Providing Food for Birds

Bird feeding can provide beneficial food for the birds and enjoyment for you.  A little research and planning on your part can make bird feeding more enjoyable for you and the birds.

When to feed the birds:  Bird food is most beneficial to birds during the cold winter months, when natural food can be hard to find.  Birds will also visit feeders during the spring and fall migrations, and during the summer nesting season.  So, you can put food out for the birds all year long. 
 

Types of Bird Feeders:  Many people enjoy the appearance of commercially made feeders, but the birds certainly won't mind eating from the homemade variety.  Tray, platform and house feeders allow easy access by all birds.  These are good starter feeders to see what types of birds may be present in your area. 

You can purchase or make a wire mesh cover for platform feeders that will allow smaller birds to get to the feeder while keeping out large birds and squirrels.

You should located your platform feeders at least 10 feet away from any shrubs or trees that could harbor stalking predators such as cats.  If you have a lot of cats in your neighborhood, it may be best to avoid using platform feeders near the ground.

Doves, juncos, sparrows, towhees, goldfinches, and cardinals will visit ground feeders.

 

Tips for Bird Feeder Selection:

Visit the Feeder Store

Feeder Placement:  It's nice to be able to watch the birds that come to your feeder, so try to chose a feeder location that is visible from an inside window or from a porch or other area where you like to sit. 

It's also a good idea to put the feeder where it is easily accessible by you, so you are more apt to keep it filled and cleaned. 

Keep feeders away from brush piles and shrubbery that can provide a hiding place for cats.  Cats need cover to hide in so they can sneak up on birds.  Putting your feeder in an open area will make it harder for the neighborhood cats to prey on the birds you attract to your feeder.  However, don't locate the feeder too far away from the trees and shrubs in which the birds like find cover.

Ground feeders should be placed at least 10 feet from the nearest shrub or trees, to give birds time to flee from any stalking predators.

Avoid window collisions.  The Audubon Society suggests placing feeders within three feet of windows.  They also suggest hanging mobiles and opaque decorations outside windows.

Squirrels: If you have squirrels in your area, it will be difficult to keep them away from your bird feeders.  Most bird feeding guides suggest that you mount your bird feeder on a pole - equipped with a cone shaped squirrel baffle of 17 inches or more in diameter, and located at least 10 feet away from any tree trunks or limbs or other tall structures.  

There are several squirrel proof feeders available on the market.  These should be made of metal (squirrels will chew through plastic and wood) and should be pole mountable (if you hang a feeder in a tree, squirrels WILL find a way to get at the seed).

If squirrels continue to cause a problem at your feeds, consider giving them a feeder of their own.  Putting a feeder stocked with the squirrels' favorite foods in a remote part of the yard may distract them from your bird feeders.

Top 10 Squirrel Proof Feeders at Duncraft.com
 

Bird Feeder Maintenance:

Bird Seed

You can control the types of birds that will visit your bird feeder by offering specific types of seeds.  Each bird has their favorite, and they will toss the seed they don't like out of the feeder to get to their preferred seed.  You can limit wasted seed by offering individual seed types at separate feeders.

Black Oil and Striped Sunflower Seed:  Black oil sunflower seed is the favorite seed of birds who visit tube and house feeders.  Striped sunflower seed will be eaten by the birds with larker beaks. 

Birds attracted:  Blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, crossbills, goldfinches, evening grosbeaks, mourning doves, purple finches, siskins, white crowned sparrows, titmice.

Striped Sunflower Seed:  Striped sunflower is eaten by larger billed birds.

Hulled Sunflower Seed:  Sunflower seed that has been removed from its shell is very popular with a large variety of birds, including jays, red-bellied woodpeckers, goldfinches, cardinals, evening grosbeaks, pine grosbeaks, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and grackles.  Some people prefer to put out hulled sunflower seed to avoid getting a pile of shells under their feeders.

White Proso Millet:  This is favored by birds that visit platform feeders.  These are small beaked birds that usually feed off the ground.  Millet attracts quail, doves, sparrows, towhees, cowbirds, and red-winged blackbirds.

