Feeding Wild Birds
Feeding Wild Birds
For the record…I am no expert on feeding wild birds! I’m just a regular gal who likes to watch birds congregate in my yard.
I am also not someone who dedicates a huge amount of time to this venture. I have noticed a few things throughout the years that have helped me bring more birds to my yard, and I’m hoping these tips will help you too!
Let’s talk about the bird for a moment.
The bird, the wild bird that is, you may have noticed, is not particularly “outgoing” when it comes to the human species (unless we’re referring to a Seagull or a Vulture, neither of which I’m assuming you want to attract to your
yard).
The bird does not warm up to us humans, as a squirrel would, for example, when on the hunt for food.
No, the wild bird must be lured….cajoled…enticed, if you will…into feeding on the gourmet meals in your yard. The setting and surroundings and food must be perfectly to it’s liking otherwise, he will look elsewhere.
You’ll need to keep this in mind when feeding wild birds in your yard. Birds that most people want to attract, such as cardinals, chickadees, hummingbirds, orioles, blue birds, and others must be “lured” into your yard by making it ATTRACTIVE and SAFE for them.
Feeding Wild Birds in the Right Location!
First and foremost you must locate your bird feeder in an area that has some protection – such as nearby hedge or shrub. (Depending on the type of bird you wish to attract, that is.)
I have had one bird feeder located about 7 feet from a row of evergreen hedges, and the birds loved it!
Fortunately, that feeder was also located right outside my living room window, so as long as I didn’t make too much noise, I could watch the birds feast
themselves in the morning and late afternoon.
Locating feeders close to hedges and trees is not always a good thing, however.
Blue birds, for example, need to have homes established at least 100 feet away from trees and shrubs so that their predators can’t get to them as easily.
Attracting the blue bird to your yard is easier to do by building them a home, as opposed to setting up a feeder. This article gives some great tips on attracting blue birds into your yard.
Feeding Wild Birds the Right Food!
So you’ve got the feeder in the right place, now you have to select the right food!
One of my ‘go to’ bird food mixes is the ‘Songbird’ mix from Kaytee. The birds in my yard have always responded well to that, and I have attracted a large variety of birds, including blue jays, cardinals, snow birds, warblers and chickadees to name a few.
Picking one mix, like a cardinal or songbird mix, is a good “lazy man’s approach” to feeding wild birds. It’s not always convenient to have several different types of food, and several different feeders, to attract
multiple varieties of birds.
If you’re happy with a general mix, that’s the easiest way to go!
Don’t be afraid to try different seeds out in your bird feeder, perhaps buying smaller bags until you find a mix that works well for you. Make a note of the type of birds that you see when you have a particular food out. I recently bought the wild bird mix from Kaytee, and I was not as satisfied with this mix as I have been with others.
Some of my favorites have the following ingredients: sunflowers, striped sunflower, safflower, and sunflower hearts and chips. I have purchased different types of food to place in different feeders, and then grouped those feeders together to attract different birds.
My two favorite types of seed from Kaytee have been ‘Songbird’s Premium Food’ and ‘Birder’s Blend’. Both seem to be highly desirable to a wide variety of birds.
My neighbor had a feeder specifically designed for peanuts, and I know he was successful at feeding wild birds such as blue jays, woodpeckers and nuthatches.
Unfortunately, he also attracted a lot of squirrels, but we’ll discuss that later!
Some food sold in stores I have found to be less effective than what you could do yourself. For example, feeding orioles is best accomplished by placing an orange outside during their migration period.
Likewise, feeding hummingbirds is best accomplished with a very simple, homemade concoction. I have had no luck with store-bought hummingbird food, and great success with this easy recipe.
Keep the Food Coming!
Now that you have your feeder located in the right place, and it’s filled with the right stuff…ensure that you maintain a regular supply of food!
Birds will go where the food is.
It will take a little bit to attract the birds once you establish your
feeder because they are not accustomed to food being present at your location.
Once you attract them, don’t send them away by leaving a feeder empty!
Keep them coming back for more time and time again.
What about Squirrels?
Ah yes…..squirrels….what a pain in the a!r+&s%k$s@n!!!! But I digress..
The squirrels and chipmunks will quickly thwart your best bird feeding efforts if you don’t do something to control them, or keep them away.
What’s worked for me is the metal “skirts” that can wrap around a shepherd hook. As long as the critters don’t have a nearby jumping off spot to circumvent the skirt, it should do a good job of keeping them at bay.
Well, as long as the skirt stays hoisted up high enough…they do tend to scoot down the pole as time goes by, but it’s pretty easy to tighten them up when this happens.
More Feeding Wild Birds
If you’re like me and sometimes need a “lazy man’s approach” to feeding wild birds, try some type of cardinal or songbird mix. The seed usually contains enough variety that it will attract cardinals and other birds common to your environment. I have used both of these mixes to attract a wide variety of birds to my yard including cardinals and blue birds.
Don’t be afraid to try different seeds out in your bird feeder – perhaps buying smaller bags until you find a mix that works well for you. Make a note of the type of birds that you see when you have a particular food out. I recently bought the wild bird mix from Kaytee, and I was not as satisfied with this mix as I have been with others.
Some of my favorites have included oil sunflowers, striped sunflower, safflower, and sunflower hearts and chips. I have purchased different types of food to place in different feeders, and then grouped those feeders together to attract different birds. My two favorite types of seed from Kaytee have been Songbird’s Premium Food and Birder’s Blend. Both seem to be highly desirable to a wide variety of birds.
My neighbor has a feeder specifically designed for peanuts, and I know he’s successful at feeding wild birds such as bluejays, woodpeckers and nuthatches. Unfortunately, he also attracts a lot of squirrels, but we’ll discuss that later!
Some food sold in stores I have found to be less effective than what you could do yourself. For example, feeding orioles is best accomplished by placing an orange outside during their migration period.
Follow this link to learn more about feeding orioles.
Likewise, feeding hummingbirds is best accomplished with a very simple, homemade concoction. I have had no luck with store-bought hummingbird food, and great success with this easy recipe.
Follow this link to learn more about feeding hummingbirds.
Third on the priority list for feeding wild birds is to ensure that you maintain a regular supply of food! Birds will go where the food is.
It will take a little bit to attract the birds once you establish your feeder because they are not accustomed to food being present at your location.
Once you attract them, don’t send them away by leaving a feeder empty! Keep them coming back for more time and time again.
…ha ha ha ha ha…there are actually articles out there dedicated to this subject…does anyone have difficulty in this area? I find it hard to imagine as there are so many squirrels in my yard. If anything, I have to work at finding ways to keep them off of the bird feeder (along with the chipmunks too! They can stuff quite a bit of food into their mouths!)
I have shephard hooks for my bird feeders which aren’t the easiest for squirrels to climb, although believe me, they will find a way. I need to install one of those “skirts” that wrap around the shephard hook and prevent the squirrel from scaling it. I also intend to try setting up a squirrel feeder so that they can focus on that instead of the bird feeder. I’ve been reluctant to do this because I worry that there’ll be even more squirrels if I do that.
I have recently read about a couple of GREAT ideas at keeping squirrels off of shephard hooks! I will reference that book soon, and keep you posted! Come back soon for this update.
Good luck feeding wild birds in your yard!
I hope this information has been helpful to you and has you feeding the birds in your yard in no time! Other articles on this site about birds include:
If this page is a bit too basic for your needs, much more detailed information about attracting birds to your yard, and feeding them correctly can be found at this site sponsored by the Humane Society.
Good luck feeding wild birds in your yard!
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