Back in 1973, Stephen Kress got to pondering the disappearance of Atlantic Puffins from islands off the coast of Maine and came up with a plan to bring back the puffins by transporting young birds to where the birds once nested and attracting them back with decoys. Project Puffin was born and eventually the puffins started nesting again on the islands.
While you may not be able to get a puffin in your birdbath, you can follow Dr. Kress’s lead and bring back the birds that once lived in your neighborhood. By restoring or creating new habitat, you may be able to bring the missing birds back.
For some initial ideas of birds you may want to try and bring back to your yard or neighborhood, check out Audubon’s Birds to Help pages. Choose a bird that you think should be in your yard or neighborhood, and follow the guidelines on the species fact sheets for providing what that bird needs to thrive.