No, the Pond Doc’s Water Garden Center has not traded in its fins for feathers. We just have another bird-brained idea!

Everyday after 6 o’clock when the sun starts setting and is filtering through the gardens at our garden center we usually have a few moments to sit and reflect on the day.

It doesn’t take long to find that we’re not the only living things enjoying the evening. Around us in the trees and all over the grounds are a selection of wild birds that would make the most avid birdwatcher envious. That’s the time Mr. Robin chooses to bathe in any one of the many birdbaths we have out for display. He has no modesty. Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal go out to eat often at the "Lighthouse Cafe", a birdhouse / feeder combination made to look like a lighthouse that sits under one of the large, old oak trees that, we’ve been told, were probably around during the civil war.

We had originally placed birdseed in the "display" feeders located around the shady parts of the gardens not knowing that we’d attract as many different species of wild birds as we have. It has inspired us to look beyond the watergarden at the total outdoor experience. Everyone can attract wild birds to the garden. The staples needed are water, food and shelter.

Birds enjoy shallow water. That is why birdbaths are not deep. The water must be fresh and the bowl cleaned often. In the wild they bathe in gentle streams. The same stream can be recreated in your garden.

Different wild bird species require very different accommodations. For example, the female cardinal prefers to build her own nest in the shrubs while bluebirds like a "pre-fab" birdhouse with a specific hole size. Houses built with perches outside the entrance hole offer a predator bird prime seating to patiently wait for its prey to leave the nest.

We have a family of bluejays living out back. It’s a good thing they haven’t decided to take up housing in the front yard. The bluejay is big and aggressive. It has been known to attack cats and small dogs. One can imagine what a bully the bluejay can be to other smaller, less aggressive birds such as Mr. Robin.

Different birds prefer different food. The Black-capped Chickadee prefers sunflower seeds and suet while the Cardinal enjoys sunflower seed, cracked corn and nuts. The Chickadee will readily go to a feeder but the Cardinal likes to eat close to the ground. That’s why our Cardinal family likes to eat at the Lighthouse Cafe.