Birds and their feeding habits are alternately fascinating and frustrating to backyard birders. What to feed and how to feed are both questions that birders are constantly asking. With these helpful hints you can make the most of feeding wild birds on your property and bring a wider variety into your yard.
Only have room for one feeder on your premises?
In that case, we recommend that you use a
tube feeder with
black oil sunflower seed in it. This is the most common type of seed, and it is sure to attract a variety of wild birds.
Spring and summer are the most stressful periods for our wild bird population.
During this time they define and defend their territory, go through spring molting, mate and construct nests, and care for their young. All of these activities require energy and energy requires food; make sure feeders are full of
high-energy food at these times.
Are house finches overrunning your feeders?
Try removing the perches from some of your
tube feeders. This will discourage house finches, but won't stop goldfinches, chickadees, and titmice from frequenting feeders. There are also a variety of mesh-style feeders available which discourage house finches.
Looking for an easy way to remove waste that falls from your feeders?
Place a piece of porous landscape cloth beneath them. This will catch seed waste and may prevent rodents and predators from visiting. Simply pick up, shake out into the garbage, and use again. An even easier way to prevent seed scatter under feeders is to use a seed saucer to catch seed debris.
Clean your feeders regularly and rinse thoroughly.
This will ensure that your feeders are free from disease and mold, and ensure that your birds have a safe and healthy place to eat. An effective way to thoroughly clean bird feeders is to use a
long-handled bottle brush and a bird safe cleaner. This type of brush works wonderfully to get into those hard-to-reach areas.
Helpful Backyard Feeding Products |
|
|
|
|
|
