are often a feature in wildlife gardens, as they are a haven for beneficial bugs or overwintering solitary bees. Often located in a quiet corner, or undisturbed area, in the garden, brush piles attract foraging birds, like cardinals, too.

'Creating a brush pile this fall can provide an area of shelter, resting, and protection from harsh weather for Cardinals and other sorts of wildlife,' says Miranda. 'They can be helpful in all regions as brush piles can also serve as an area of safety for birds escaping predators.'

These stainless steel loppers from Ace Hardware are strong enough to cut into branches up to 2" thick.

3. Preserve Cover With Shrubs, Vines And Thickets

Cardinals need a place to perch, shelter and roost during the fall and through the winter. If you grow blueberry, blackberry or mulberry bushes in your yard, avoid chopping them back too much, as they provide a pitstop – as well as a buffet of berries and bugs for cardinals. Dogwood and Sumac trees, grasses and sedges offer these birds shelter with sustenance too.

'Shrubs, vines, thickets, brush, anything can provide cover for Cardinals,' says Ted Floyd, Editor of the American Birding Association's Birding magazine. 'We love to see cardinals out in the open, of course, but they also need a place to hide and hang out – to "roost".

'If the cover also has food, that's great; but cover, all by itself, is vital. The best microhabitat at the big garden down the street from my house is a brush pile—just sticks and branches thrown together in a big heap. The birds love it.

'In warmer climes (for example, the Southeast), cardinals are omnivorous in October and throughout the winter, eating a lot of invertebrates. So don't discourage spiders, slugs, beetles (especially larvae), caterpillars etc. The best ways to encourage invertebrates are to provide shelter and, especially, to forgo use of any pesticides anywhere in or near the yard.'

This ever-bearing mulberry tree from Plant Addicts can be grown in a pot for the first few seasons before planting in the ground.

4. Grow Native Trees And Plants That Bear Berries

If you don't already have native trees and plants that produce berries in your yard, growing some will encourage cardinals. The species mentioned above for shelter, such as Dogwood and Sumac, along with Holly and Hawthorn are popular with these colorful creatures, so check which of these species hail from your particular habitat.

Depending on your zone, Dogwood, Holly and Hawthorn will still bear berries in October and potted trees can be displayed – and still planted in some regions, where the soil is still soft.

'Berry-producing shrubs and vines are great,' says Ted. 'Grapes (Vitis) and closely related species like the creepers (Parthenocissus) are excellent in October. Also hawthorns, buckthorns, dogwoods.'

'Having native plants in your garden will keep the cardinals coming,' says Kaitlyn Parkins, Glass Collisions Program Coordinator, American Bird Conservancy. 'The male cardinal’s rich red coloration is due to carotenoids acquired by eating a variety of native fruits and berries.

'Northern Cardinals don’t head south to warmer weather in the winter like other migrating species do. Thus, they will happily dine on the berries certain native plants retain in cold weather, as well as seek shelter in their branches and leaves during cooler and snowy days.'

This Common Flowering Dogwood tree from Plant Addicts is suitable for zones 5-8 and can grow up to 20' tall and wide.

5. Keep Feeders Full And Clean

In the colder months, when insects and vegetation are hard to come by, cardinals adapt their diet, and turn to seeds, fruits, and berries. As the latter start to wane in late fall too, supplemental food sources like bird feeders can be helpful.

'Cardinals can survive winter without human assistance and do fine when well nourished,' says Kaitlyn. 'But when the temperatures drop or snow piles high, our help can make a difference.

'A feeder in your garden filled with nutritious seeds like black oil sunflower seeds, safflower, and white millet will give cardinals a healthy boost of energy that helps them stay warm.'

Kaitlyn explains that suet that contains seeds, nuts, or mealworms is also extremely nourishing for cardinals during winter.

'However, stay away from suet that contains unnecessary ingredients like added processed sugars or salts, as that can be harmful to birds,' she says.

Miranda notes that cardinals often prefer a platform feeder or a large hopper over tube feeders. She also advises that keeping feeders clean is imperative as large wintering groups of birds begin to arrive, as it can help prevent the spread of disease. 'We recommend washing seed feeders every week or two, during periods of heavy use, to help birds feed safely,' she says.

'For good viewing, place the feeders against a backdrop of shelter,' adds Ted. 'And remember that cardinals will spend at least as much time on the ground under the feeder as actually at the feeder.'

'Cardinals are adaptable and resourceful, and just a bit of cover and food will attract them. They're also smart, and they won't feed where there are cats. Or, if they do, they may well be killed by cats, an undesirable outcome.'

This charming hanging Hopper feeder from Lowe's has twelve ports, so there's plenty of room for visiting cardinals, chickadees titmice and more to feed. Fill it with this black oil sunflower seed from Ace Hardware and hang it in a safe place for happy, healthy birds.

6. Provide An Accessible Water Source

A bird bath topped up with clean fresh water is essential all year round but in zones where temperatures drop to freezing before winter has even set in, swapping out a regular model for a heated bird bath will ensure visiting cardinals and other feathered friends can continue to drink and bathe.

'Overlooked but important is a reliable source of water that isn’t frozen,' says Kaitlyn. 'Even in winter, cardinals need open sources of water for drinking and feather maintenance.

'Consider getting a de-icing device to prevent water from freezing in a shallow bird bath or dish. Alternatively, winter-ready bird baths with built-in de-icing capabilities are another good option.'

Like feeders, aim to place your bird baths near the spots birds use for cover. Keep them clean and refill them regularly.

This low wattage bird bath heater from Lowe's prevents water from freezing and plugs into a power supply.

Shop Bird Accessories

7. Minimize Window Strikes

Supporting cardinals through winter isn't just about offering up a buffet for birds and shelter (although they are important), there are other practical steps to take too.

'One of the best, easiest, and most affordable things you could do for cardinals, and all wild birds in general, is to treat your windows to reduce the threat they pose to birds,' says Kaitlyn. 'Northern Cardinals are a common window collision victim because they visit bird feeders and gardens so often, particularly during the winter months.'

Kaitlyn informs us of reports of two banded Northern Cardinals that struck the same window of a residence on the same day. 'Birds don’t see windows the way people do and don’t realize there is a clear barrier,' she explains.

'They see habitat reflected in or visible through windows. Breaking up the reflection helps birds register the window as an object they can’t fly through. They need to be able to detect patterns from far enough away that they have time to change course and avoid a collision.'

More than one billion birds are killed in the U.S. every year from collisions with windows, but this is a problem we can help solve by placing insect screens, birdsaver cord, decals or birdtape on the outside of windows. Anything that can break up large expanses of glass, where trees are reflected, can be beneficial.

'Shutters and awnings are very effective at preventing window strikes, so consider those,' says Ted. 'Putting feeders and favored natural feeding areas such flowerbeds and fruiting trees etc away from windows is obvious.

'Less obvious perhaps is making sure that the cardinals' "flight paths" (as they approach or, especially, depart the feeders) don't have windows in the birds' way.'

If you fancy a bird-friendly garden in the coming months, don't wait for freezing weather to hit. Helping cardinals through winter can start now with the simple steps above.

Miranda also reminds us that Cornell's Project FeederWatch begins on November 1st. 'It is a fun thing to do, if people want to count the birds at their feeders and contribute to a participatory science program,' she says.

If your bird feeder hasn't had any action over the last few weeks, don't worry; you're not alone. It's common for backyard birds to stop using feeders in fall due to a few reasons.

Even if you follow all the steps to attract wildlife to your yard in fall, many birds will steer clear of feeders. This is due to factors like migration and an abundance of seasonal berries available for them to feed from. So don't panic if your smart bird feeder hasn't captured any footage recently; it doesn't necessarily mean birds aren't visiting your backyard at all – they're probably just seeking natural food sources instead.

There are also several things you can do to bring birds back to your yard if they are staying away this season (planting this winterberry from Plant Addicts will help feed many native songbirds, for example). Here, gardening expert Siobhan Shaw explains more.

Why Do Birds Stop Using Feeders in Fall?

There are a few different reasons why birds suddenly stop using bird feeders in fall, including migration.

With many birds moving south for winter, gardeners living in northern regions are likely to see fewer backyard birds over the next few months. This isn't just in reference to the epic hummingbird migration, but also orioles, warblers, and others seeking a warmer region.

You can still support migrating birds on their journey by keeping feeders filled. A smart bird feeder, like this Birdfy smart hummingbird feeder from Walmart, can capture their fleeting visit so you don't miss it.

'Birds don’t always migrate long distances, either. Some make shorter seasonal movements, traveling to lower elevations where conditions may be milder and food and water easier to find,' Siobhan explains.

'Lakes, rivers and valleys can attract birds seeking accessible water, food sources and shelter. As a result, fewer birds at your feeder doesn’t necessarily mean fewer birds in your area. They may simply have relocated nearby. If you go down to the lake for a walk, you may see lots of birds along the shoreline and in the open water,' she adds.

'Migration is one reason birds disappear from feeders, but it isn’t the only one,' Siobhan continues. 'Birds may have more natural food available in fall, including seeds, berries, nuts and insects, so they have less reason to visit feeders.'

There are plenty of native plants to feed birds in winter that produce berries from fall, so it's common for them to start foraging more and relying less on garden bird feeders.

'Shorter winter days can also make bird activity easier to miss. Birds often feed early in the morning and again toward dusk, so if you’re away at work during the day, you may miss much of their activity,' Siobhan says.

Lots of backyard birds also spend late summer and fall going through an annual moult, where they replace older feathers. This process is tiring and leaves the birds vulnerable, so they may avoid open garden spaces to avoid predators during this time.

How to Attract Backyard Birds in Fall

If you find birds suddenly stop using bird feeders in fall, there are plenty of other things you can do to help garden birds in winter and fall to attract them back to your yard.

'Keep bird feeders clean, refill them with fresh food and offer a variety of seeds suited to your local birds. Gather and store sunflower seedheads and bring them out for the birds during the winter,' Siobhan suggests.

'Don’t forget fresh water. Birds need water for drinking and bathing even in winter, so clean birdbaths regularly and provide a way to keep water accessible when temperatures drop below freezing,' she adds.

A heated bird bath (like this from Amazon) is one of the easiest ways to stop a bird bath from freezing over in winter.

'Remember that feeders are only part of the picture. Birds also need natural food, shelter and safe places to perch and hide from predators. A garden that provides these essentials throughout the year offers much more than a convenient meal,' Siobhan continues.

You can hang up bird perches near natural cover and provide high-energy foods (like these suet balls from Walmart).

'Plant native species that produce seeds, berries and nuts, as well as plants that support insects. Sunflowers and native asters provide seeds, while berry-producing shrubs and native trees offer food and shelter,' Siobhan suggests.

Some of the best berry choices include beautyberry (available at Plant Addicts) and viburnum (see the collection at Nature Hills).

'Many insects spend winter in dormant stages, such as eggs, larvae or pupae, hidden in leaf litter, soil, dead plant stems or beneath tree bark. Insect-eating birds can forage for some of these hidden food sources, even when insects aren’t visibly active,' Siobhan adds.

Not over-tidying your yard in fall by leaving fallen leaves and seedheads, and even creating a brush pile, can attract insects for birds to eat.

What to Shop

There are also particular bird feeders suited to fall and winter, like this tube bird feeder from Walmart. This will keep out moisture and stop bird feed from going moldy. Our collection of winter bird feeders has some of the best options to shop.

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You'll often find bees buzzing around your hummingbird feeder in fall as they desperately seek nectar sources after lots of summer perennials have faded. But this can be a nuisance, blocking access to the feeder for its intended visitor, stealing resources from hummingbirds, and even risking the birds getting stung.

