Bird watching is a popular hobby during the summertime. The trees seem to spring to life when baby birds hatch. As people head outdoors the air is filled with bird song, and it naturally invites the casual observer to take more of an interest in our feathered friends.

Attracting Birds to Your Garden

There are several ways to attract local and migrating birds to your yard for observation. One way is to plant a 'bird friendly' garden, including plants that nourish through their nectar, bushes that bear fruit, and flowers that grow seed heads. Local nurseries and gardens can be a useful source of information on native plants to your area that are attractive to birds.

You can keep birds coming back for visits by providing a comfortable environment they will enjoy. An inexpensive birdbath can be as easy as turning on a small sprinkler and letting it fill and overflow a shallow dish with water. Bird feeders and birdhouses come in many shapes and varieties, or you might want to make your own birdhouse with these plans available from skiptomylou. Instead of filling your feeder with commercial seed, VintageIntent provides recipes for the birds. If you are an avid bird watcher on the go, then this unique bird feeder may be just the thing for you from Birdlandcreations. Whatever option you choose, you'll have hours of fun watching the habits of your local birds.

Once you have an established bird clientèle, you can start to identify the different species that are common to your region. Each state's legislature has adopted a State Bird that is common in at least one geographical portion of the state. Do you know your own state bird? Learn more about birds in your region by visiting Wikipedia State Birds or for a more in depth study visit the Official US State Birds.

Test Your Bird Brains

See if you can match these state birds to their proper states. It's not as easy as you may think, unless of course you know all the state birds. Have fun testing the know-it-alls in your life

Answers are below so don't scroll down too far. If you aren't sure, just wing it!

Match the bird to its state.

1. California                   a. Eastern Goldfinch
2. Connecticut               b. Mockingbird
3. Florida                        c. Robin
4. Iowa                            d. Seagull
5. Louisiana                   e. Mountain Bluebird
6. North Dakota             f. Willow Goldfinch
7. Nevada                      g. Valley Quail
8. Oklahoma                  h. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
9. Utah                            i. Western Meadowlark
10. Washington             j. Eastern Brown Pelican

I gave this quiz to my husband who is definitely no bird brain and he only got one right. Or does that make him a bird brain? Oh, that was a cheep shot!

Answers:
1g, 2c, 3b, 4a, 5j, 6i, 7e, 8h, 9d, 10f.

Photos courtesy of Meaghan Slottje and CountryByTheBumpkins