While the seasons to enjoy your home landscape for the most part are over for us, there are plenty of creatures who benefit from your yard in the worst months of the year.

Birds, especially, need your space when you aren’t using it. With a little help, you can give birds a better chance of survival through the winter.

There are benefits to winter bird-care, even though most of us never think about how our landscape choices will impact the outside world around us.

A home property landscaped to attract birds means planning and thought. A well-designed yard increases property value. Trees provide shade in summer, evergreens act as wind buffers for our homes, and they all provide refuges for birds.

Birds will eat nuisance insects.

Birds provide entertainment and a glimpse into a world outside the windowpane.

There are a few things you can do to help our bird friends.

Keep your yard cat-free. Residential cats kill more than 1 billion birds annually.

Install window collision treatments. You can make residential glass visible to birds using do-it-yourself or other affordable options.

Apply strips of tape to the windows on the outside surface. Use white tape that can withstand wind and rain. Place the tape four-inches apart vertically on your windows. This will signal to birds that the glass is there and prevent them from flying into it.

You can also use black tape. If you use black tape, space the strips one-inch apart. There is specialty tape available at pet stores to use to prevent birds from hitting windows.

Besides the tangible benefits of winter bird care, you can learn some things, too. How easy is it to identify the birds in your yard? The top five birds observed at Pennsylvania backyard bird feeders are:

• The dark-eyed junco: A dark gray to brown sparrow with a bright white underside.

• The mourning dove: This bird has a small head in comparison to its plump body, tan with black spots. It is often seen sitting on electric wires.

• The tufted titmouse: A small bird with a large head, big eyes and pronounced bushy crest. They are gray with a rust color down its side.

• The northern cardinal: The males are bright red and can’t be missed. The females have red tinges to their crests and wings. They often sit with their tail pointed straight down.

• The blue jay: They have varying shades of blue on top with white or gray undersides. They are large birds and have a fondness for acorns.

Each bird you may find in your yard will have definite choices for food and shelter. All birds need water, and it is the scarcest to find in winter.

Consider putting out a heated birdbath or a simple bowl of fresh water every day.

Don’t be too quick to totally clean up the brush around your yard. Birds will use it for shelter and survival.

Letting the ornamental berries hang on through the cold months will provide food for our feathered friends.

“Growing Green” is contributed by Diane Dorn, Lehigh County Extension Office Staff, and Master Gardeners. Information: Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-813-6613.