A lot of people keep buying bigger bird feeders, and they don’t recognize that the real reason cardinals keep skipping their yards has to do with other factors instead.
Give them a place to disappear
Cardinals sure are easy to spot. But that makes them pretty cautious. They don’t like sitting out in the open for long, and that means a big empty lawn is their worst nightmare. Try putting in some dense shrubs. Something thick will work wonders. For example, holly or wax myrtle.
They’ll have somewhere to go when they’re scared. Don’t trim it too much. Cardinals like having layered branches to move through, without being exposed. Put a row of shrubs near a fence.
Plant the berry tree
Many people choose dogwoods because they look nice in spring. They’ve got no idea how much cardinals love them. It’s because of the berries. Yes, they eat way more fruit than you realize, and especially during winter when it’s harder to find other food.
Put a smaller dogwood near the edge of the yard. The birds’ll feel safe there. They’ll also attract insects during the warmer months, so the birds will have another thing to eat. It’s low-maintenance, and it’s definitely effective.
Let the shrub get thick
Forget how ordinary viburnum looks at first. Give it a few years, and the whole thing becomes a giant wall full of berries. Birds? They’re everywhere. Cardinals love having all that food in one place.
Arrowwood viburnum and nannyberry are some of the best ones. They look pretty full. Just make sure you don’t prune them too aggressively because it’ll make the branches too thin. Cardinals need the thicker cover.
Save the prickly corner
Some people spend half the summer trying to get rid of their brambles. Bad idea. It’s those tangled canes that cardinals absolutely love. They want low-protected cover near forest edges. They want protection near overgrown fields.
It’s not like you need a giant patch or anything because even one corner will do. Wait for the plants to thicken up. You’ll see the birds soon enough. The berries help attract them, obviously, but cardinals are really attracted to the thorny brambles underneath. Predators can’t get there.
Keep one green wall
Winter’s a terrible time for birds. Everything turns bare. Everything becomes exposed, and cardinals really hate that. But evergreens will fix it for you. A tall arborvitae or juniper becomes a hiding spot for these red birds once the temperature drops, and they’ll keep coming back.
You’ll probably hear them before you see them. They’ll stay hidden in the greenery. For an even better effect, plant a bunch of them together, instead of far apart. It’ll create a tunnel effect. The birds’ll hop through them constantly. It’s perfect for a cold morning.
Stop cleaning every edge
For humans, a good yard has to be spotless all the time. Birds disagree. Cardinals like the in-between areas that we’ll usually clear away at first. Think about the undergrowth beneath the shrubs. They like leaf cover near a fence.
You don’t have to let the whole yard turn wild. Instead, avoid erasing every messy section because then the birds have a lower hiding space.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
