Putting out peanut butter, sunflower seeds and seed mixtures for the birds has long been a national winter pastime. Yet many who get so much pleasure feeding birds all winter long, do not realize that they can have birds in their garden the whole year through.

Properly selected shrubs and small trees, strategically placed, can make any fair-sized suburban or country garden a bird haven. They will supply food, safe retreats from danger, and nesting sites… the three basic necessities in a birds life.

Over fifty years ago on Long Island the National Audubon Society established the 12-acre Bird Sanctuary. With a varied planting of well-chosen trees and shrubs, 36 kinds of song birds found acceptable nesting places. Much smaller areas can also provide sites for a surprising number of birds, if the proper plants are provided.

What are the plants that have proved to be such avian magnets? They include a few trees of small and medium size, as well as shrubs of varied species and dimensions. The most striking feature of plantings of this type is that trees and shrubs are closely grouped, once they have grown to moderate size. Even more important, they provide a continuous leafy stairway from tree top to ground level.

This provision of foliage at every level not only offers birds a larger variety of nesting situations but also provides better protection from weather and enemies than scattered, more isolated plantings would do. In addition, bird baths and feeders can be used far more frequently if placed close to such shrubbery. When they are located too far from leafy retreats only the bolder English Sparrows and Starlings use them. Important as they may be as nesting sites, seed-bearing shrubs and fruit trees should be selected for their ability to furnish food throughout the year.

Summer fruits provide a valuable supplement to the insect fare of most song birds that nest in our gardens. Cherries, for instance, are eaten by more than 70 species. At the Audubon Nature Center at Greenwich, Connecticut, in one 10 minute period in July, we watched Wood Thrush, Veery, Robin, Bluebird, Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Towhee, Yellow-breasted Chat, Scarlet Tanager, and Baltimore Oriole feeding on ripe cherries.

Mulberries are equally irresistible to birds. Indeed, the Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) is the most compelling attraction of all fruit-producing trees. It should not be planted close to houses or paths with pathway lights and making it a beautiful lighting pathway in the evening, however, since the juice from the berries will stain clothing, and may be carried indoors on shoes. The White Mulberry (Morus alba) is nearly as good in attracting birds and is less of a hazard to clothing.

In general, trees should be planted close to the property line (serving as a screen if desired) to provide a high level landing field for approaching birds. If space permits, a clump of the Devils Walkingstick (Aralia spinosa) may be planted in an out of”the-way corner. It may produce dramatic results. One Connecticut housewife observed 28 species of birds, including many Warblers, feeding on the numerous purple berries during a three-week period in early fall.