That's why if you want to attract hummingbirds and support them this fall, it's crucial to keep bees away from hummingbird feeders. At the same time, you can provide alternative food sources for bees (like growing these purple asters from Plant Addicts), so they aren't left without. But to keep them away from your feeder, you can use bee guards, clean it regularly, and position the feeder in a shadier location.

These simple adjustments can keep your hummingbird feeder free of unintended users, so it stays safe for the charming birds stopping by in your yard.

Use a Bee Guard

The easiest way to keep bees away from hummingbird feeders is by using a bee-resistant hummingbird feeder (like this one from Amazon). This is essentially a hummingbird feeder with feeding ports that have built-in bee guards.

In nature, hummingbirds target flowers with tubular blooms because these flowers suit their slender bills and long tongues, allowing them to reach the nectar without competing with other insects. A bee guard (which you can also purchase separately from Amazon to attach to your feeder) replicates this on a feeder.

This will make it hard for bees to reach the nectar in the feeder, while providing hummingbirds with easy access.

It can also be effective to avoid yellow feeding ports, which may attract pollinators. Red is a color hummingbirds are attracted to, so fully red hummingbird feeders (like this one from Walmart) are a good option.

Clean Your Feeder Regularly

One of the main things that attracts bees to hummingbird feeders is a buildup of sugar and nectar around the feeding ports. Cleaning your hummingbird feeder regularly will prevent this problem.

You can use special hummingbird feeder cleaning brushes (like this from Walmart) to clean the feeding ports. This will also help keep the hummingbirds safe by removing harmful bacteria and stopping diseases from spreading.

Checking for leaks around the ports is also a good idea if it seems excessively sticky and hard to keep clean.

Provide Alternative Food for Bees

It's a positive sign that lots of bees are in your garden and you should definitely consider ways to support them. But it isn't ideal to let them take the hummingbird nectar in your feeder – that's where growing flowers for bees comes in handy.

By planting these in your garden, you can ensure there are plenty of resources for bees without hummingbirds having to compete over them. Plants for fall pollinators provide late-season nectar, including asters, salvia, and coneflowers (which you can order from Plant Addicts).

It's important to place your hummingbird feeder away from these blooms to discourage bees from using the feeder.

This pack of wildflower seeds for pollinators from Burpee has lots of varieties pollinators love for spring and summer.

Relocate Your Feeder to Somewhere Shadier

Another way to discourage bees from using your hummingbird feeder is by keeping it out of sunny spots. The warm nectar scent will attract bees, so placing the feeder somewhere cooler will limit this.

It isn't a foolproof solution, but it can strengthen your efforts to keep bees away from hummingbird feeders alongside other methods.

The other benefit of keeping your hummingbird feeder out of the sun is that it will stop the nectar from spoiling so quickly. Though, you should replenish hummingbird nectar (which you can pick up from Walmart) regularly to provide a fresh food source.

What to Shop

As well as keeping feeders topped up, you can grow purple fall flowers for hummingbirds to provide natural late-season nectar sources. Our guide to helping pollinators and birds in fall has more advice on making your garden wildlife-friendly over the coming months.

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All the twigs, branches, and garden debris you collect this fall can be repurposed to create invaluable shelter for winter wildlife: a brush pile. Used by small mammals, birds, and insects in the garden, it provides somewhere to escape the cold weather and forage for food.

It's such an easy way to make your yard wildlife-friendly before frost. You simply pile up your gathered garden debris with pockets and caves for wildlife to use. It's similar to a dead hedge but not necessarily contained or in a formal structure.

It takes just minutes to construct and gives you somewhere to put all the garden waste you collect this season. Creating one now gives your backyard wildlife plenty of time to move in before frosty days arrive. And if you're yet to prune your hedges and trees this fall, pick up the Felco F2 pruning shears from Amazon to collect material for your brush pile.

What is a Brush Pile?

A brush pile is a loose heap of cuttings, twigs, branches, and other woody garden debris.

It acts as shelter and a foraging site for winter wildlife, from birds to squirrels and chipmunks, overwintering insects, and even amphibians looking for a damp spot for brumation (hibernation).

The different cavities and tunnels within a brush pile offer lots of space to shelter from the wind and frost. The fact it attracts insects also makes it a great spot to help feed garden birds in winter.

It's one of the easiest DIY wildlife shelters you can make, as it really is just a pile of garden debris left undisturbed for wildlife to use.

The bonus is that it also means you don't have to worry about disposing of your garden debris. Though, you can also use some of your gatherings to make your own compost.

How to Make a Brush Pile

It's super easy to make a brush pile, but there are a few considerations to keep in mind.

Your brush pile should be located in a quieter spot where wildlife will be undisturbed. It should be sheltered, like underneath a tree or next to a hedge as a windbreak.

It can also be best to build your brush pile with the largest branches at the bottom, to create a raised foundation where wildlife can pass through as needed. It will also hold some of the material off the wet ground.

You can then layer up fallen branches, twigs, and woody debris to create the shelter. Aim to cross branches to give it structure and create coverage. You should avoid creating a tightly-packed pile, as this will limit the cavities available for wildlife.

Dry leaves can also be used to add coverage, but you should make sure to leave some openings for wildlife to enter.

Avoid over-tidying your yard surrounding the brush pile, too, to extend the wildlife habitat. This includes not removing fallen leaves, allowing the plants for seedheads to remain, and putting out the best bird feeders for fall and winter – a tube feeder (like this from Walmart) will keep moisture out.

What to Shop

Our guide to feeding wildlife in winter has more useful information n how to help different backyard wildlife over the coming months. This includes growing native plants that feed birds in winter and not removing seedheads.

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The temperature is certainly shifting, a reminder that frost is not far away. But it isn't just our plants that need some extra help to get through winter, backyard birds also seek refuge in our gardens.

One of the most important things to do is stop your bird bath from freezing in winter so wildlife have access to a clean water source. Enter, the Farm Innovators heated bird bath on Amazon. It's exactly what it sounds like, a bird bath with a heater to stop the water freezing. This heated bird bath caught my eye in particular because it has a beautiful green finish. I also love that it can be mounted in multiple ways, making it a good choice for those with a balcony or yard alike.

It takes nearly all the work out of bird bath winter care (though it's still important to refresh the water regularly). The thing that wows me most about it is the fact shoppers say it still works after a decade of use.

Stop Your Bird Bath From Freezing

It's an important part of winter bird bath care to stop the water from freezing so your garden wildlife still have access to fresh water during winter. This is especially true where natural water sources are freezing over and bird baths are all wildlife have to rely on.

A heated bird bath does this for you, gently warming up to stop water freezing as needed. You can also turn your existing bird bath into a heated one with a bird bath heater insert (like this from Amazon).

As well as stopping your bird bath from freezing, it's important to clean your bird bath regularly to stop a build-up of algae and debris. This will ensure it remains a safe drinking source for your backyard birds.

What Shoppers Say

The reviews for the Farm Innovators heated bird bath reveal that it works well to help garden birds in winter.

'After a few months, this bird [bath heater] is still a fantastic water source for birds and squirrels. It holds about two quarts of water and stays ice-free even when temperatures dip to single digits,' one five-star reviewer says.

In fact, the same reviewer gave an update that five years later, it's still working.

'[It's] working great as described in my first review. We fill it every morning with fresh tap water and during high evaporation days I refill it in the afternoon. Throughout winter months I plug it into an outdoor extension cord. It is the first heated birdbath that actually keeps the water mostly thawed for birds and other wildlife to use when temperatures drop below freezing,' they write.

'I've had this dish for 11 years and it still works perfectly,' another shopper shares. 'I pour a 3-gallon bucket of water into it every day to splash out the dirty water. As long as you refill it every day, there should be enough water to last the whole day.'

The design is carefully though through, with shoppers noting, 'the dish is shallow. This is nice for birds because they can stand in it and feel safe. Also it is nice because the birds often stand next to the dish and lean over to drink.'

One of the biggest perks is that it comes with multiple mounting options, so you can choose to install it in the ground, on decking, or on a rail or post using the clamp.

Because the bird bath is heated through a cord, you can simply unplug and tuck it away for the warmer months, making it a bird bath for year-round use.

Shoppers have also found it's easy to clean, thanks to the powder-coated metal surface.

'The surface keeps the water clean and resists slimy residue. We unplug the reservoir and bring it inside to wash it with a non-scratch sponge weekly,' one person writes.

The fact the bird bath has stood the test of time, is easy to maintain, accessible to wildlife, and looks beautiful justifies the price tag for me. $59.69 may be a bit higher than a standard bird bath (like this $16 one from Walmart), but the fact it's heated and looks so elevated makes it a worthwhile investment for many winters to come.

What to Shop

As well as keeping your bird feeders and bird bath clean and refreshed through winter, there are multiple native plants to feed birds in winter to add to your yard now. This includes winterberry (which is available at Nature Hills) and viburnum (explore the range at Nature Hills).

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There's been a craze for bee hives for some time, yet honey bees are not actually endangered. It's the native wild bees that are in steep decline and need support to survive.

With over 3,600 bee species native to the U.S, there are many ways that gardeners can do their bit to help sustain these vitally important pollinators.

If you've attracted bees to your garden this year with pollinator plants or a home like this bug hotel from Lowe's, discover the small things you can do to support these industrious insects as they overwinter, according to experts.

With so many types of bees, there are understandably subtle differences in how each species overwinters. However, there are two major ways in which bees handle winter.

'The species differ depending on whether they are in the north, south, east, west, prairies, mountains or deserts,' says Sam Droege, Wildlife Biologist, USGS.

'However, patterns are general - no matter where you are a certain proportion of wild bees will be nesting above ground and a larger proportion in the ground somewhere.'

Mathew Shepherd, Director of Outreach & Education, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation explains that solitary bees are the majority and include mason bees, leafcutter bees, long-horned bees, mining bees, and more, which remain in their nest.

'Most tunnel into the ground, but a quarter or more of species nest in existing tunnels in hollow stems, snags, and similar,' says Matthew who describes how each nest has a series of brood cells, each supplied with food before a single egg is laid.

'The female then seals the cells, closes the nest, and dies. Her offspring complete most of their life stages (egg, larva, pupa) in the cell, remaining there until the following year, when they emerge at the same season their mother was active.'

Bumble bees are the main exception to this. They have a social colony, founded by a queen and growing through the spring and summer in a series of broods.

'At the end of the summer, most of the colony dies, leaving only a few new queens,' says Matthew. 'These go into hibernation by digging themselves a few inches underground, or into leaf mulch. They emerge in late winter or early spring to found their own colony and continue the cycle.'

Despite common assumptions, wild bees are unlikely to sting, so there's no need to be afraid of having them in your yard.

'Honey bees are stinging bees; others are not at all interested in stinging,' says Sam. 'This is because solitary bees are designed to defend the nest against other insects, while honey bees are designed to defend against mammals.'

1. Leave Piles Of Leaf Litter

If you've swept your path or patio of fallen leaves, create some piles of leaf litter in a corner of your yard or on flower beds. Not only are leaves are one of the best sources of free mulch, which will retain moisture and suppress weeds. Leaf litter can also provide habitat for over-wintering wild bees – and help to build soil health by adding organic matter and increasing carbon capture.

'For bees, leaf litter can provide a place where bumble bee queens can hibernate,' says Matthew. 'It also provides homes for myriad tiny beneficial critters, including fireflies.

'Remove leaves where they could be a slip hazard, don’t let them block drains, and so on. But keep them on flower borders, along the base of a hedge, or in a back corner somewhere.'

Avoid noisy leaf blowers and use a broom like this Palmyra 24 from Ace Hardware to sweep paths and patios of leaves. Or a rake like this Fiskars Pro from Ace Hardware to scoop them off your lawn for leaf litter.

