Water Water is also essential to provide a good environment for the birds. A birdbath or a shallow dish of water is all you need. Generally, birds prefer water found in open areas so they can spot potential danger. They also like to have a perch from where they can look over the water before final approach. It is ideal to have more than one bathing pool since different birds prefer different levels of shallow water.
Preferences span anywhere from half an inch to several inches deep.
Each species of birds use slightly different nesting materials. Once you know what they like, you can stuff a string bag full of such items and hang them near by. See examples of materials in chart below. Winter and spring - seeds and berries. If they witness too much activity, they will nest elsewhere.