Backyard
Bird Feeding
Bird feeders offer an eye-catching
glimpse of nature right in your own yard. Many take
pleasure in this low-maintenance hobby all year round.
Whether you love watching wildlife or you just want
to add a decorative element to your yard, a birdfeeder
creates a charming interest point. Learn the basics
of bird feeding with these ideas and helpful tips.
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If
birds aren't coming to your feeder:
- Wait for a few
weeks longer. They either have to get
used to the feeder or there might be plenty
of natural foods around the area. When
the food sources begin to dwindle, the
birds will find their way back to your
feeder.
- Throw away all
the seed and thoroughly clean out the
feeder. The seed might be infested with
harmful bacteria or it might be rotten
from getting wet.
- Consider where
the feeder is located. Predators might
be scaring the birds away.
- Try wrapping some
aluminum foil around the top of the feeder.
The reflection may lure the birds in to
eat.
- When purchasing
seed, look at the packaging. It may be
infested. A burlap bag lets insects in
easily. A plastic bag with patched punctures
may indicate a chew hole from bugs. Retailers
might store the feed in a place easily
infested with insects.
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Attracting birds
There are so many different kinds of feeders to choose
from, each attracting different kinds of birds. Some
birds prefer to perch on a small dowel while others
prefer to eat right from the ground. Redpolls, nuthatches,
woodpeckers and chickadees tend to prefer tube feeders.
Jays, finches, sparrows and crossbills like to sit on
trays. When you purchase a feeder, don’t just
think about the style that would look nice in your yard
also think about the feeder style that the birds would
prefer.
Consider different kinds
of food options for the birds. Many
people resort to the popular seed mix that usually sells
in a large quantity. Seed mix attracts cardinals, jays,
nuthatches, chickadees, flickers and white-crowned sparrows.
The mixed seed is inexpensive and readily available.
But if you watch birds that flock to eat it, you’ll
see that they intentionally eat the tasty seeds and
kick out the artificially flavored seeds from the mix.
The seeds they like best are the sunflower seeds. Try
a black-oil type sunflower seed to see a variety of
birds that will keep coming back for more.
Many
birds including sparrows, finches and chickadees favor
a beef fat called suet which provides birds with a concentrated
source of energy. Suet mixed with peanut butter is a
favorite meal for woodpeckers, cardinals, goldfinches,
jays, bluebirds, thrushes, and wrens. The winter months
are the best time to offer suet so the fat stays cool.
Genuine suet will melt and rot leaving a horrendous
smell if it’s warm. Although you can cook up your
own suet, it is best to use an artificial suet made
especially for birds. Artificial suet provides the same
nutrients but can be used any time of the year. Suet
can usually be found in the same isle where bird seed
can be found.
If you want a specific kind of bird at your feeder make
sure to buy the food it will like best. Mourning doves
and song sparrows love canary seed. All small finches
will devour niger or thistle seed. Look into the varieties
of seed available and consider other feeding options
as well. Many birds like to eat the foods we do. Jays,
chickadees, woodpeckers and nuthatches like peanut hearts.
Orioles love grape jelly and orange halves. Try foods
like popped popcorn, pieces of melon or other fruit,
cereal and cooked oatmeal to see what kinds of birds
will come.
Plant food
Although the same birds might visit a feeder regularly,
they do not completely depend on your food for a primary
source of energy. Birds get most of their nutrition
from eating things like insects, worms and berries.
Rather than a feeder, consider planting a tree or shrub
that will give a food source to the birds and enhance
your landscaping. Birds like to eat from trees such
as red cedar, juniper, hawthorn, crab apple, dogwood,
hackberry, and sweet gum. Plumb bushes, holly, honeysuckle,
currants, barberry, chokeberry, elderberry are favorite
plants as well. Check with a gardening store or soil
conservation district to see what kinds of native plants
will thrive best in your yard.
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Water
Providing a water source is a sure way to attract all
species of birds. Whether it’s a built-in pond
or a simple birdbath, water offers a fresh place for
the bird to bathe and drink as opposed to polluted run-off
rain and snow. Beginning in autumn to mid-winter, natural
sources of food start to dwindle making a feeder and
bath most attractive at this time of year. Birds need
water most during the winter season when it is in short
supply and when they need to warm themselves by bathing.
In the winter a heated birdbath offers a warming station
and energy source which will quickly be adopted.
Location and time
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Place your feeder near shrubs and trees to provide
a protection place for smaller birds. A small bird
in an open area makes a quick meal and an easy target
for larger birds or other predators.
- Some
birds prefer to eat seed spread on the ground. Don’t
do this if you know of any outdoor cats around your
area.
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If you want to hang a feeder from your house, start
by placing it away from buildings and then gradually
move it closer to the destination point after birds
are used to feeding from it.
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When spring rolls around lay dryer lint, yarn scraps
and dog hair near the feeder for the birds to use
as they nest.
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The busiest mealtime for birds is in the morning and
at nightfall.
- If
you place a feeder by the window, put a decal on the
window. Birds see their reflection in the window and
may think they are flying into trees and fly into
your window instead. A decal will take away this illusion.
Pests
-
To get rid of squirrels that scare away the birds,
consider a wire mesh protector, a baffle below or
above the feeder or purchase a squirrel-resistant
feeder.
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To repel blackbirds and squirrels, try mixing safflower
seeds into the feed.
- Be
aware of outdoor cats on the loose! Cats are one of
the most threatening predators to birds and will look
to a bird feeder as easy access to catching dinner.
Feeding
- Large
birds eat dog food, a cheaper alternative to seed.
- Birds
use grits to help them digest seed. Mix crumbled eggshells
in your seed as a grit-alternative and an added calcium
source.
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If there are too many birds coming to eat and making
a mess, put less seed in the feeder or use a specific
kind of feed to attract only the birds you want to
see.
- For
less mess, use a feeder with a tray under it to catch
leftover seeds or seed shells.
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