Individual bird gardens play a vital role in conserving habitats for birds.

Surprisingly, song birds eagerly accept this substitution, as our backyard bird gardens become an extension of the surrounding natural habitat.

Converting your backyard into a bird garden can be the focus of many family activities. In fact, just watching and feeding songbirds is a great way for families to start practicing bird conservation... right at home.

Those family members with limited mobility can still enjoy nature from the deck or patio, even a window. Imagine the impact of a bird garden for seniors and shut-ins, and for the ill or disabled.

Bird gardens are perfect natural habitat classrooms. Discovering the different bird species in your area can be very exciting.

An essential tool is a good, easy-to-use field identification guide, such as Birds of North America, or Peterson's East and West. An online search for "bird field guides" will provide you with many more.

You will learn that birds are grouped according to their physical characteristics. For example, you can easily see the difference between a chicken and a robin.

These characteristics are helpful in identifying the birds that visit your bird garden: Size - overall ; Shape of their bodies; Coloring; Special markings; Shapes of their beaks; Shape of their wings and their feet while in flight.

Your family, especially the kids, will become experts at recognizing bird calls. While each species is unique, most are quite obvious. A Sparrow's "chipping" is quite plain in comparison to a Cardinal's lovely "trilling" song.

From a bird's-eye view, a natural bird habitat can actually be a neighborhood of backyards... and each backyard gardener contributes to the success of this unique bird habitat.

So, the question is... what role does your backyard bird garden have in preserving natural bird habitats?

Assuming you have selected and located your plantings correctly, wild birds will be as comfortable in your backyard as they would be in the wild.

And the answer is... you and your bird garden are enormously vital to their survival!