2. Adapt The Fall Plant Clean Up

At the end of the summer, certain garden jobs are often required for plant health. However, it's easy to be over zealous with tasks such as pruning and deadheading. The key point is to avoid destroying bee habitat.

Thankfully, protecting garden bees doesn't have to mean neglecting perennials. There are ways to achieve both.

'Avoiding the typical fall cleanup on plants and keeping stems of perennials and annuals creates nesting opportunities for tunnel-nesting bees such as small carpenter bees and leafcutters,' says Matthew.

'In any month, you can avoid using pesticides. Birds will also love foraging on the seedheads and stems, as well as in the leaf litter.'

Many gardeners are happy to create wildlife gardens in their backyards. However, Sam notes that in suburban neighborhoods, there is pressure to keep front yards looking tidy.

'Leaving plants up is the best choice, however in a front garden it can be worthwhile cutting everything down to a foot tall,' says Sam. 'A plant needs to be damaged or dead for bees to be able to use it. This will provide some nesting structure for bees and will keep your neighbors happy too.'

These hand pruners from True Leaf Market enable precision cutting.

3. Don't Compost Seed Heads And Stems

If you are already in the midst of deadheading or cutting your plants back, don't throw them on the compost. Creating a loose pile of cut plant stems and seed heads can save overwintering bees as some may have already started the nesting cycle in the stems.

'If any bees are already nesting in the stems, composting them will cause the end of that cycle,' says Sam. 'If you leave them in a pile either on the ground or behind the shed, the cycle can continue, or the stems will be accessible to other bees – and birds who will feed on the seeds.'

'Pithy stems from plants such elderberry, raspberry, hydrangea and Joe Pye weed are highly useful to some cavity nesting bees,' says Kim Eierman, ecological landscape designer and founder, EcoBeneficial.

'You can leave the dead stems from plants like these in place over the winter, or collect and bundle them for bee habitats.'

4. Create A Brush Pile And Leave Tree Snags

In a similar vein, if you have any trees that can be pruned this month or you have removed any dead or diseased branches, creating a brush pile of cut branches and twigs can provide a home for bee species that nest above the ground.

'Dense brush piles are good potential habitat for bumble bees,' says Kim. 'If you don't have brush piles in your landscape, create them, they don't have to be huge. Whenever you prune woody plants, to remove dead wood, keep the branches.

'To successfully shelter bees, the piles must be fairly tight and dense, providing cavities that shelter bees from rain.'

Kim also suggests preserving dead or dying trees as bee habitat.

'Such trees are referred to as snags,' says Kim. 'A hollow expanse in a dead tree may give bumble bees or even feral honey bees a safe home. Beetles like to tunnel in dead wood, leaving a future home for cavity-nesting bees.

'Any snag located well away from your house, where it won't harm anyone or anything if it falls, is worthy of keeping. If the snag is too tall for your comfort, cut it back to a height that is manageable.'

These Fiskars tree loppers from Lowe's are made from steel and suitable for branches up to 1-1.5" thick.

5. Don't Cut Cane Fruits To The Ground

The bee species that overwinter above ground like to nest in sturdy plants, as the nest has to survive through a whole year cycle. 'That nest has to make it through the winter so the baby bees can emerge' says Sam.

'The best plants to leave, if you have them, are brambles, as raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries are all popular with wild bees.

'Cane fruits only fruit in year two. So in October, many gardeners will be cutting out dead stems. Instead of cutting them to the ground, trimming them to a foot tall provides the best nesting material for a whole series of native wild bees.'

Pre-order these raspberry roots from True Leaf Market now for spring planting.

6. Leave Bare Patches of Soil Alone

The majority of wild bees overwinter in the ground, so leaving some patches of soil undisturbed is a noble choice if you want to encourage these pollinators.

'Don't try to repair all the bare ground - leave the open areas, as bees like to nest there,' says Sam. 'If you want to actively garden for bees, it's best to not be too uptight about a green lawn.

'Bees don't like thick thatch in grass, or beautiful suburban lush lawns. Also, if you have sandy soil, it can be hard to grow things, but bees will nest if you leave it bare.'

Kim explains that the majority of native bees are ground nesters that need easy access to soil to excavate their nests. 'Reserve existing patches of bare soil in a sunny spot – or create an expanse of bare soil; even a few square feet can work,' says Kim. 'Sandy or loamy soils are top choices.

'If naked soil seems to unsightly, you can plant the area very sparsely and bees may still use it. Avoid using mulch or landscape fabric in bee nesting areas as both will repel bees.

'All habitat should be left quiet and undisturbed, with no tilling or cleaning up, even in the off-season,'she continues. 'Think of this area as wild habitat instead of a manicured garden. If you succeed you may help hundreds of bees underground.'

Mark the designated area with these Luster Leaf wood plant labels from Lowe's as a reminder to leave the bare patch alone.

7. Make Late-Season Forage Available

As important as habitat for overwintering bees in the fall are flowers for foraging both now – and when the young emerge next spring.

'The solution to the decline in bees is to provide them with pollen and nectar rich plants,' says Sam. 'Most bees will have done their thing for this year, and already produced nests or died off. That said, there may still be a few sweat bees or mining bees around looking for native late-season blooming flowers like Goldenrod or Asters.

'Native plants with a diversity bloom time from spring to fall, with a variety of colors and shapes, will attract different species of bees,' says Sam.

'Depending on what's native in your region, morning glories, penstemon and flowers with flat umbels are good. Expanding your garden for next spring and reducing your lawn is the biggest thing you can do for wild bees.'

Shop Late-Season Bloomers

The biggest thing we can all do to help overwintering garden bees, is to do less, particularly less tidying and less cutting back. Leaf litter, brush piles, bare soil, chopped logs and dead stems all provide a home for wild native bees to produce their young through the winter.

'You may have hundreds or even thousands of individual bees using your landscape,' says Kim. 'The good news is that you don't have to do much to give them a place to live.'

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One of the best ways to help birds in winter is to give them a reliable food supply when natural food sources are harder to find. And there are plenty of winter bird feeders that are practical enough to keep birds well fed, while also being stylish enough to leave out all year round.

The right feeder can also be one of the simplest winter garden ideas, adding personality and character to your outdoor space. Whether you prefer the look of aged wood, classic copper or something a little more seasonal, choosing a feeder that complements your garden means you won't be in a rush to pack it away once winter is over. A covered design can help to keep seed dry in wet weather, while a suet feeder provides a valuable source of energy when temperatures drop.

There are plenty of ways to make a bird feeder a feature in its own right. Terrain's Covered Bridge Reclaimed Barn Wood Feeder looks more like a miniature garden than a traditional feeder, while the Villa Copper Bird Feeder from Pottery Barn has a timeless copper finish, and provides weather protection for seed. This Solar Bird Feeder from Amazon will give your yard a cozy glow.

Whether you're looking for a traditional seed feeder, a decorative design, or something seasonal to brighten up your yard, these 16 picks cover a range of styles and prices, with plenty of ways to feed birds in winter and beyond.

Once you've found the perfect bird feeder for fall and winter, it's worth getting the rest of your garden ready too, as there are plenty of ways to help birds in October before the cold sets in.

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After a summer spent darting around parks and yards and entertaining everyone with their adorable avian antics, most hummingbirds have now left for warmer climes.

However, while hummingbird migration is nearing completion in all but the most southern states, it's not unusual for a few stragglers or late juveniles to remain. Some hummingbird species will even overwinter in parts of the U.S.

If you live in one of these regions and know how to attract hummingbirds, you can support these late leavers and year-round residents on their epic journeys or through the cooler seasons by leaving out kit, like this solar-powered cascade hanging bird bath from Lowe's. Discover what else can help these tiny travellers according to ornithology experts.

Hummingbird Behaviour in October

The primary factor that drives timing of migration in hummingbirds is the change in day length. However, in general, adult males leave the earliest, followed by adult females, and lastly juvenile birds.

'Other factors include age, sex, weather patterns, and (for some species) resource availability,' explains Yuka Wu at Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 'However, different species respond to these cues in different ways.

'Younger hummingbirds may migrate later to finish building fat reserves, maturing, and molting. Hummingbirds may also pause migration to wait out temporary bad weather and cold snaps.

'Contrary to popular belief, hummingbirds will not delay migration due to the presence of feeders.'

Ruby-throated hummingbirds can be spotted along the Gulf Coast in early October, and a variety of migrant and resident hummingbird species can still be seen in several southwestern states, such as California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

'The first week of October captures the tail end of the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds' migration, however they are still present in some areas of the Southeast, such as Florida, Louisiana, and southeastern Texas,' says Yuka.

'Allen's hummingbirds are still in Southern California this month, while Anna’s Hummingbirds are in places along the Pacific Coast year-round. Roufus are around in parts of the Southwest, such as New Mexico and Texas.

'During October, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds can be spotted in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Texas too.'

Calliope, Costa's and Black-chinned hummingbirds are also amongst the species that may still visit your yard in some of these regions.

1. Plant Late-Blooming Native Plants

What you plant in your yard in the fall is entirely dependent on your region and the weather you experience during the cooler months. However, planting flowers that attract hummingbirds is still worthwhile in the southern states mentioned.

'Planting late-blooming native plants is one of many ways to support hummingbirds in fall,' says Yuka. 'In addition to nectar-producing plants with tubular flowers, having plants can also attract insects, which are a vital part of hummingbirds’ diets.

'Some plants to consider are Scarlet Beebalm, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Scarlet Sage, Cardinal Flower, Red Columbine, and Jewelweed.'

'Some other good fall bloomers for hummingbirds that do well across most of the U.S. are Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) and many species of Hummingbird Mint (Agastache),' says Alice Madar, Executive Director, The International Hummingbird Society.

'In the dry west, Chuparosa (Justicia california) and Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis) are also good fall bloomers. In the east, an important native bloomer for fall migration is Spotted Jewelweed, also known as Touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis).'

This Agastache Red Dwarf Hummingbird Mint from Plant Addicts is suitable for containers or flower beds and borders in zones 6-10.

The Estrellita Little Star Firecracker Bush from Plant Addicts is native to southwestern portion of North America and required little care once established.

2. Leave Brush Piles

Once leaves start falling and flowers start browning or self-seeding, the desire to tidy the garden can be strong. However, many people are now wise to the wonders of wildlife gardening.

Trimming judiciously, tidying less and leaving nature to its own devices (as much as possible) will support resident or late-leaving hummers and other wildlife in general.

'Leaving brush piles of logs and twigs, loose leaf litter, and delaying cutting back perennial stalks provide shelter and supports the insects hummers feed on,' says Yuka. 'Having a slightly “messy” yard or garden can be beneficial for hummingbirds and other birds.'

If you want to create a brush pile in your yard, this Smart Cart from Burpee make slight work of carrying logs, twigs and leaf litter.

3. Grow Evergreens

Growing evergreen trees in your yard not only provides privacy from prying eyes, winter interest and life when other plants in the landscape may be dormant, these dense species offer a pit stop in late summer and early fall for migrating hummers too.

'As October arrives, hummingbird migration is reaching its final stages across many regions,' explains Hilary Morejon, Banding Project Leader, The International Hummingbird Society.

'While the vast majority of these tiny travelers have already headed south, a few late-season migrants known as "stragglers" are still passing through - and your support can help ensure they safely continue south.

'As the leaves drop from deciduous trees, hummingbirds may become more exposed to the elements and to predators. However, the dense vegetation in evergreen trees provide overnight shelter and security as hummingbirds rest up for the next leg of their journey.'

This Deodar Cedar tree from Trees.com is low-maintenance and has a long lifespan. It will grow well in zones 7-9 and is hardy down to 10ºF.

Shop Beneficial Trees & Plants

4. Ensure Water Sources Are Available

As summer draws to a close and the rain returns, it's easy to forget about topping up the bird bath or hummingbird mister. Yet keeping these vessels clean and filled with water is as important in the fall as it is in spring and summer.

