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The first day of fall—the autumnal equinox—is September 23. As the days turn colder, look beyond your feeders to the trees and bushes in your backyard. You may be surprised at what you find!

It's a myth that a hummingbird, or any bird for that matter, will be deterred from heading south in the fall because of human-provided food. Instinct and hormonal urges are what drive birds to migrate, and hummingbirds are no different. Besides, there is good reason to leave your nectar feeder up and full of fresh sugar water until the temperature dips to below freezing, even if you haven't seen a hummer for weeks.

Have you ever noticed how much of what we consider "conventional wisdom" is actually wrong and ridiculous? Bird-feeding conventional wisdom is riddled with bad information. But you, my friend, are in luck! I have tried most everything in bird feeding at least once, and I have made nearly every mistake possible. Why? So you won't have to!

With several types of bird food available on the market today, it's nice to have an option that offers something for everyone eating in your backyard. We've rounded up the most common ingredients of seed blends, their benefits to birds, and how to make sure you're buying the right mix for your backyard birding needs.

Planting conifers in your yard helps provide shelter, food, nesting sites, and nest-building materials to a diversity of species that rely on these trees for survival. If you're curious about how different conifers benefit birds or are wondering about cone identification in general, we've rounded up a selection of common cones for your consideration.

A lot of bird watchers and non-bird watchers alike have spent time peering into a thicket, trying to persuade the poor lost kitten pitifully mewing in the brush to come out. Even those who are familiar with the catbird have been fooled at times. The soft mew of the gray catbird is so realistic that sometimes the brain just won't accept that it is not a cat.

Here's a neat tip: Keep your seeds—and the birds visiting them—dry during showers by installing a rain guard above them.

Throughout North America, August usually brings the driest weather of the year. Natural water sources for drinking and bathing can be few and far between, so by providing a birdbath or other water feature, you'll help the birds get through the dog days, and you will likely be rewarded by attracting species that don't visit your feeding station.

Native vines check off multiple boxes of what birds need: nourishment, cover, housing, and mobility. Their fruits and seeds make them great food resources, their knotty networks provide shelter from the elements and protection for active nests, and small birds like warblers, chickadees, and kinglets are known to use vine systems to safely move from the tops of trees to understory shrubbery, then down to ground level. The following list explores some native vine options to consider growing in your own backyard for maximum birdy benefits.

We've all known the joy of watching birds frequent our backyard feeders. When a flock of rock pigeons moves into the neighborhood, however, you might have a problem on your hands. These birds, the feral progeny of domesticated rock doves, have a reputation for creating large amounts of acidic, property-damaging waste, and for carrying disease.