5 Surefire Ways To Attract Cardinals To Your Yard, Even Without A Bird Feeder

Thanks largely to their vivid colors and melodic vocalizations, cardinals are extremely popular with backyard birders throughout their native range. That vast territory in which they are found encompasses the Lower 48 east of the Rocky Mountains, as well as pockets within the American Southwest and down into Mexico. Those hoping to draw cardinals to their yards will most often seek out the best type of feeders to attract cardinals. While putting out feeders can certainly help, there are other surefire ways to attract them. These measures focus on helping cardinals meet their basic needs, from habitat to hydration.

In addition to taking steps to attract cardinals, there are also some things you can do to make sure they aren't avoiding your yard. These include things such as ensuring predators, like cats, are not threatening birds in your backyard and avoiding the use of harsh chemical herbicides and pesticides. You should also avoid reflective surfaces that can cause cardinals to go on the offensive and attack their reflection. Keeping an eye on these few things can greatly enhance the success of your efforts to attract cardinals, as it will help grant them safe access to your yard.

Cardinals, like all creatures, must meet their dietary needs in order to survive. However, that doesn't mean you need to hang a feeder. There are a number of ways to ensure cardinals can eat their fill in your backyard without one, and one such way is to offer them a fruit snack. Fruit is particularly beneficial to cardinals because it provides both calories and fluid, essentially aiding both their nutrition and hydration needs. Not to mention, they love it. Providing them with chunks of fruits such as apples, blueberries, grapes, or pears is an open invitation for them to flock to your yard.

When preparing fruit for cardinals, it is important to wash it just as you would for your own consumption. This ensures any harmful residue from pesticides or other chemicals is removed. Then, chop it into small pieces that are easy for the birds to handle. Once it is prepared, you can either place the fruit chunks on a plate or tray or just let them rest the ground. The latter method actually allows the cardinals to use their natural foraging instincts to feed on these fruit snacks.

Cardinals absolutely love berries — and they aren't picky over the type. If it's a berry, they will likely eat it. They also enjoy feeding on the insects that berry bushes often attract. With that in mind, it is easy to see how planting berry bushes is a great way to attract cardinals by providing them with food sources without a bird feeder. Additionally, some varieties — such as elderberries — can feed cardinals all winter long when other natural food sources are scarce.

When choosing which types of berry bushes to plant in your yard, consider adding some that are fairly low to the ground. While cardinals will eat berries off of everything from shrubs to tall trees, they also like to scavenge fallen berries and seeds from the ground. Low-growing berry bushes and shrubs can not only help in that effort, but can also provide them some measure of safety if any predators happen to be prowling around.

When it comes to providing food for cardinals, there's nothing simpler than tossing seeds on the ground. While you can certainly fill bird feeders with seeds, the feeder itself is not necessary. As previously mentioned, cardinals have a natural tendency to feed and scavenge from the ground. In fact, that is their preferred method for gathering food. You can play right into this foraging instinct by simply scattering handfuls of seeds in areas throughout your yard.

Although this is a simple process, the type of seeds you choose can enhance the impact. Sunflower seeds are among the absolute favorite food items for cardinals. Black-oil sunflower seeds, in particular, are ideal, as they have easy-to-crack shells and plenty of nutrients. This aspect is particularly helpful in the winter months, when the birds need more to sustain them.

The only potential problem with scattering sunflower seeds for cardinals is that squirrels also find them irresistible. If squirrels begin moving in on them, they can actually scare cardinals away. In that instance, you can switch to safflower seeds, which are beloved by cardinals but despised by squirrels.

Just like people, cardinals have to stay hydrated, so having a safe and available source of fresh water is an easy attraction for them. Probably the most common way to offer them water is through a bird bath, but it's also possible to utilize water features such as fountains, as well as small dishes or bowls of water. Consider adding something like a circulating pump to a standard bird bath so that the water remains in motion, making it even more attractive to cardinals.

No matter how you provide water for cardinals, it is critical that the water be fresh and free from algae and bacteria; changing it often is key. Additionally, during the winter months, it is important to keep bird baths and water dishes from freezing over. Keeping the water moving will help in this situation as well. You can also prevent freezing by placing floating objects, such as tennis balls or rubber ducks in bird baths. Smaller water sources can just be moved inside during the overnight hours and placed back outside in a sunny area once the temperatures warm.

Another key to attracting cardinals to your yard without a feeder is to give them easy access to shelter and protection. Ensuring your property has a variety of bushes, shrubs, trees, and native grasses will give cardinals ample locations and materials for nest building, as well as cover to shield them from predators. To enhance your offering of vegetation even further, be sure to utilize plants with many different heights and densities. It's also a good idea to include as many evergreens as possible, which will make for good shelter no matter the season.

When it comes to nesting, one option is to build a cardinal birdhouse, which is essentially an artificial nest supported by a wire cage. However, there is no guarantee this nest will be utilized — at least, not by the species of bird for which it was intended. The best way to encourage cardinals to nest in your yard is to provide them with their preferred nesting areas, which are the aforementioned taller trees and dense shrubs. However, it's also necessary to allow a little bit of nesting material to accumulate on your lawn. Items such as twigs, pine needles, and grass clippings are among their favorite home-building materials.