'Providing water sources can be especially helpful for hummingbirds during fall migration, as natural water sources such as puddles and streams can still dry up,' says Alice. 'Bubblers, drippers, and other systems that allow for moving water are especially attractive to hummingbirds.'

Most bird baths are too deep for hummingbirds, however this solar-powered model with a fountain from Lowe's allows hummers to spritz their feathers under the spray. Placing large stones and rocks in the bowl can also provide a place for them to perch.

5. Keep Feeders Clean And Appropriately Positioned

Continue to thoroughly empty and clean your hummingbird feeder before refilling it, for two weeks after your last sighting. This can provide a vital energy source to any "stragglers" that may pass through or visit your yard.

'There is a common myth that hummingbirds will not migrate if you leave your hummingbird feeder out, but in a way the opposite is true,' says Alice. 'Hummingbirds want to feel well-fed with a healthy fat reserve before they take on the arduous, energy-draining journey to their wintering grounds.

'They migrate when their instincts say the time is right based on a variety of factors that include day length, weather, and fat reserves.'

Clean, fresh feeders in your yard can be a life-saving resource for late-season migrants who encounter dwindling nectar sources.

'You become an important rest stop, providing the energy hummingbirds need to make the next leg of their journey,' says Alice. 'If you live in the west, you may have backyard hummingbirds year-round. If so, leave your feeders up.'

Even in cold weather a feeder should be refilled with fresh nectar at least once per week. 'Old nectar can contain contaminants that can harm hummingbirds,' continues Alice.

'Bring your feeders in at night if you have freezing temperatures, but make sure to put them out at first light so hummingbirds can eat as soon as they wake up.

'Alternatively you can use a heated feeder such as Hummers Heated Delight or an insulated feeder such as Anna’s Healthy Hummingbird feeder.'

To help prevent window strikes and attacks from predators, place feeders at least 25 feet from windows and at least 4 feet off the ground.

'Higher is better,' says Alice. 'Feeders should be near a sheltering tree but not too close to a shrub or landscape feature where a predator can hide.'

This Metal Nectar Feeder from Ace Hardware is easy to hang and has four ports.

6. Tweak The Nectar Formula

Many people who want to attract hummingbirds make their own simple sugar solution to pour into feeders. However, when temperatures dip the recipe can be adjusted.

'The usual formula of 1 part white granulated sugar to 4 parts water mimics the average sucrose concentration found in natural flowers,' explains Alice.

'In cold weather some people change the ratio to 1 part sugar and 3 parts water. This provides a higher concentration of energy and is a little more resistant to freezing than the 4 to 1 ratio.

'However, this ratio is not recommended for summer months, when it will ferment and spoil faster.'

The advice to never use brown sugar, honey, raw sugar, dyes or any artificial sweeteners in a feeding solution still applies, as they may contain ingredients or contaminants that can sicken a hummingbird.

7. Make Windows Visible And Keep Cats Indoors

Sadly, according to ornithologists, the two biggest killers of all birds in the U.S., including hummingbirds, are windows and cats. The good news is that some small actions on our part, can make a huge difference to the survival of hummers and other feathered friends.

'Window strikes and cats kill billions of birds every year,' says Alice. 'As tired birds unfamiliar with your yard arrive, the likelihood of window strikes increases.

'To prevent this, make your windows visible to birds by putting screens on the outside or adhering decals designed to alert birds.'

Exterior shutters, paned glass and anything that can break up the reflection of large expanses of sky and trees can help. 'Feather-Friendly and other companies offer removable decals designed to avert window strikes' says Alice. 'The decals should be spaced no more than two inches apart horizontally and four inches apart vertically.

'Keeping cats indoors is also one of the most important things you can do to keep birds, and your cat, safe,' adds Alice.

This Feather-Friendly bird collision tape from Etsy is easy to apply and can help to prevent window strikes.

These simple steps can offer a life-saving energy boost to a weary hummer on the wing. And remember, they love purple fall flowers too. So even if you think you have seen the last of these tiny travellers in the regions mentioned, continue the care for a little longer with the tweaks above and you can help sustain a new generation – you may even be rewarded with a sighting.

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There has been something of an explosion in smart bird feeders over the past few years, and it is easy to see why. But if you haven't used this kind of technology before, knowing which smart bird feeder to choose can feel as complicated as identifying the birds themselves.

These clever gadgets combine a traditional bird feeder with a camera, sending high-res footage of your garden wildlife straight to your phone, and using AI to identify the birds you spot. There are cameras to consider, apps to download, wifi connections to make and AI features to navigate.

Well, I have scoured the deals online this week, and I think the Birdfy Ebony Smart Bird Feeder from Walmart is an ideal place to start. It combines the clever features you'd expect – including 2K footage, solar power, and AI identification – with a sleek wooden design that wouldn't look out of place in any stylish garden. Better still, it's designed to be straightforward to set up and it's currently 44% off at Walmart.

Why Shoppers Love It

We all know the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days are going on right now, and there are lots of discounted Birdfy products on the site.

This bird feeder camera, however, is at Walmart and I think deserves the spotlight, not least because it's the best deal I've seen on a smart feeder and once connected it is simple to use for anyone starting out in the world of garden tech. Oh, and 87% of more than 2,500 Walmart customers think so too.

A lot of reviewers specifically mention how sharp and detailed the photos and videos are, with several saying they love getting an unusually close view of backyard birds visiting their garden, as well as greater knowledge about all the breeds of birds. One recent reviewer called the footage clear and said the notifications make it particularly enjoyable.

Shoppers like the natural, wooden appearance and the fact that it blends into the backyard rather than looking like a piece of outdoor tech. One reviewer described it as an 'attractive addition to their backyard', while another particularly liked the large seed capacity and concealed camera.

There are several reviews from people who say the feeder has become a new hobby, with families enjoying the footage together. One reviewer bought it for a granddaughter who loves animals and said she could use it to identify birds in her area. Another described it as a 'particularly good gift for a bird lover'.

The adjustable solar panel is one feature that is repeatedly praised. People who have bought and reviewed this camera like not having to keep taking it down to charge, and can re-position the panel so that it absorbs the most sun possible during the day.

There are a couple of caveats to watch for, however. The feeder only works with 2.4GHz wifi, not 5GHz. Several reviewers weren't aware of this beforehand and had difficulty getting it connected, with one saying they had to contact their internet provider to separate their wifi networks.

The other point to note is the wooden feeder needs some weatherproofing before winter. A few reviewers mention that the wood arrived unfinished and that they needed to seal or paint it before putting it outside. The product description states it is made from waterproof fir wood, but if you want to seal it, this natural sealing oil for wood, available from Amazon, would do the job well.

What to Shop

Knowing where to place your bird feeder is vital if you want to attract and feed wildlife safely to your garden. Ideally, it should be in a quieter corner, close to some shelter, birds can feed undisturbed.

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A smart bird feeder is one of the best investments you can make for your garden. Mine brings endless enjoyment, as I watch adorable footage of feathered visitors and feel good providing them with a valuable food source. The only issue? This garden tech can often stand out among planting.

Many smart bird feeders have clunky cameras and obnoxious colors that don't necessarily slot into the garden landscape subtly. But my latest find in the current Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale is one of the most elegant designs I've seen – the Kiwibit smart bird feeder on Amazon. It has a sleek green body, dual chamber, and a 4K camera.

Even better, it's currently 30% off at $132.99 – though this deal doesn't last for much longer. With five star reviews raving about it's quality, I'm reassured that it's a worthwhile price to pay. 'If you are looking for a smart bird feeder that is exceptionally designed and built to last with quality parts, then this is the feeder for you,' one shopper says.

Why Shoppers Love It

This bird feeder camera is one of the best rated on Amazon with 4.5 stars. Those who have already purchased express its reliability, ease of use, and stylish design.

'Each bolt is made from stainless steel and screws precisely into threaded inserts, giving the feeder a solid, durable feel,' one five-star reviewer writes.

'This feeder is not only well made, but the camera provides an outstanding close-up view of birds as they come in to feed. The image quality is sharp enough that you can easily see details such as the food in the bird’s mouth,' they add.

The Kiwibit smart bird feeder has a corresponding app where it offers AI species identification, real-time alerts, and more. Shoppers say it's reliable and easy to use.

'I get instant phone alerts every time a bird visits, and the live stream lets me watch wildlife from anywhere,' one customer says.

'Connected immediately. The video is crisp. The sound quality is excellent and the instructions are clear and concise. The app works seamlessly. We are enjoying it so much and I highly recommend it!,' another reviewer writes.

As for being solar-powered, you don't have to worry about overcast, dull days in fall and winter: 'You can power the feeder with a USB cable or with the included solar panel. And don't worry it has a battery when there isn't sufficient power with the sun down,' one shopper describes.

The solar panel itself can also be positioned separately to the feeder and swivel for optimal sun exposure.

The design has also been carefully thought through. Not only does it look beautiful in its muted green shade that will slot into any garden landscape, it's also super easy to refill and clean the bird feeder.

'It was easy to assemble with clear instructions. There are lots of thoughtful design decisions like the removeable seed hopper that makes it fairly easy to refill the feeder. There are little slide-out dividers at the bottom so you can fill it separately with the dividers closed and then open them once it's on the feeder,' a reviewer explains.

The fact it has a dual chamber means you can provide multiple types of bird food, too. For example, you can put this wild bird seed from Amazon in one side and these sunflower seeds for birds from Walmart in another.

It's worth noting shoppers have had mixed results over the baffle part of the design, which is meant to keep squirrels away from bird feeders.

'Unfortunately, the squirrels also found my feeder. I ended up purchasing two baffles, one above and one below, as well as some aluminium pieces to cover areas where they were climbing from,' one reviewer shares.

Nevertheless, it seems customers do find the price justified.

'We had first purchased a different brand at double the cost and had a horrible time getting it to work. We ended up having to return it. But we went with this one and it was so easy to set up,' one person writes.

The current deal of just $132.99 makes the Kiwibit smart bird feeder even more worth it – but the discount doesn't last for much longer, so now is the time to get your hands on it.

What to Shop

As well as choosing the right bird feeder for your yard, deciding where to place your bird feeder is also an important decision. Ideally, it should be in a quieter corner of the yard where birds can feed peacefully and undisturbed.

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With the hummingbird migration now in full swing, it's more important than ever to make your backyard resource-rich to support these charming feathered visitors as they stop by.

While there are a wide range of plants to attract hummingbirds in spring and summer, fall is a trickier time where many perennials have faded. It makes those nectar-rich fall flowers even more valuable, as they fill a 'nectar gap' for these birds. When selecting which to grow, you may automatically think of red flowers for hummingbirds, but there's another color that attracts them: purple. In fact, this is a common fall flower color, with the likes of hummingbird mint, Mexican bush sage, and more attracting and supporting hummingbirds this season.

Whether you grow just one or all of the below purple fall flowers for hummingbirds, it's sure to help keep them fuelled and energized for the rest of their journey south.

Why Do Hummingbirds Like Purple?

Hummingbirds are naturally attracted to the color purple because they have tetrachromatic vision. This allows them to see the ultraviolet light spectrum, which ultimately means bold purple and electric-blue blooms stand out sharply against green foliage and vegetation.

It's the same reason why they're attracted to the color red, and therefore why many hummingbird feeders and smart bird feeder cameras for hummingbirds tend to be red (like this red glass hummingbird feeder from Walmart).

Mexican Bush Sage

• USDA: 8-10

Mexican bush sage is one of the best purple fall flowers to grow for migrating hummingbirds because it blooms from late summer through fall.

It's a shrubby perennial belonging to the mint family. With long, arching, velvety flower spikes and tubular flowers, it's suited to the long bills of hummingbirds.

