Feeding Backyard Birds

Feeding birds is one of our most popular and rewarding hobbies, readily enjoyed at any season. If you have a yard, or even just a deck or balcony, you can attract birds. Feeders are available made of many materials in styles to accommodate any seed or suet. It doesn’t matter to the birds whether the feeders are elegant or simple so long as the food supply is reliable. In return for our generosity, the birds provide cheery songs, motion and color in our gardens. As an added bonus, they devour thousands of insect pests each season.

Feeder Placement
Feeder Placement is more important than appearance. Look for a mostly sunny area somewhat sheltered from the wind. Birds are wary of predators, especially cats, so leave a few feet of open ‘escape space’ around and below feeders. Trees or shrubs should provide good cover a short flight distance away. For your viewing pleasure, place at least some feeders where they can be easily seen from a window. Try to position feeders at different heights, since birds such as sparrows and juncos prefer to feed on or near the ground while cardinals and finches tend to feed higher up, at ’shrub level’. Offer a variety of feeds and suet.

Minimizing Less Desirable Guests
Any bird friendly backyard will attract some ‘unwelcome’ guests as well as cardinals, finches and chickadees. You can minimize the numbers of less interesting bird species simply by offering their preferred foods in a separate feeder away from the others. For example, house sparrows, grackles and blackbirds tend to prefer millet and cracked corn and will happily feed in low platform feeders or on the ground. Squirrels, too, will arrive, invited or not. If you are not a squirrel fan, you can try feeding them corn and nuts in a tray away from the bird feeders. Do try to have at least one feeder that is not easily accessible to squirrels; otherwise the birds won’t get much chance to eat. There is probably no such thing as a ’squirrel-proof’ feeder, but there are several ’squirrel-resistant’ models that are quite effective. Squirrels are persistent and ingenious in trying to steal to food, so feeders designed to frustrate them can provide hours of entertainment to those of us watching.

Monitor Weather Conditions.
Tube or hopper type feeders that release only a small amount of seed at a time to the elements can be kept full if they are out of reach of animals. Open feeders should offer only an amount of food that birds will clean up by sunset. Feed left out overnight can attract rodents and even deer and bear.

Maintenance and Cleaning
All feeders need regular maintenance and cleaning to prevent the growth of molds potentially toxic to birds. Once a month, or more in warm damp weather, empty feeders and scrub with a stiff brush and a strong vinegar solution. Spilled seed and hulls under feeders should be picked up frequently as well; this unsightly debris can also grow molds and is an invitation to mice, voles and other critters.

Water
Clean, open water available at all times is just as important as reliable food. Choose a birdbath with gradually sloping sides and a non-skid bottom surface no more than 3 inches deep. Situate it about 8 to 15 feet from good cover and keep a cleared space beneath and around it to deter predators. Birds best locate water by sound, so catch their interest by letting a hose or sprinkler drip into it at first. In the winter use a submersible heater or invest in a bath with a built-in heater. Since clean, well-groomed plumage is essential to maintain body temperature, birds continue to bathe all winter too. Empty and thoroughly clean the bath frequently, daily in times of heavy use. Debris and waste buildup can cause the growth of algae, bacteria and fungi, all potentially dangerous to birds. Scrub with a stiff brush and a strong vinegar solution and rinse well.

Consistent Feeding
You can begin feeding birds at any season, but once you start, be consistent. Your feeders will draw a far better response if you offer feed all year. Be patient if your feeders are not patronized right away. Once any bird finds your feeder, it will advertise the bonanza to the entire neighborhood. Your birds may be skittish in the beginning, taking flight at the slightest sound or motion. You can get them accustomed to your presence by standing or sitting within sight of the feeder for short periods each day. Over time, they will recognize that you are not a threat, and you can gradually move closer to the feeder. If you keep your movements slow and cautious, and avoid staring, many species can become quite comfortable around you. Chickadees especially can get quite tame and can be taught to feed from your hand!