Don't Let Birds Struggle This July – These 6 Easy Additions Turn Your Backyard Into a Summer Refuge
With food, fresh water, cooling shade, and safe shelter in short supply, these simple changes can help birds through the toughest weeks of summer.
July days are often scorching hot. You’re more likely to be hiding out inside than working in the garden, but your backyard birds don’t have any other options. This month can be tough on birds due to the extreme heat and drought conditions, but also because parents are feeding fledglings and young birds are learning how to survive.
Attracting birds to your backyard is a worthy goal, but it’s only the first step. You also need to ensure conditions are optimal for them during the hottest, driest part of the summer.
It doesn’t take expensive gear or a lot of time to improve your wildlife ecosystem. These six simple fixes will transform your yard into a safe summer refuge.
What Backyard Birds Need in July
Your backyard birds have a few basic needs that are especially important in summer:
- Fresh, clean, and cool water
- Reliable food sources
- Shade and shelter
- Safe places to rest
Summer visitors, like robins, cardinals, chickadees, house finches, mourning doves, hummingbirds, and more, need these resources more than ever. Adding to the challenges of heat and dry weather, many birds are actively feeding fledglings. Small changes to your yard now will help adults conserve energy and give fledglings a better chance of surviving the season.
1. Adding Moving Water Sources
Clean water is a must for birds at any time, but especially in July when many natural sources dry up. They use water for drinking and cooling themselves. Birds are naturally drawn to moving water by its sound and appearance. Moving water in your yard will act like a magnet, guiding birds in the area to a much-needed water source.
A fountain is a great solution, but not strictly necessary if you don’t want the expense. A more cost-effective solution is to add a solar fountain insert to an existing bird bath, like this Mademax one from Amazon. Alternatively, add a wiggler, a little device you put in the water to agitate it and create a rippling surface that has the benefit of deterring mosquitoes from breeding.
Another option is to add a mister attachment to a garden hose, like this Homenote mister. The birds will be drawn to the mist. Place it under a shrub or tall perennials. The water will collect and then drop from the leaves, another attractant for birds.
2. Use Heat-Friendly Foods
Both adults and fledglings need a lot of energy this time of year, but the heat of July can spoil some of the foods you might normally use, like suet.
When feeding birds in summer, you need to switch to foods that stand up to the higher temperatures. Some good options include black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower chips, white millet, unsalted peanuts, nyjer seeds for finches, and mealworms for bluebirds and wrens. Use smaller amounts of food and replenish more frequently to reduce the risk of spoilage.
Your backyard birds spend nearly all day collecting food in July to feed themselves and their fledglings. By providing heatproof food in one or more locations, you reduce the need to fly far or search for food. This helps adults conserve energy and better feed their young.
Best Summer Bird Food
3. Prevent Deadly Window Collisions
Any bird can be easily confused by the reflection of trees and sky on windows and is at risk of a collision. Young birds that are just learning to fly in July are at greater risk. Collisions with windows are often fatal for birds, both old and young, so take steps to keep them safe. Even if a bird seems fine after a strike, it might have serious internal injuries.
Window decals are inexpensive and simple to use. They adhere to windows and break up the confusing reflections. You can find decals specifically designed for this, like these attractive Anti-Collision Window Bird Stickers from Amazon, which can be applied and removed without leaving a residue on the glass. Another option is to hang strings or cords outside windows.
Adding elements to windows is one of the easiest ways to save birds in your yard. You can also position feeders in such a way as to prevent strikes. Keep food sources either within three feet of the window or more than 30 feet away from it.
4. Create Safe, Low-Lying Water Sources for Fledglings
As fledglings leave the nest, they spend a lot of time on the ground. Until they learn to fly, they can benefit from access to ground-level water. If you only have pedestal bird feeders, consider adding some shallow dishes of water or puddling areas on the ground.
Any shallow dish will work, but an easy solution you probably already have on hand is a plant pot saucer. Like this DIY bee water station, you just put a layer of pebbles in it, add water, and set it in a safe place. Water at ground level can put birds at risk for predation, so set it near or partly under a shrub so they can take cover as needed. If you have cats, keep them indoors during fledgling season and keep dogs leashed when in the yard.
If you want to watch the baby birds in action, then place a Birdfy smart bird bath on the ground, which sends 2K videos to your phone when they use it.
5. Create Cool-Down Zones
Birds can easily overheat as temperatures soar in July. You can help them cool down with strategic areas designed to provide shade and shelter. Any shady area will allow birds to lower their body temperatures, but the best areas are also safe and allow them to rest without being too exposed to predators.
Native shrubs provide some of the best shade for birds. The dense, low growth of a shrub is a safe spot and might also provide a food source for some species. If you have a patio, consider adding some potted shrubs near your bird feeders. Shrubs are also helpful near water sources, so birds can take cover if a predator is nearby.
Other garden elements that provide cooling shade include trellises and arbors with vines, small trees, layered beds with shrubs, perennials, and annuals at different heights, and stick piles. Provide several shady areas throughout your yard.
6. Add Ice to Your Bird Bath
Shallow bird bath water can get warm, or even hot, quickly in July. Birds prefer cooler water to get relief from the heat. In fact, they might not use your bird bath at all if the water is too warm. Ice is an easy way to keep water sources from overheating.
Freeze a big block of water using a yogurt container or Tupperware. Add one block of ice to the bird bath each morning. You can even add berries and seeds to the ice, which birds can access for food as it melts.
Alternatively, you can freeze water in an empty pop bottle and float it in the bird bath to lower the water’s temperature. Whichever method you choose to cool it down, be sure to clean out your bird bath regularly and to add fresh, clean water every day.
July Bird Care Essentials
July is one of the most demanding times of year for birds. Between high temperatures, dry puddles, and hungry fledglings, it can be stressful. Just a few thoughtful and inexpensive changes to your yard can make it much friendlier for your favorite backyard birds. Your outdoor space becomes more than just a garden. It’s a refuge for native wildlife.