While it does dieback in the first hard frost of fall, it's one of the first purple blooms to fill the nectar gap after summer.

Provide it in a full-sun position in rich, well-draining soil. If you're planting multiple, space them 3-5ft apart.

Find a Mexican bush sage plant on Amazon.

Catmint

• USDA: 3-9

Catmint, or Nepeta, is one of the most-loved purple plants because it's hardy, reliable, fills gaps in beds, and it smells delicious.

While it isn't strictly a fall flower, it often continues its summer display into fall – you can encourage a second flush of flowers by removing spent flowers and leggy growth after its first flush earlier in summer. You should use sharp pruning tools for this, like these Fiskars bypass pruners from Amazon.

Much like Mexican bush sage, catmint has tall flower spikes with small tubular flowers hummingbirds can feed from. It's also a hugely successful bee and butterfly magnet, making it an invaluable plant for fall pollinators.

Catmint can bloom into October, though it will depend on the exact variety. 'Walker's Low' catmint from Trees.com is a reliable choice, as is 'Six Hills Giant' catmint from Plant Addicts.

When growing catmint, choose a full sun position and well-draining soil, but don't worry about adding fertilizers as too much can make its spikes flop over and cause unsightly gaps.

Great Blue Lobelia

• USDA: 4-9

While much more of a blue-purple flower, great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is another great choice of fall flower to support hummingbirds when other summer blooms are scarce.

You may be more familiar with red cardinal flower for hummingbirds (Lobelia cardinalis), but this blue-purple variety is also valuable to them.

It has tubular blooms which typically flower from July through October. As a native plant, you'll also spot lots of bees and butterflies being supported by these bright flowers.

Great blue lobelia (which is available on Amazon) should be planted in moisture-retentive soil, as it thrives in wetter environments. It's great for a rain garden for this reason.

Agastache

• USDA: 5-10

Agastache, also known as hyssop or hummingbird mint, is one of the best flowers to attract hummingbirds. When it comes to purple varieties, Agastache 'Black Adder' and Agastache 'Blue Fortune' (from Plant Addicts) are beautiful options.

Its tubular flowers are packed with nectar, which hummingbirds can easily feed from. It typically blooms from early summer to the first frost, so it provides months of nectar for these little birds.

Agastache grows best in full sun, and too little light can actually cause leggy, weak growth, resulting in poor blooms.

As your agastache matures, you should divide hummingbird mint every 3-5 years.

Obedient Plant

• USDA: 3-9

Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) produces spikes of pink and lavender blooms with tubular flowers which hummingbirds love, especially as the hummingbird migration begins.

It tends to keep blooming until the first frost, once again helping to fill the nectar gap for hummingbirds towards the end of the growing season.

The best part is it adapts to a wide range of growing conditions. This includes full sun to partial shade, and clay, sand, or chalky soil – though it prefers a rich, evenly watered soil. As it becomes established, it does become more drought tolerant.

Find a purple obedient plant on Amazon, or explore other obedient plant colors at Plant Addicts.

Shop Our Hummingbird Edit

It's not too early to be thinking about how to care for hummingbirds in winter, too. This includes stocking up on nectar for feeders, looking out for hummingbird nests, and planting winter flowering shrubs. Our guide to where hummingbirds overwinter has more advice on how to offer them support in your yard.

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As the seasons turn in October, it's not just our plants that need some extra help – garden birds also seek refuge and support from resource-rich gardens this month. Making sure your yard is ready to welcome them is a great way to attract more birds in fall.

It isn't just a case of feeding garden birds this month, though cleaning and refilling feeders is vital. Mary Mack Gray, in-house ornithologist at Birdbuddy, says October also calls for leaving faded blooms and plant debris to provide some cover.

Not to mention, providing a clean water source (a solar water pump from Amazon can provide movement and attract more birds). Keep reading to find out exactly how to help garden birds in October.

1. Give Your Feeders Some Love

It's important to clean bird feeders year-round, but the wet and mild weather of fall calls for more urgency, with such conditions harnessing an environment for fungal diseases and mold.

'Thoroughly cleaning feeders now means less cleaning during the cold months,' says Mary.

'Moving feeders is a good way to prevent debris build up under feeders, which reduces both disease transmission and the chance of attracting pests,' she adds.

Keeping feeders out of direct sun this month will prevent food spoiling and protect food quality.

You can use a special bird feeder cleaner from Amazon to get your feeders in shape. As Mary notes, this will also prevent your feeder attracting rats.

If you need to clean hummingbird feeders, use these hummingbird feeder cleaning brushes from Walmart to get into the narrow ports.

2. Keep Feeders Filled

It may sound obvious, but garden birds need a good supply of food sources in backyards during fall. This is especially true when many natural food sources become scarce this month.

'Birds are attracted to reliable sources of high-quality food. They take note of reliable food sources during fall and are more likely to visit those come winter. Keeping feeders reliably stocked with high-fat, high-energy foods during fall is a sure-fire way to entice birds to stay in your yard over winter,' Mary says.

Feeding birds in winter and fall is vital to keep them energized during challenging, cold conditions. As Mary notes, high-energy foods should be prioritized, including suet balls (like these from Walmart), sunflower hearts (from Amazon), and nuts.

'Gear up for winter feeding sprees by adding feeders. Yards with more feeders are able to accommodate more birds,' Mary adds.

There are some bird feeders better suited to fall and winter, including this tube bird feeder from Wayfair which will keep the rain and excess moisture out. You can also invest in one of the best smart bird feeders to capture footage of your bird visitors over the coming months.

3. Leave Seed Heads

When natural food sources are scarce, the best plants for seed heads are invaluable to birds.

'Plants with seed heads are an essential fall and winter food source for seed-eating birds and a source of nesting material come spring. Allowing seed heads to decay naturally is a great way to attract birds during fall (while reducing garden labor!),' Mary says.

In particular, coneflowers and black-eyed Susans (which you can order from Amazon) are popular with common US backyard birds, including American goldfinches and other songbirds.

The other bonus is that these faded blooms bring architectural beauty to your fall garden, especially when dusted in frost.

You can also grow native plants to feed birds in winter to make your yard even more resource-rich for garden wildlife.

4. Create Brush Piles

It's not just food that birds are seeking in backyards during fall, they also need shelter and cover from adverse conditions.

'Brush piles and leaf litter are great sources of cover, shelter, and food for birds. Ground-feeding birds such as song sparrows and others that avoid elevated feeders love to forage in leaf litter, where they often find hiding insects,' says Mary.

'Brush piles also provide essential winter shelter for dormant insects. Allowing some brush piles to remain thereby increases natural food sources for birds come spring,' she explains.

Over-tidying your yard in fall can be harmful to wildlife for this reason. Of course, you may want to move fallen leaves off your lawn to prevent grass becoming smothered, but allowing twigs, leaves, and other debris to sit elsewhere can be invaluable to wildlife.

You can even use these and leaf scoops from Amazon to easily relocate leaves to a quiet corner in your yard for birds.

5. Provide Clean Water

A bird bath is one of the most vital things you can have in your yard to support wildlife. However, a bird bath mistake is not keeping it clean, especially in fall and winter when lots of debris can end up in the water.

'A clean source of water is important year-round, but it can be especially important to migratory birds during fall migration. Providing clean water is an important (and often overlooked) key way to encourage birds visit your yard,' Mary explains.

The hummingbird migration, for example, benefits from a solar bird bath pump (which you can pick up at Walmart). Hummingbirds prefer a mist to a bird bath, so this can create movement in the water for them.

As for cleaning your bird bath, you can use a copper bird bath coin to prevent algae as well as rinsing it out and replacing it with fresh water regularly. You can find a copper coin for your bird bath on Amazon.

What to Shop

As well as birds, you can do a few things to attract other wildlife to your yard in fall. This includes leaving a tall patch of grass and providing pollinators with shelter in the form of leaf piles and hollow stems.

Our guide to fall yard clean-up mistakes has more information on what kind of garden debris can support wildlife this season.

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A smart bird feeder is one of the best upgrades you can get for your garden. They capture real-time footage of the birds that visit your yard, which you can view from your phone – it's a joy you'll never tire of. In fact, many smart feeders have accompanying apps with AI recognition to identify the bird species caught on camera, giving you a better idea of which types of birds visit your garden and how you can support them.

This garden tech also doesn't compromise on beauty, with so many sleek, aesthetically pleasing bird feeder cameras on the market. They can, of course, be a bit of an investment, but there's an option for every budget. For example, Birdfy's top models (explore the range on Amazon) come with lots of extra features, including sharing access across the family, or you can opt for something like this simple $18 hanging smart feeder from Walmart if you're testing out whether a smart feeder is right for you.

You can even get smart hummingbird feeders (like this Humbirdy one from Walmart) to capture activity during the hummingbird migration this fall. Just take care to clean your hummingbird feeder (and all bird feeders) regularly to keep backyard wildlife safe. If you have other types of birds visiting your garden, such as woodpeckers, wrens, and blue jays, a smart bird feeder with space for suet (like these suet blocks from Amazon) is a good option. For example, this metal smart feeder from Target has capacity for both suet and seed.

Ultimately, when looking for the right smart bird feeder for your yard, reliability is one of the most important factors – especially if the price point is higher. So to help you out, we've collated 16 of the best (and most beautiful) smart bird feeders from our favorite brands below.

With your new smart bird feeder acquired, you can start thinking about where to place your bird feeder. Ideally, it should be in a quiet, undisturbed corner of the garden. The fact that smart feeders have a camera actually means you don't have to worry about placing it where you can view activity from the house, but rather choose a spot where birds can enjoy the food peacefully.

Likewise, there are plenty of bird feeder mistakes that can attract rats to the yard that you should avoid. This includes not cleaning feeders, leaving fallen food on the ground, and not storing food securely.

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As fall crispness settles over the garden and leaves drop to reveal bare, architectural branches, our outdoor spaces undergo a quiet transformation. For many, catching a glimpse of nocturnal wildlife, from the tiny screech owl to the majestic great horned owl, is the ultimate backyard reward.

But welcoming these beautiful hunters isn't just about the thrill of a rare midnight call across the garden; it's one of the most effective, chemical-free ways to manage yard pests naturally.

As temperature drops prompt rodents to seek shelter, young owls are actively establishing new winter territories in early fall. By making a few intentional design tweaks to your plot and wildlife garden ideas, such as providing a safe nesting site (and for that we highly recommend this wooden owl nesting box, from Amazon) you can turn your garden into an indispensable sanctuary for local wildlife through the colder months ahead.

1. Create a Place for Owls to Shelter 

Across the United States, 19 distinct owl species call the landscape home. While some require highly specialized habitats, common backyard visitors like eastern screech owls, western screech owls, and barn owls adapt readily to residential plots if given the right cover.

As fall arrives and deciduous trees drop their foliage, these birds begin scouting quiet locations to roost through cold winter nights and establish spring nesting territories.

In natural habitats, owls rarely build their own nests. 'Historically, owls would nest in tree hollows, stolen hawk nests, large rock crevices, and similar places,' says Ben Team, editor-in-chief of FootstepsInTheForest.com. 'But they will also use owl nest boxes attached to backyard trees.'

Success depends heavily on choosing an owl house tailored to your local species and mounting it at an ideal height.

'You'll need to select the proper size nest box for the owls in your area – and place it in a suitable position,' Ben explains. 'The ideal location will vary from one species to the next, so homeowners will need to do a little research on the species in their region. That said, you will generally want to place the box on a large tree, near a branch that allows the birds to enter and exit easily.'

For smaller garden spaces, a compact box designed specifically for screech owls or saw-whet owls, such as the screech owl or saw-whet owl cedar nesting box from JCs Wildlife Store at Amazon, is ideal. Mount boxes 10 to 15 feet high on a mature tree trunk or post, facing away from prevailing cold winter winds.

