In addition to feeders, you may wish to use plantings to attract a variety of summer and winter birds into the yard. Crabapples, pokeberry, hawthorn, holly, elderberry, beautyberry, flowering dogwood, and eastern red cedar are only a few of the many native plants that will attract songbirds year round. Wildflower mixes that contain thistles will also entice small songbirds into an area. Red or orange flowered plants such as trumpet creeper, salvia, and coral honeysuckle can be used to attract hummingbirds. Water Finally, if you wish to attract birds into your yard, make sure that plenty of fresh water is available.
Water is especially important in Alabama during the summer when rainfall is reduced.
Bird baths provide excellent sources of water year round and are even available with heaters for colder climates. If you would like to build your own feeder, an automatic platform feeder like the one shown here offers many advantages. Its hopper-like construction allows for continuous feeding, and the sloped roof prevents contamination of the seed by standing rainwater. A sketch and a cut-away drawing of this feeder are shown here. Note that the sloped roof is really a door, attached by small hinges, which allows you to easily refill the feeder.