Cracked Corn:  Medium cracked corn is also popular with ground feeding birds.  Cracked corn will attract pheasants, quail, doves, crows, jays, juncos, and towhees.   Cracked corn should be provided in small amounts because it soaks up water is is susceptible to rot.

Milo, wheat, oats:  These are often found as filler in inexpensive bird seed blends.  Few birds will eat these.  It often gets tossed out of the feeder and accumulates on the ground where it can attract mice and other rodents.  You will get the best value from your bird seed if you buy individual seed types noted above or good quality seed mixtures that don't contain these ingredients.

Thistle - Nyger:  This is the preferred food of the American Goldfinch.  This seed is expensive, but it is provided out of specialty feeders and it is not readily eaten by other birds.

Seed Mixtures:  A good birdseed mixture is black oil sunflower, millet, and cracked corn.  These are the seeds most popular with the birds and will attract the greatest variety. 

Nut and Fruit Mixtures:  Mixtures of peanuts, nuts, and dried fruit will attract woodpeckers, nuthatches, and titmice. 

Store bird seed in secure metal containers.  Small metal garbage cans or ash cans work well as seed storage containers.  If possible, keep the cans in a cool, dry location.  Keeping your seeds dry prevents the formation of mold. 

Have Bird Seed Delivered to Your Door!
Choose from ebirdseed.com's selection of single seeds and mixtures

Peanuts

Whole and crushed peanuts attract many birds.

Birds attracted:  Blue Jays, bushtits, cardinals, catbirds, chickadees, finches, grosbeaks, kinglets, nuthatches, sparrows, starlings, titmice, wrens, woodpeckers.

Peanuts can be provided in tube shaped, metal mesh feeders.

Suet

Suet is beef, sheep, or deer fat taken from the area around the animal's kidneys.  The best suet for bird feeding is beef kidney fat.  This may be available from the local meat department at your grocery store.  Try asking the butcher if suet is available.   Places that sell bird food also usually care commercially prepared suet cakes.  This is rendered suet that is usually mixed with seed or fruit to make it more attractive to the birds. 

Suet attracts insect eating birds such as woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice.  Place suet in a special suet feeder or net onion bags at least five feet off the ground to keep it out of reach of dogs. 

Birds attracted:  Brown creeper, chickadee, blue jay, golden- and ruby-crowned kinglet, flicker, red- and white-breasted nuthatches, red-winged blackbird, titmouse, woodpecker, wrens.

A suet feeder that is accessed from the bottom will discourage starlings from eating your suet.

Do not put suet out during the hot weather months, as it can go rancid.

Preparing Suet:  To make your own suet treat for the birds, heat ground or finely chopped suet in a double boiler.  After the suet melts, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool until it is hard.  Repeat the heating process.  This time, stir in any or all of the following: sunflower seeds, raisins, cracked corn, yellow cornmeal, or chucky peanut butter.  Allow to cool.

Shop for suet feeders

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter can be used instead of suet in the summertime. 

Mix one part peanut butter to five parts corn meal.  Stuff the peanut butter - cornmeal mixture into hole drilled into a hanging log, or into the crevices of a large pinecone. 

Woodpeckers, chickadees, and titmice are attracted to peanut butter.

Fruit

Some birds do not eat seed, but will eat fruit.  To attract fruit eating birds, try soaking raisins and currents in water overnight and putting them out on a platform feeder.   To attract orioles and tanagers, skewer an orange half on a large nail near your other feeders.

Birds attracted:  Baltimore Orioles, bluebirds, catbirds, cedar waxwings, hermit thrushes, mockingbirds, myrtle warblers, robins, thrashers, and woodpeckers.

Bird Feeder and Food Preferences

Bird Food Preference Chart

A Bird Feeding Strategy

Using separate feeders for different types of food is probably the most effective way to attract the greatest variety of birds to your backyard.  Try one of each of the following:

Place feeders at heights appropriate to the birds they are intended to attract.  Place platform feeders at ground level for sparrows, juncos, and towhees.  Pole mount hopper or tube feeders for finches and cardinals.  Place suet feeders high above the ground for woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees.

Information Sources

The Bird Lover's Garden by Margaret MacAvoy and Pat Kite. 

The Backyard Bird Watcher by George H. Harrison.