Beyond artificial boxes, preserving natural forest architecture provides crucial roosting habitat. 'Having plenty of trees in your backyard and leaving dead snags – trees that have died and are decomposing naturally – can also help create desirable habitats for owls,' says bird expert Maren Gimpel.

In fall, consider leaving safe, non-hazardous dead wood or standing snags intact during your seasonal yard clean-up. These hollowed limbs offer natural shelter and double as prime hunting perches as foliage thins out.

2. Reduce Light Pollution and Preserve the Dark

Owls rely on exceptional night vision to navigate dark canopies and pinpoint prey under dense cover. Bright security lights and landscape uplighting create artificial glare that blinds owls, deterring them from visiting your garden.

Maren Gimpel emphasizes that simple adjustments make a world of difference, recommending turning off non-essential garden lighting at night to help attract these fascinating feathered friends to your plot.

Diana Ludwiczak, founder of BirdyBirdyBirdy.com, agrees: 'Owls prefer dark environments and bright lights can be disruptive to their natural behavior,' she notes. 'If you still need some light for practical reasons, installing dimmer switches or motion-activated lights is far less likely to disturb them.'

There are a few simple switches you can make to design an owl-friendly lighting scheme.

You don't need to sacrifice garden safety or curb appeal to maintain a dark sky. Rethinking how your outdoor space is illuminated creates an inviting sanctuary for nocturnal wildlife while retaining elegant evening ambiance.

Switch to warm LED bulbs

Standard white and blue-toned LEDs scatter glare across gardens. Swap exterior bulbs for warm white LEDs that produce a soft, amber glow far less disruptive to avian vision. These 'dusk to dawn' lightbulbs from Walmart would work well.

Install fully shielded fixtures

Replace exposed wall sconces with full cut-off fixtures that direct 100% of the beam downward onto pathways rather than into surrounding tree canopies. These motion sensor security lights from Amazon have different brightness settings and are easily adjustable to direct the beams towards the ground.

Use motion sensors and smart timers

Connect accent lighting to an outdoor smart timer, such as this one from Walmart, or motion detectors so illumination stays active only when needed.

3. Consider Their Diet

To keep an owl returning to your plot night after night, your yard must offer a reliable food supply. A single adult owl or nesting pair can consume hundreds of rodents over a single season, which does serve as an unmatched, natural form of pest control.

'Owls are predators and their primary diet consists of rodents like mice and voles,' says Diana. These small creatures may already be present in your yard. However, you could also take steps to create a rodent-friendly environment by leaving brush piles, tall grasses, wood piles, and leaf litter, she says.

In fall, leaving dedicated wild zones in discreet corners of your plot creates ideal foraging grounds for nocturnal hunters, and is an eco-friendly way of clearing yard debris.

Rather than hiding firewood, you could arrange a neatly stacked timber pile or deadwood garden feature. This provides shelter for mice and voles while adding rustic structure to winter garden borders.

Leave native ornamental grasses uncut until spring and create a leaf mulch layer under shrub borders. This organic cover harbors insects and small mammals beneath the surface. You could also add a few hunting perches near these areas to help owls listen and hunt.

While encouraging rodent activity in wild garden zones might feel counterintuitive, relying on traditional poisons will backfire completely.

If you do get visits from owls, please remember to avoid using all chemical rodenticides,' highlights Maren Gimpel. 'Owls that eat poisoned rats and mice will be poisoned themselves.'

What to Shop

Owls aren't the only natural visitors you can encourage into your yard. Why not fill your garden with plants for pollinators, add a water feature to attract dragonflies, or put up a hummingbird feeder, too?

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The hummingbird migration across the US is underway, and a new interactive map could help you find out when these charming creatures are expected to pass through your area. Created by smart bird feeder company Birdfy, the map tracks migration routes across different states, so you can follow their epic journey.

With hummingbirds relying on resource-rich gardens for a rest stop during their migration, the Birdfy Hummingbird Migration Map is designed to help backyard birdwatchers know exactly when to keep feeders filled for their arrival. You can even explore migration routes of specific hummingbird species to find out which ones have been spotted in your local area.

It's a useful new tool to use alongside a smart bird feeder camera (you can explore Birdfy's range of smart feeders on Amazon), which capture the fleeting visits. Birdfy says any garden that welcomes hummingbirds plays a crucial part in their migration journey.

Track When Hummingbirds Arrive in Your Yard

August and September are when hummingbirds typically start to migrate south for winter. On this long journey (up to 4,000 miles) they stop in resource-rich backyards, seeking some respite and to refuel (even a simple glass hummingbird feeder from Amazon helps).

'With our migration map, we want to help people see the bigger story behind each visit – and realize that their own backyard can be a meaningful stop along the way,' says Allen Chen, Founder and CEO of Birdfy.

According to Birdfy, when a migrating hummingbird visits a feeder or garden along its route, that backyard becomes a stopover on its journey – and the person welcoming it becomes a so-called stopover host. The company says it is a simple shift in perspective that turns a fleeting backyard encounter into a small but meaningful part of a much bigger migration story.

The map allows homeowners to keep track of the hummingbirds that have been spotted near them, so they know when they can expect visitors in their own yard. The function to search by month and hummingbird species offers more specific insight.

As you toggle to timeline, the migration routes are revealed, showing how the likes of ruby-throated hummingbirds, rufous hummingbirds, and costa's hummingbirds have been moving through the country.

Get Ready for Their Visit

There are plenty of things you can do to attract hummingbirds to your yard and get your outdoor space ready for their arrival.

This includes installing a smart feeder (like the Birdfy Hum Feeder available on Amazon), which will allow you to capture footage of their visit. This Walmart smart hummingbird feeder is also a good choice, with multiple feeding porches to accommodate more birds.

You can also opt for standard glass hummingbird feeders (like this red one from Wayfair).

As for providing water, hummingbirds prefer a mist to a bird bath so it can be beneficial to place a solar fountain pump (like this from Walmart) in your bird bath.

Take care to keep both water and food sources clean. It's important to clean hummingbird feeders regularly to prevent the nectar spoiling and keep these birds safe.

You can also add some flowers for hummingbirds to your garden to provide nectar-rich natural food sources. Mexican bush sage for hummingbirds is a great late-season choice.

Or, pick up this pack of hummingbird wildflower seeds from Burpee to get ahead for next year.

Shop Our Hummingbird Edit

You can also prepare for hummingbirds by doing some research around the best time of day to see hummingbirds. Early morning is typically when they're most active, as they go on search for food to re-energize – this is where investing in a bird feeder camera is handy, capturing these moments for you.

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Beautyberry is a true fall showstopper. Bearing dense clusters of glistening violet berries set against bold green leaves that fade to gold, this deciduous shrub is a truly striking sight.

Largely going unnoticed from spring to midsummer, it is only when the tiny pink blooms appear in midsummer that you get a glimpse of the fruiting wonders to come. From September onwards, the spectacular berries shine out from otherwise fast-mellowing borders, attracting a whole host of garden and migratory birds.

The perfect anchor for a whole host of wildlife garden ideas, beautyberry (callicarpa americana) is popular and widely available as a garden shrub, but there are other cultivars also worth considering, including the bewitching Pearl Glam Beautyberry, from Nature Hills, with its moody purple foliage, and the white-berried callicarpa 'Snow Star' from Park Seed.

Why You And The Birds Will Love Beautyberry

Not just striking and spectacular in color, beautyberry's vivid fruit provides valuable food for wildlife at a naturally lean time of year.

Attracting a wide range of garden and migratory birds into the yard, this shrub can play an important role in foodscaping for winter wildlife. Its feathered fans include a fascinating mix of mockingbirds, cardinals, robins and tiny goldcrests.

It's not just birds that are attracted to beautyberry's charms. 'Small mammals rely on these plants too,' explains plant expert Tabar Gifford.

'If I had to point to standout cultivars, I'd highlight Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Early Amethyst,’ which ripens its berries a full month earlier than most, giving birds an earlier-season food source, and ‘Plump and Plentiful Amethyst, available from American Meadows,’ which was bred specifically for heavier, more abundant berry clusters; more food, more impact.'

Place Beautyberry At The Heart Of A Wildlife Garden

Whether you are looking to support local wildlife or attract a variety of birds into your yard, you need to include at least one beautyberry. 'For a wildlife garden, the straight species Callicarpa americana is the preferred choice, says Tara. 'These plants retain the natural traits and genetic diversity of the species, making them better suited to the wildlife and conditions of their region.'

While these shrubs with winter berries can be grown in large, free-draining containers, beautyberry is happiest planted in the ground. Group three or five plants together for optimum fertilization and the very best fall fruiting display.

'Beautyberry works well in a mixed shrub border or understory planting and can be paired with other native shrubs and flowering plants that provide food and cover at different times of year,' explains Tess.

'Native viburnums and serviceberries also provide fruit for birds, while native perennials such as black-eyed Susan, coneflowers, and milkweed offer nectar for pollinators, seeds for birds, and serve as larval host plants for insects that are an important food source for birds.'

Find the ever-colorful Brandywine viburnum at Burpee and team it with bare root serviceberry from Park Seed.

Growing Beautyberry In Your Garden

Depending on your local climate, there are two types of beautyberry to choose from.

'Beautyberry is a plant where “which one” matters as much as “which zone," says Tabar. 'American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), our native Southeastern species, thrives in Zones 6 through 10, appreciating the long, warm growing season across the South and mid-Atlantic. For gardeners farther north, Callicarpa dichotoma, sometimes sold as Purple Beautyberry, and cultivars like ‘Plump and Plentiful Amethyst’ are hardy to Zone 5.'

Beautyberry, or callicarpa americana grows naturally in and on the edge of woodland, on top of stony bluffs and across damp slopes. Reaching heights of 36-48" (91-122 cm) with a spread of 48-72'' (122-183cm) this deciduous shrub thrives in direct sunlight but will tolerate some part or dappled shade.

Originating from Southeast Asia, purple beautyberry, or Callicarpa dichotoma is smaller and more rounded in shape. It grows to 24-48'' (61-122cm) tall and around 36-60'' (91-152cm) wide.

Discover how to grow this spectacular winter-flowering plant below.

• Position: Easygoing and ever adaptable, beautyberry will grow in full sun or a part shady position. Plant it in a mixed border along with other fruiting shrubs and plants for birds or as a standout feature in an island bed.
• Watering: Largely drought-tolerant, this deciduous shrub requires some care initially. 'Water regularly during its first growing season while it establishes roots,' advises Tara.
• Soil Requirements: 'Beautyberry can tolerate various soil types, including clay, loam and sandy soil, as well as wet to dry soils, as long as they are well-drained,' says Tara. If in doubt, work some horticultural gravel, such as this from Walmart, into the planting hole.
• Pruning Needs: 'Because it flowers and fruits on new growth each year, I recommend cutting stems back hard (down to about 12 to 18 inches) in late winter or very early spring, before new growth emerges,' suggests Tabar. 'That yearly hard prune keeps the shrub compact, encourages vigorous new canes, and actually improves next fall's berry production.' Trim the slender, arching stems with these Fiskars Bypass Pruners from Lowes.

What to Shop

We think you'll agree that beautyberry is a fantastic addition to any garden, and a great way to support wildlife, especially during winter. Other wildlife-friendly jobs include feeding birds in winter and learning how to stop a bird bath from freezing over.

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The House Finch has been revealed as America's most frequently detected backyard bird in Birdfy's 2026 US Birdwatching Insights Report. It comes as a surprise, with the smart bird feeder brand noting there was an expectation for Northern Cardinals to take the top spot, yet House Finches were detected more than 200 million times over the last year.

