Backyard CrittersWildlife in the Garden
Would you like backyard critters coming to your yard? Supply Water Supply WaterThe first and most important is to supply water. We all can live without food for a period of time, but life can not be sustained very long at all without water. Bird baths and/or unchlorinated pools or ponds are easy ways to provide water for our backyard wildlife. Birdbaths can be purchased at home improvement, garden stores or some plant nurseries carry them.
If you want to provide a bath area for birds it must be shallow. The birds need to have their heads out of the water when they lay down to take a bath. Put a heater in it if you live in the cold country. A pond or unchlorinated pool can provide water for attracting wild backyard critters such as: deer, raccoons, squirrels, fox, otters, wild hogs, opossums, wild turkey, bobcats, etc. You may say bobcats! Yep! See the photo of one standing in the top level of our birdbath. We were working at attracting backyard critters, but we sure were surprised when we saw a bobcat standing in the birdbath one afternoon. This was an extra large one. The Fish and Game department shipped in some mountain lions from the West Coast to upgrade the Florida panther bloodlines. I believe they bred with some bobcats. We saw a couple of other ones that were quite large for a bobcat. One was sitting under a tree just looking around; he was as large as a German Shepard. We were very surprised to see this backyard critter. Another time we saw one walking across the yard and it was as big as a mountain lion. But it had stripes on its hind legs and a bob tail. Great wildlife in our backyard! 
My husband and I built our own 'bird bath' in our back yard and we have seen all of the above backyard critters drinking out of the bird bath except for the otters and wild hogs which go to the pond to drink. We see armadillos too, but they just mainly dig holes in the grass and shrubs looking for grubs.We looked for a large natural rock to make into a birdbath, but we couldn't find one for sale where we live. No natural rocks around here just sand. If you live where there are natural rocks, great! You can make a lovely birdbath out a large rock with a natural or man made depression in it to hold the water. There is nothing like water for attracting backyard critters of all types. We couldn't find a suitable rock, so we stacked up some 8"x16" concrete blocks and plastered them with redi-mix concrete to form the sides and the top areas to hold the water. We wanted a little waterfall, so we made two levels. We piped water into the top level to come up through a fountain type spray. Then it flows down into the lower bath. The lower bath is sloped so it goes from no water at the top end to very shallow water and then deeper and deeper to the bottom end. We wanted to give a variety of water depths for different types of birds. And it works. We see the little birds like wrens and warblers bath at the top shallow end. The medium and large size birds like mourning doves and blue jays bath in the deeper area. The water flows out of the bottom end of the lower bath into the top of a plastic barrel that we dug down into the ground. We got the barrel at a local feed store. The barrel has a plastic lid. We drilled some 1/2" holes in it. We covered the lid with sunshade fabric or you could use landscape fabric. Then there is a plastic rim that turns onto the top of the barrel. That holds the shade fabric and the lid in place. The fabric lets the water through and keeps the leaves and debris from going down into the barrel. The drilled holes allow the water to go through the lid and down into the barrel. In the bottom of the barrel is a little pump that circulates the water up to the fountain in the top birdbath. (You can see the fountain stem in the Bobcat photo.) These pond pumps are available from garden centers.
We used to watch the birds out of our living room windows that looked out into the back yard. But it was only easy to see the birds when they were straight out in front of the window. So my husband took the windows out and enlarged the area into an archway and built a small room with windows on three sides. That way we get to see the birds and backyard critters more easily as they move about the yard. We also have lights, one on top of our bird feeder pole and one on the side of the bird room. They may be turned on individually. The one on the side of the bird room lights a tree with a squirrel feeder where flying squirrels come to eat at nighttime. The other lights up the center of the back yard at night to watch the night visitors to the yard. A night-light is good for attracting wildlife critters that you don't see in the day time. We have also seen some of the most unusual types of moths around the night-lights. Only one time I saw the Florida red wolves. A pair of them trotted across the back yard one afternoon. They were absolutely beautiful. They were both marked exactly alike and they were so stunning. The looked like they belonged in a show ring. We did nothing to attract them; they just came by on their own. What a blessing from God to see such beautiful backyard critters. We put a post with bird perches in beside the birdbath. Many of the birds land on the perches and look for a while before they go down to take a bath. When the fountain is running it really attracts the birds. I have even seen hummingbirds flying through the spray. I sometimes see a hawk sitting on top of the post also, but I have never seen him drink or bath. Squirrels like to sit on the post too. During dry times we see unusual visitors drinking from the birdbath. A Pileated woodpecker is one we only saw come during drought time. Also, the foxes came regularly. A couple of times during a drought I saw a snake up in the birdbath. They get thirsty, too or maybe he was waiting for his own backyard critters. Of course no birds came when they were there. They only stayed for a few minutes. They were vulnerable exposed in the birdbath to the hawks in the area. So they left in a short time. Water is great for attracting backyard critters of all types. I consider it the one best way to attract wildlife!
After eating he started running around and then spronging up and down like an antelope. He would sprong and run and sprong some more. What fun he was having and what fun to watch him. Several times since then I have seen the doe come out and eat and drink out of the birdbath. She keeps the fawn stashed in the bushes. But the birdbath is helping her make milk for her baby. I love watching the backyard critters. The birdbath attracts Bluebirds who come to drink and bath in the birdbath. I snapped some pictures of them bathing and I said that I just have to paint one.
