Birdfeeders

I came across an amazing statistic this week. There are an estimated 80 million people in North America who say they are bird watchers! That makes bird watching the number one spectator sport in North America. Most of these people are watching the birds that visit their yards. This of course can be as simple as just looking out the window to see what birds are there, or can be a hobby that includes multiple feeding stations offering multiple food sources to attract as many species as possible. For most of us, the reality is somewhere in between these two extremes. Most people begin by just throwing seed on the ground. This certainly will attract the ground feeders, but not the birds who prefer to feed higher up. The other problem with this technique is that the creatures of the night (raccoons, rats, etc.) are encouraged to eat all available seed. Hanging feeders at different levels is the best solution. An attractive copper top bird feeder filled with sunflower seeds is a very busy place in our yard. There are hundreds of types and styles of bird feeders available. If you are new to this hobby, keep it simple until you see what kinds of birds visit your yard. Offer one or two bird feeders with one or two different kinds of seed. Try scattering some seed on the ground. Then see what happens. I’m confident you will be adding more types of feeders before long!