The findings highlight one of the main benefits of having a smart bird feeder, which not only captures footage of feathered visitors but uses AI-recognition tools to identify different species. Birdfy's range of smart feeders (available on Amazon) identified more than 2.1 billion feeder visitors between June 2025 and May 2026, with House Finch having the most detections.

Birdfy also reports some surprising hummingbird activity, with 17 rarer species detected alongside the commonly spotted Ruby-throated, Anna's, and Allen's Hummingbirds. For backyard birdwatchers, these findings offer an exciting glimpse into which charming species may stop in gardens during this year's hummingbird migration.

House Finch Takes the Top Spot

The Birdfy report states analysis of their feeders' data in the past year found 'the House Finch, not the Northern Cardinal, was the most frequently detected feeder visitor' across the whole of the US.

Native to the southwestern US and Mexico, House Finches (the males can be identified by their streaky brown bodies and red heads, throats, and chests) are commonly found in deserts, brushlands, open woods, and urban areas.

However, according to the report, Northern Cardinals, House Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and Tufted Titmice closely followed, with the most frequently detected species varying by region.

'East of the Rocky Mountains, Northern Cardinals dominate Birdfy detections; to the west, House Finches appear most frequently,' the report states.

Interestingly, the report also found that 'bird activity surged before most Americans had even woken up,' highlighting how much backyard wildlife activity can go unnoticed.

This is where smart bird feeders can be particularly useful. This smart bird feeder from Walmart, for example, sends instant activity alerts to your phone and captures footage to watch back later.

How to Support House Finches

To support these busy backyard birds, opt for a tube feeder with a perch (like this from Walmart). Finches are small birds, so using a feeder with lots of space and multiple feeding ports allows room for more birds – this Birdfy wooden smart feeder on Amazon also suits their needs.

House Finches also love black oil sunflower seeds (like this pack from Amazon), which give them plenty of energy in the challenging conditions of both summer and winter.

Likewise, having native plants for birds in your yard offers nutritious natural food sources. These coneflowers from Trees.com (formerly Fast Growing Trees) are popular with finches.

Placing your bird feeder near tree or shrub cover also offers these small birds a safe spot to dart to and hide from predators, such as cats.

And don't forget to clean your bird feeder regularly to reduce the spread of disease.

Rare Hummingbirds Visit Backyards

Birdfy's report uncovered some exciting hummingbird activity across US yards: 'Across more than 20 million hummingbird identifications, Birdfy recorded 17 species beyond the three most common, including unusual visitors such as the Broad-billed, Berylline and Lucifer Hummingbirds.'

The latter, Lucifer Hummingbird, has a particularly striking appearance with a curved bill and bright purple gorget (throat).

The more familiar species also made many appearances, with Ruby-throated Hummingbirds accounting for over 60% of all hummingbird identifications and dominating sightings in the east. In western parts of the US, Anna's, Allen's, Rufous and Costa's Hummingbirds were detected more frequently.

How to Support Hummingbirds

While support for different hummingbird species can vary due to behavioural and habitat differences, there are some general rules of thumb to follow if you want to offer them a safe retreat in your yard.

With the hummingbird migration beginning in late summer, now is a great time to hang up hummingbird feeders (like this glass hummingbird feeder from Amazon or this Birdfy smart hummingbird feeder from Walmart) and provide water sources – hummingbirds actually prefer mist over a bird bath, so you might want to pick up this solar fountain from Walmart.

You should also keep on top of cleaning hummingbird feeders regularly to ensure the nectar doesn't spoil and to reduce the spread of disease.

You could even consider growing Mexican bush sage for hummingbirds to provide a natural late-season nectar source.

What to Shop

No matter what kind of bird feeder you have, it's important to avoid bird feeder mistakes that could put the birds at risk and sabotage how many visitors you get. This includes not refreshing bird feed regularly, resulting in bird food going moldy and even your bird feeder attracting rats.

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Although we're nearing the end of August, summer temperatures are still high and proving challenging for our garden birds. But, it isn't just a case of providing water for them, there are quite a few things these feathered creatures need to get through late summer and prepare for fall.

As well as the obvious ways to help birds in a heatwave, you can also help garden birds in August by allowing some plants go to seed, creating shelter, and keeping your bird bath clean (it can be as simple as using this bird bath copper disc from Amazon to stop a build-up of algae).

Doing just a handful of simple things will keep the birds in your yard safe and make your garden more attractive to them, so you can enjoy more wildlife. Here's where to start.

1. Keep Your Bird Bath Clean

One of the most important things you can do to help garden birds in summer is provide a bird bath. But, it's even more important to ensure it's clean and topped up.

This may sounds obvious, but the ongoing hot temps and intense sunlight in late August can encourage algae. Plus, the water will evaporate more quickly.

With birds seeking a clean and safe water source to drink from and bathe in, it's important to refresh the water daily and clean your bird bath regularly.

This bird bath cleaning solution from Amazon is safe for birds. The copper penny bird bath trick works well, too, as does adding a solar bird bath fountain (like this from Walmart) to create movement in the water.

And if you haven't yet got a bird bath in your yard, explore our collection of stylish bird baths to shop before fall.

2. Leave Seedheads

As summer blooms start to fade, plants for seedheads can provide vital food sources for birds.

So, while it can be tempting to deadhead and removing faded blooms, leaving some seedheads is a good idea. This is especially true for the flowers that won't repeat bloom from deadheading.

In particular, echinacea, rudbeckia, sunflowers, and ornamental grasses are top choices to feed birds into fall and winter.

Not only this, you can also collect seeds from some of the seedheads for planting next year. Use this seed tin and packets kit from Amazon to store them correctly for next spring.

3. Prioritize High-Energy Foods

As natural food sources become more available for birds, you may notice less demand for standard wild bird seed mixes (like this from Walmart). Instead, you can make the most of your bird feeder by prioritizing high-energy foods, which will help birds get through the remaining hot summer weather.

This includes peanut granules, sunflower hearts (like this from Amazon), and mealworms.

Make sure to also place your bird feeder out of direct sun, to stop the food spoiling faster and to provide some shade for birds as they rest in your yard.

4. Provide Shelter

There are a few reasons why birds need shelter in late summer – to escape the heat, roosting, and to safely hide from predators while molting, which rejuvenates their feathers.

You can provide shelter by having lots of dense shrubs and climbing plants, using bird houses (like this from Walmart) for the likes of bluebirds and wrens, and placing food and water sources in shade.

Delaying hedge trimming can also help, by creating more coverage and perching spots for birds out of the sun.

5. Delay Tidying Your Yard

There are lots of benefits to delaying the late-summer garden tidy up and why you shouldn't over-tidy your yard in fall.

Things like fallen leaves and fallen fruit attract lots of insects and invertebrates, providing food sources for birds at this time.

Likewise, there may still be some active nests in trees and shrubs which you shouldn't disturb with pruning. Plant debris in your garden can even provide materials for late-nesting species.

What to Shop

To make your garden more attractive to birds year-round, consider adding ways to feed birds without a feeder and growing more plants for birds. Likewise, there are a few bird bath mistakes to avoid that could cause harm to wildlife.

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Visiting birds make life in the summer garden one of life's great joys. And access to clean water for drinking and bathing is one of the key ways you can look out for them. By late summer, this means regularly checking bird feeders, birdbaths and water features to ensure they are clean and safe for birds and other wildlife to use.

It's also important to avoid too much pruning of trees and shrubs around feeders and birdbaths in August, as you may disturb visitors. Plus, these plants for birds provide a shady retreat for wildlife on hot days, and often additional food sources.

We've rounded up expert tips and the best products to help keep on top of cleaning bird feeders and birdbaths, to make sure your feathered garden visitors are safe and happy. (A long, flexible bottle brush, such as great this Amazon find is your best friend, by the way.)

3 Important Ways To Help Birds In August

'Once you create a garden that welcomes wildlife, you quickly realize that maintaining their water and feeding stations is another part of caring for the garden,' says wildlife expert Siobhan Shaw. 'Over time, my garden has developed its own special little ecosystem. It has become home to a myriad of birds and insects, and we even have a family of praying mantises living here.

'Late summer is an especially important time to pay attention because extreme heat can make water disappear quickly, and cause algae and grime to build up faster. Clean water stations aren’t simply decorative additions to the garden. They can become important resources for the wildlife that has made your garden its home.'

For Siobhan, wildlife gardening isn’t about putting out a birdbath or feeder and walking away. Once the birds, bees, insects and other creatures begin using the garden, they’ve become part of its community.

Keeping their water and feeding stations clean is simply part of being a good garden steward. Now find out how you can help birds in August in your own garden.

1. Clean Bird Feeders Once A Week

If birds love to visit your garden feeders but you don't clean them regularly they can soon become hotspots for disease, especially in extreme heat conditions. It’s vital to keep on top of cleaning feeders to help birds stay healthy, so you should clean your bird feeders at least once a week.

It's a crucial part of feeding garden birds to get right, especially during the heat of summer when bird food spoils faster. 'Make sure feeders are clean and safe,' says bird expert Monika Sangar, author of The Science of Avian Nutrition, available from Amazon. 'If you need to wash the feeders, make sure you don't use any products, just water. They need to be completely dry before refilling too as moisture can cause seeds to grow mold.'

Always keep bird food as dry as possible by choosing feeders that prevent rain getting in.

Clean away any old food or droppings that may have accumulated beneath feeders too as these can attract rodents. It's also a good idea to move your feeders around regularly to prevent unpleasant build-up beneath them. If you have several feeders position them in different places in the garden to avoid debris piling up.

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2. Keep Bird Baths and Water Stations Clean

Another key part of helping birds in summer is keeping bird baths and water stations clean. By late summer, they can develop a significant buildup of algae and grime. Resist the temptation to simply top up the water when it gets low. Instead empty them out, clean and refill with fresh water.

'Birds can quickly make clean water dirty by bringing in dirt, droppings, food, and feathers,' says Monika. 'And in late summer, when the weather is still warm, old water can produce algae, and attract mosquitoes, bees, and other wildlife, which increases the rate at which the water gets dirty.' Mosquitoes reproduce quickly in even the smallest amounts of water.

Monika advises changing the water in bird baths every day (or at least checking them every day) to make sure it's safe and clean. 'My approach is simple: empty it, clean it, rinse it and refill it regularly. In extreme heat, I keep an especially close eye on anything holding water and clean it whenever it needs it rather than waiting for a particular day of the week.'

'I use soap and vinegar along with a good bristle brush to remove the build-up, followed by a thorough rinse before adding fresh water,' says Siobhan. 'A sturdy brush makes it much easier to get into the corners to remove algae and grime off the surfaces.'

As well as drinking birds love to bathe. 'Watching them splash around, wash up and then ruffle and shake their feathers under the water is one of the joys of having a wildlife-friendly garden,' says Siobhan.

If you don't have one already try making a bird bath by simply repurposing everyday household objects, or go big by creating a wildlife pond for garden birds to enjoy.

What to Shop

3. Clean Out Fountains And Water Features Regularly

If you have a garden fountain or other water feature in your garden the birds will flock to it to cool down, so one of the key ways to help birds in August is keeping an eye on the water quality. As well as birds, water features are a major attraction for insects and other wildlife, and also quickly fill with plant debris as the growing season shifts towards fall, and plants start to fade, and shed their leaves and seeds.

If algae and debris aren't removed quickly this can play havoc with your fountain’s ecosystem, as the water can quickly get stagnant in hot weather, especially as evaporation speeds up and water levels drop.

'Small fountains need the same treatment as bird baths,' says Monika. 'Leaves, dirt, and feathers build up, and wild animals can bring food into the fountains, which can make the water dirty.

'You don't need a lot of equipment to get the job done, a nice scrub brush or sponge, gloves, and plenty of clean water. You don't need to use any cleaning products. The brush or sponge should be able to remove all debris and algae.'