So I did a painting of the Bluebird "Cleaning Up" Provide FoodOf course the backyard critters have to eat, also. Food always works for attracting wildlife. The easiest and most reliable are seed feeders. Many options are available for purchase.Don't put them close to shrubs or trees. If you do then squirrels have free access to them. Putting them on a metal post works. Or on a post with a store bought baffle or a wood post with a metal covering keeps the squirrels and raccoons from eating all of the bird seed. They pick a big mushroom top and hold them in their hands holding it up and down in front of them. They eat on the edge and keep turning it around as they eat off of the edge. It looks like they are holding a big Mexican sombrero. They eat almost the whole thing before they throw it down. They eat buds off of the trees, too. They like corn, too. We keep the extra birdseed in a garbage can under the porch. First we used a plastic one, but the raccoons took the lid off and ate the feed. So we strapped the lid down. Then they ate holes in the can to get to the feed. So we got a metal can. Even though the lid fit snugly they could get it off. So we fastened it down with a bungee cord and that worked. We out smarted the backyard critters that time. 
Raccoons and squirrels are very crafty and persistent when it comes to food. See the photo of our failed attempt of building our own baffle to keep the raccoons and squirrels out of the bird feeder. But the raccoons like to eat, too. And I enjoy watching these backyard critters, too.First we fed them dry dog food; they like that. If you leave dog or cat food out over night, it is great for attracting backyard wildlife and they will help themselves. So we got an automatic deer feeder and set it to throw out corn morning and evening. Raccoons feed more at night and the squirrels and birds eat it during the day. We later changed to chicken scratch in the automatic feeder because we saw the squirrels eating the germ off of the corn and throwing the rest away. We like to use the birdseed with sunflower seeds in it. Some birds prefer the sunflower seeds, such as Cardinals and Gold Finches. Even woodpeckers come and get the sunflower seeds, and the Tufted Titmice take one seed and go to the perch or a branch and beat it open, eat it and then come for another. Our main bird feeder has three tubes, so we put sunflower seeds only into at least one tube. In the winter we put out black thistle seed in another feeder for the Gold Finches that come for the winter. We feed them all winter and after they turn yellow they go back north. What fun!
When we lived in south Florida there was a native Florida Holly that grows there that produces lots of berries. After the berries have been on the plants for a while they ferment. Then the robins come down every winter - large flocks of them. They eat the berries and get drunk. Really!. Those backyard critters didn't know how to hold their berries. We would see them standing around on the roads drunk. But they like their berries, just the same as worms. Nest Boxes and Nesting SitesWe have a nest box for the Bluebirds. They raise at least two sets of babies each summer. We put stovepipe around the post supporting the nest box to keep the raccoons and snakes out. If you don't want a stovepipe covered post you could mount it onto a metal pipe post to keep the malicious critters from climbing and getting into the nest of babies.We had the nest post without the metal covering for several years without any problems. Then one summer when I was mowing by the nest I smelled something bad. I told my husband because I didn't want to look. He opened the nest box and found dead babies missing their heads. We thought that a raccoon had reached inside of the box. That backyard critter was bad! The nest box was attracting wildlife critters other than Bluebirds. We didn't have anything to make a baffle to keep them from climbing the post so we put a length of stovepipe around the post. For many more years now we have had no more problems and lots of baby Bluebirds. Be sure and clean out the next boxes each winter. It helps to keep down parasites. 
One year my brother who is also enthused about attracting wildlife made bat nest boxes for each of his siblings. Even though we see bats flying over our pond at dusk they have not gone into the nest box. Several years ago I bought a commercial bat box and put it in a different location. But no luck from that nest box either. If you don't have luck from one thing, try something else until it works. We saw chickadees carrying grass into the top of a metal clothesline post. They were evidently attracted by the small opening in the top of the pipe. We fastened a little nest box to the post and they quickly started carrying grass into the new nest box. It is nice to provide nest boxes for Wood Ducks also, if you have water and woods nearby. They like a nice home up above water. Nest boxes for Bluebirds and Wood Ducks alike have helped to increase their populations. And it is such a joy to watch these backyard critters. It may be a matter of trying several different options. If the birds don't go to a store bought nest box, they have natural options. Plant a nice variety of shrubs and trees for them to choose from. Shrubs or natural underbrush is great for attracting wildlife. It provides, cover, food and nesting areas for the wildlife in the garden. Try some flowers in your garden that are
easy to grow. Return from Backyard Critters to Gifts of God
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I have never seen a rabbit go to the birdbath, but we see them at night eating the grass. At night and sometimes during the day we see armadillos, possums, fox, deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, bobcat, panther, wild hogs and coyotes, all kinds of backyard critters. See the photo of a turtle from our pond digging a hole to lay eggs. 
If you want to feed the squirrels give them their own separate food. There is a natural food that squirrels like if you have them in your yard. We did some clearing on this property and after a while where there are tree roots left in the ground. Mushrooms grow they feed off of the rotting wood. And guess what? Squirrels love them. 
