Newsletter Archives

Sales & Specials

We've decided to run a special on a handful of products. Act now on the following "Hot Buys" because the special ends on Monday, July 21st.

New at the Nest

Our customers are valuable to us. We continually search for new and better ways to serve our customers. In an effort to better meet your needs as a customer, BestNest aggressively adds new products to the website. Some of the new and exciting products that we've added are shown below. Be sure to check out our New Items department regularly.

Integrating Birding into Water Gardens

With ponds becoming the newest trend in landscaping, it is no wonder that wildlife, and particularly wild birds, have begun to flock to areas with manicured lawns and water features. The moving water in a pond or waterfall attracts several different types of wildlife, and the yard quickly becomes a wildlife sanctuary. To create an avian retreat around your pond, simple steps and additions to the area can be made to form a bird garden. Creating shallow sections in the pond, adding feeders and houses, and maiking protective landscaping all aid in inviting birds to rest in your yard.

The sound of moving water not only enhances your setting, it also draws wildlife to the source. Birds particularly enjoy moving water, offering them a chance to bathe or get a drink. Adding a creek or stream to your pond keeps water moving at all times, especially during a drought, for a ready water source for animals. Adding several rocks to the creek offers birds a place to rest, and keeping areas at only 1" deep allows them to bathe. Deeper water could be hazardous to birds, and they tend to bathe only in shallow areas. Adding graduated shelves up the sides of the pond will also create a more bird and animal friendly pond, as well as offer a flat surface for placing more aquatic plants.

Checking the landscaping around your water source will keep your birds safe. Be sure there are no low bushes or shrubs right next to the pond or creek, as this offers a convenient hiding spot for predators. Additionally, branches covering the pond may seem like excellent protection for the birds, but can easily hide a hawk or raptor. Keeping the landscaping open around the water itself will prevent a large amount of predation. Adding trees a small distance away from the water will shelter birds when they are finished in the pond, and placing a feeder in the tree may entice them to stay longer.

Placing houses and bird feeders in and around the waterscape will keep birds coming back to your yard regularly. You may first wish to determine the types of birds that will roost in your area with your current set up, and add nesting boxes for their convenience. Add feeders to the area, too, for a well rounded sanctuary. Tube and platform feeders are popular with many different types of birds, and suet feeders entice a select few. Adding a small one of each of these keeps seed fresh, and enables you to set up several feeding stations in different sections of the yard. For more advanced birders, adding mealworm, fruit, and thistle feeders will attract even more birds, for heightened variety.

Integrating birding into your water garden is an excellent way to help increase bird populations and introduce others to the joys of the natural world. Adding shallow areas to the pond for birds to bathe, ensuring the landscaping is appropriate, and placing feeders and nest boxes in the garden all help increase avian interest in the area. We have a large selection of feeders, nest boxes, and pond supplies on our site at BestNest.com. For more personal assistance, feel free to call our customer service representatives toll free at 877-562-1818 or internationally at 513-232-4225 from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Standard Time Monday through Friday.