Try these heavy duty reusable latex gloves from Target and a water fountain cleaner like this wildlife-safe maintenance cleaner from Amazon

If you have a particularly bad algae problem, try using a mixture of one part water to one part white vinegar to spray the area. Tackle any resistant algae with neat white vinegar and a small brush, removing as much as you can. This should sort out the algae problem but isn't harmful to birds and other wildlife. Rinse down thoroughly with a hose to remove any residue left on the surface of the fountain before refilling it.

These are the main considerations for how to help birds in August and keep your garden visitors safe and happy.

There are lots of ways to help birds in a heatwave as well as other ways to help garden birds in summer.

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August marks a crucial moment for hummingbirds, as they prepare to migrate south for winter. In doing so, they seek respite in the backyards filled with food and shelter, especially invaluable at a time where lots of nectar sources are fading. But, there's one perennial that never fails to support these charming birds all the way until frost – Mexican bush sage.

While not at the top of the list of flowers for hummingbirds, Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) has long, arching flower spikes in magenta, purple, and white that emerge around August and last through fall in warmer climes, ideal for supporting hummingbirds as they move south. The flowers are tubular in shape, perfect for the specialized slender bills of these birds.

The best part is you don't need loads of room to grow Mexican bush sage for hummingbirds. You can simply pick up a Mexican bush sage starter plant (available at Amazon) and grow it in a pot on your porch or balcony. With velvety blooms and fragrant foliage, it's guaranteed to brighten up your planting for the incoming fall season, while supporting the hummingbird migration.

Why Hummingbirds Love Mexican Bush Sage

Mexican bush sage is a type of salvia with a bushy habit reaching 2-4ft in height and spread. The reason it makes such a great plant to attract hummingbirds and support them during the migration period is because unlike other summer perennials, Mexican bush sage can put on a display right up until frost.

There is one caveat to note, however. Mexican bush sage (which you can also grow with these Mexican bush sage seeds from Amazon) is hardy across USDA zones 8-10. You can grow it as an annual in zones 7 and lower, but it's the warmer climes (where hummingbirds are heading to) that this salvia will put on its longest display for wildlife.

It fills a 'nectar gap' for hummingbirds where other food sources are sparse, providing crucial energy these birds need during this tiring time. That's why having it in your fall garden for the hummingbirds that pass through is beneficial.

From an aesthetic point of view, Mexican bush sage blooms profusely in fall, covering the entire bush in vibrant flowers. The blooms are fuzzy and soft which make them rabbit and deer-resistant, too. This is also because Mexican bush sage's foliage is aromatic, deterring a wide range of pests.

Like other tubular blooms, Mexican bush sage's flower shape also allows for hummingbirds' specialized bills to access the nectar with ease. Plus, its a color hummingbirds love: pinks and purples. This is especially effective when paired with red flowers for hummingbirds, like this native cardinal flower from Plant Addicts.

In fact, this bright purple hue also attracts butterflies and other pollinators seeking nectar as summer winds down.

How to Grow Mexican Bush Sage

If you're planning to add Mexican bush sage to your garden now for migrating hummingbirds, it's best to opt for an established flowering Mexican bush sage starter plant from Walmart rather than opting for seeds (which should be planted in spring).

Below are some key tips for growing Mexican bush sage in your yard.

• Position: Natively, you'll find Mexican bush sage growing in Mexico and Central America in tropical and subtropical forests. There, it enjoys full sun to partial shade beneath tree canopies. In your yard, look for a spot that gets at least six hours of direct sun a day. In milder regions, take care to position it somewhere sheltered, out of wind. Up against a warm wall is a good spot, especially as we transition into fall.
• Soil: It's important for Mexican bush sage to have a well-draining soil type, as waterlogged, soggy conditions can easily rot its roots and cause premature witling. If growing it in a pot, consider adding horticultural grit (from Amazon) for drainage. It doesn't need a particularly fertile soil, however, and can put on a bright display even in poor soil.
• Water: When you first plant Mexican bush sage, make sure to water well to help its roots establish, especially after such a dry summer. In following years, this plant becomes quite drought-tolerant and just needs occasional deep watering during dry spells, though you can allow the soil to dry entirely between watering. Use this soil moisture meter from Amazon to monitor moisture levels.
• Pruning: When planning to grow Mexican bush sage for migrating hummingbirds in particular, it's really important to avoid cutting back too early. You want to leave the flower spikes for the birds (and other pollinators) to use for as long as possible. Once the flowers have naturally fully faded, leave them to protect the crown of the plant during wet winters. Using sharp and clean pruning shears (these Felco F2 pruning shears from Lowe's are a top choice), you can then cut back old woody growth in early spring to encourage new shoots.
• Winter care: As mentioned, Mexican bush sage is hardy across USDA zones 8-10. In these climes, you can use mulch and wrap pots in burlap (which is available from Walmart) to insulate roots. In colder climes, you can either treat Mexican bush sage as an annual and allow it to dieback in winter, or lift it and move containers to a frost-free position, such as a greenhouse or a conservatory. During winter, keep watering to a minimum as it can put roots at risk of freezing.

Shop Our Hummingbird Edit

As well as growing Mexican bush sage for migrating hummingbirds, there are plenty of things you can do to help hummingbirds in August. This includes keeping feeders clean and topped up. This hummingbird cleaning brush kit from Amazon has everything you need to maintain your feeder this summer and fall.

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The majestic monarch butterfly captivates everyone it encounters, with it's stained glass style markings and bold orange, black and white coloring. But perhaps the most mesmerizing fact about this endangered species is the epic journey they under go each fall, travelling thousands of miles along the US East and West coasts to reach their breeding grounds in Mexico and California.

Known as the monarch butterfly migration, this astonishing feat is only possible if calorie-rich nectar can be found at regular intervals along the route. With many wild reserves diminishing, it's vital that our yards, however big or small, help to bridge the gap by providing a wide selection of late flowering nectar rich plants. These butterfly-friendly seeds from Botanical Interests would be a wonderful place to start.

Log on to conservation group Monarch Watch website, to find out about their extraordinary tagging program, and explore our expert guide on how you can support Monarch butterflies in your yard.

Add Late-Season Nectar Plants

Monarch butterflies rely on regular nectar fuelling stops to support them along their epic migration to warm, southern climes. This makes growing a selection of nectar-rich plants for pollinators all important, especially those that flower late into fall.

'More important than finding one supposed "perfect monarch plant" is creating succession of bloom. Think of the garden as an all-season buffet rather than a single spectacular dinner,' says plant expert Tabar Gifford.

Tabar's favorite late-season nectar plants include Joe Pye weed, sneezeweed and late blooming sunflowers. You can find these all plants at American Meadows.

'One of the best things you can do to help Monarchs during their fall migration is to plant native, fall-blooming perennial wildflowers,' says Tad Yankoski, Senior Entomologist at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, Missouri Botanical Garden.

'While the exact species may vary state-to-state and zone-to-zone, you can't go wrong with Goldenrod and fall-blooming Asters. These plants tend to bloom later in the season and provide lots of calorie-rich nectar when Monarchs need it most,' he adds.

Flower shape, is also an important consideration. 'Monarchs need to find flowers that match their mouths,' says Jessica Walliser, author of Attracting Beneficial Bugs, available from Amazon. 'Adult butterflies and moths drink nectar through a straw-like mouthpart called a proboscis, while as immature caterpillars, they chomp leaves or other plant tissue.'

Favoring bright daisy-type flowers - including black-eyed Susan and gaillardia - as their open petals and central cone provide an easy landing pad, monarchs also gravitate to nectar rich plants with short tubular blooms - such as milkweed and blazing star.

Find blazing star bulbs at Walmart.

Plant Essential Milkweed

Monarch butterflies are selective when it comes to laying their eggs, with native milkweed being the sole host plant.

‘A monarch’s life begins when a female lays an egg on the lead of a milkweed plant, usually on the underside, although she can make use of other parts of the plant for this purpose,' explains butterfly expert and author of Monarch: Saving Our Most Loved Butterfly, available from Amazon, Kylee Baumle.

‘She will only lay one egg per plant. She does this most likely to assure that her offspring will have enough to eat without competition from other monarch caterpillars.’

Find a mixed collection of live milkweed plants at Amazon. Alternatively Walmart have a seed selection of four Milkweed varieties.

Consider The Importance Of Shallow Water

Monarchs, like many other butterflies are often pictured near shallow water sources, inspiring gardeners to recreate butterfly puddlers in their yards. But are they needed? Experts explain.

'Butterflies, especially male butterflies, will drink from mineral-rich spots like mud puddles to get salts necessary for mating,' says Tad. 'While it can be fun to watch this behavior, it's not a high priority to offer a puddling location. There are often many natural locations where butterflies will find the resources they need.'

If you still fancy creating a puddling area, then keep it simple. 'Use a shallow dish or saucer. Fill it with a mixture of sand and small stones, then add enough water to keep the material damp,' suggests Tabar. 'Place it somewhere sunny, protected, and close to the plants butterflies are already visiting.' Alternatively pick up a flower stake puddler such as this from Walmart.

Create A Layered Habitat – And It Doesn't Have To Be Large

Monarch butterflies will visit yards of any shape and size. Even the smallest patch appeals if the plants offer accessible nectar and there's a place to rest and shelter. Consider this wooden butterfly house from Amazon.

'The best butterfly gardens aren't just flower beds. They're layered habitats. Butterflies are ectothermic, so warm, sunny areas help them become active. Rocks or other surfaces where butterflies can bask can be very useful,' explains Tabar. 'Shrubs, ornamental and native grasses, meadow plantings, and taller perennials help create places protected from wind and weather.'

Tiny plantings and small backyards – such as a balcony planter, a strip of meadow grass or a collection of container grown shrubs – all have their wildlife value. 'A few square feet may feel insignificant, but multiply that by thousands of homes and suddenly we're rebuilding habitat corridors through neighborhoods and communities,' Tabar remarks.

Let Plants Mingle And Be Messy

Monarch butterflies are not the greatest fans of pristine gardens. Often the more natural and unkempt plots prove more attractive than those with isolated island beds that are neatly clipped and edged.

'Don't mow every square inch simply because that's what we've traditionally done. That mess is often habitat,' says Tabar.

Tad adds, 'piles of leaves, clumps of brush or branches, and standing plant stems offer breeding, resting, overwintering, and nesting resources for many native pollinators, including butterflies.'

Keep leaves and other garden debris easily accessible but in check with this Wood Stationary Bin Composter from Lowes.

Avoid Using Pesticides

Pesticides have no place in gardens, especially in gardens for pollinators those hoping to attract beneficial insects.

'A single bottle of pesticide commonly sold at home garden centers often has over 3+ grams of zeta-cypermethrin active ingredient, meaning it has the theoretical potential to kill over half a billion bees,' explains Tad.

'And it can persist where sprayed, with pesticide labels claiming it will kill insects on contact for up to 3 months after application. These pesticides kill indiscriminately and will kill butterflies.'

Prevent and confuse aphids, mosquitos and other damaging pests with companion planting, biological controls and other natural pest control methods.

Try this Mighty Mint Neem Oil and Peppermint Plant Spray from Walmart.

Are Fruit Feeding Stations a Good Idea?

Citrus fruit feeding stations or fruit salads for butterflies often steal the show on Instagram and in public gardens, but many experts have concerns over how useful these raised platters actually are.

'This is one of those ideas that sounds charming, and you certainly may see butterflies visiting overripe fruit, but for monarchs, I would put my energy into flowers rather than a fruit-feeding station,' says Tabar.

If you do want to try one at home, give this Songbird Essentials Butterfly Feeder from Walmart a go.

If you want to support these graceful migratory insects further, check out larger garden projects such how to plant a wildflower meadow or read up on the best plants for pollinators.

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