It’s getting to be that time of year again. The flowers are beginning to show some life, the weather is getting warmer and you’re starting to spot birds you hadn’t seen in months. That could only mean one thing: spring is here!

This article from  Into the Air will help you start preparing your backyard for a wide array of beautiful birds coming back from their migration south. Here are some helpful tips for getting your yard back into shape for spring.

Clean your bird feeders, bird baths and birdhouses

It’s a dirty and unpleasant job, but it has to be done. After a wet or snowy winter, you really have to take down all your bird-related accessories from your yard and give them a thorough cleaning. You should definitely clean them consistently, but use the upcoming spring as motivation to really clean out all the dirt from your accessories. If you need some help getting them completely clean, here is an article on how to clean your feeders.

Get your birdhouses ready

While many of you might have kept your feeders and bird baths up throughout the winter, birdhouses are something you might have taken down that you’ll need to put back up. Before you do so, make sure to give them a cleaning and make any repairs.

Ready your hummingbird feeders

A good rule of thumb for most places is to put up your hummingbird feeder in mid-March for southern states, early April for states like Kentucky and so on. You should really check the migration patterns of hummingbirds in your area and put out the feeders about two weeks before their expected arrival.

Plant flowers and shrubbery helpful to birds

Early spring is a great time to begin gardening with birds in mind. By putting a variety of native plants in your yard, such as those that will provide shelter and nourishment in the coming months, you’ll establish a bird-friendly backyard nice and early.

Make a pile with nesting supplies

Birds are very resourceful and will use a number of materials to build their nest, but you can make it much easier by putting out nesting supplies for them. Simply gather pet and human hairs, small strings, milkweed silk, Spanish moss and twigs and put it all in a suet cage for the birds to take.

Consider adding more feeding stations

If you’re interested in attracting more birds, consider putting up more feeders in different locations.

Try something new

Finally, a great way to prepare for another exciting bird-feeding season is to try something new. Instead of have only seed feeders, try using mealworms or oriole feeders. Experimenting with different things will help attract other birds and perhaps start a new tradition for you.