Birdfeeders

All bird species have slightly different styles of feeding, which is why it is important to have different types and heights of bird feeders. It is also quite interesting to discover the different methods practiced in your yard. Birds such as titmice and chickadees usually take just one seed from a hanging bird feeder and fly to another perch to eat it. Many other birds like goldfinches, siskins and mourning doves will often stay in one place and keep eating many seeds. Some birds visit only hanging bird feeders, while others will only approach ground feeders. This behavior mimics the way they eat in the wild. For example, goldfinches generally feed on tree and weed seeds so will come to a hanging bird feeder. Woodpeckers feed on insects found in tree bark so are most comfortable visiting bird feeders that are high off the ground. Mourning doves and quail feed off of seeds which have fallen to the ground so will usually only visit ground feeders. Of course there are always exceptions. The local mourning doves have discovered our hanging platform feeders and after a few experimental attempts, are now quite comfortable feeding on the swinging platform feeders. Then we have birds like blue jays and starlings that will eat at any level from most kinds of bird feeders.