 Alabama boasts a diverse population of bird species, making bird feeding a popular activity in our state. The bird population includes migrant birds flocking to warmer areas for the winter as well as birds that make Alabama home. To try bird feeding at your home, place feeders in readily visible areas. Feeders near shrubs and trees have the most visitors. Offer birds food, habitat, nest boxes, and water to ensure that they visit your yard year-round. Birds attracted to your yard change with the seasons. Make your feeders and food suitable for each season's group of birds. Use a basic tubular feeder filled with black oil sunflower seeds to start attracting large numbers of birds. Try mixtures of sunflowers and whole peanuts and platform and hopper feeders to entice more species. Also offer fruits, mealworms, and nectar. Incorporating suet feeders in the winter months will attract species of birds that normally eat insects. Keep the birds safe, move feeders at least three feet from windows to avoid collisions, remove hiding places for cats, and keep feeders debris-free and filled only with seeds. Learn more about the birds you attract by using helpful tools such as backyard bird guides and binoculars.