Birdfeeders

There is, of course, a huge variation among eyes of different species of birds. However, all birds have proportionately very large eyes and acute vision and depend on this sense more than any other. Birds find their food mostly by sight. This is important for us to know when picking a location for a bird feeder. A tube feeder hanging from a bracket on a fence or post out in the open will get much more immediate attention than a bird feeder hung under heavy branches of a tree. Platform feeders either hanging or on the ground out in the open will have many visitors, but if those platform feeders are under a bush, birds won’t see them and so will take a long time to find them. My first bird feeder was a nyjer sock which I hung inside a huge tree near the trunk. After not seeing any birds on it in two weeks, I moved it to an open bush and had gold finches visit the same day.

The longer we have bird feeders in our yard, the more experiences we all have of some degree of tameness among many of the wild birds. When we first hung thistle feeders, I could only approach to about 20 feet before all the gold finches were gone. Now, if I move slowly, I can approach thistle feeders to only a couple of feet and have the finches continue to feed. If I stand still for a few minutes, many finches will return to the feeder. Clearly, they have learned to tolerate my presence. There are many stories of wild birds showing extraordinary tameness in the presence of people.  In most cases, this is not because they desire contact with people themselves, but because humans make food and sometimes shelter available. When we are in the yard filling thistle feeders, tube feeders, suet feeders, etc. birds soon learn that we are providing a source of easy food. Certainly, some species are less fearful than others. Gulls at the beach and jays in campgrounds are good examples of birds that see humans as an easy source of food. In our yards, finches seem to be the easiest to approach, but hummingbirds will certainly confront a human who seems to be too close to the hummingbird feeders.

Many species of birds like to assume a strange position, spreading and fluffing their feathers to expose their plumage to the heat of the sun. Although this sometimes done on cool days, it seems to usually occur when a bird feels a rise in heat intensity. While they are sunning, birds often seem to go into a kind of trance, which allows us to approach much more closely than they usually allow. They seem to do this most often in areas they are familiar with, so watch for this behavior in the vicinity of your bird feeders. I see sunning birds most often on the ground below tube feeders. At first, I thought a sunning bird was sick for it was all fluffed up and just sitting there. As I approached it didn’t move until I was quite close. Then it was gone in a flash with clearly nothing wrong. I had just disturbed a relaxing sunning experience.

Bird watching from the comfort of your own home is an activity all homeowners should be able to enjoy.  However, sometimes it can be difficult attracting birds to your yard, and also attracting the kinds of birds that you want.  For example, those pesky squirrels are known for taking over bird feeders and discouraging birds from feeding, but you can deter squirrels with a squirrel baffle or a squirrel proof feeder.  You also want to recognize the kinds of birds that live in your area.  If you live in the Midwest, you might have an oriole feeder to attract orioles; however this wouldn’t work so well in the Northwest where orioles are quite rare. 

To view birds from your own home, you will want to place the bird feeders near the windows, and or consider a birdbath.  You might also think about window bird feeders for an frontal view. 

Thistle is one of many varieties of seed that different species of wild birds enjoy as part of their diet.  Thistle will attract all kinds of birds to a feeder; most birds that eat standard sunflower seeds will also enjoy thistle.  Thistle feeders are characterized by their unique feeding apparatuses which are small vertical slits that dispense the thistle seeds.  The thistle seed itself is much the object you would expect to fit through a slit; it’s a long cylindrical seed.  Though thistle feeders can’t often target a specific kind of bird, it is possible for birds that favor thistle to frequent your yard more often, and even to attract unique birds. 

Thistle feeders and thistle seed tend to be available at most stores that sell bird feeders or outdoor supplies.  If you’re having trouble finding a thistle feeder in your area, you might check online shops as well. 

Because they reduce light levels, clouds blocking the sun tend to diminish the dawn chorus of bird songs and hasten the end of the day songs. However, during the middle of the day there is much more activity around bird feeders as birds don’t need to seek shelter from the midday sun. During these colder times, it is very helpful to birds to offer suet, which is just fat, to supply extra energy. Our suet feeders are especially popular on cloudy cold days as birds stock up for the cold nights. Birds are quite tolerant of wind and rain unless it is an especially strong storm. Our suet feeders, tube feeders, hopper feeders and all other bird feeders are busy all day long on these cold winter days. It is important to continue filling bird feeders during these cold periods, for the birds we have drawn to our yards will immediately leave an empty feeder in search of a new food supply. We don’t want “our” birds moving to someone else’s full bird feeders!

When we have assorted bird feeders in our yards, we will occasionally find a dead bird or maybe even witness a killing. This is all part of the natural order our planet. The experts estimate that 50% of nestlings don’t make it to adulthood. Some fall out of nests, some are grabbed out of nests by bigger predators, etc. It is hard for us to see, but is it is part of the balance of nature. When birds are eating insects and mice, we are happy they are there to control those populations, but when we watch a hawk chasing a songbird we are unhappy, yet this is also part of that balance. Hawks have to eat too! Cats are another story entirely. Domestic cats kill for fun and account for millions of bird deaths each year. If we draw birds to our yards with bird feeders and bird baths, it is our responsibility to keep our cats indoors.

The more we know about migration schedules in our area, the better prepared we will be to observe a variety of species in our yards. During migration times, it is of course important to keep tube feeders filled with black oil sunflower seeds as this is the food of choice for a large variety of bird species, but also offering platform feeders and hopper feeders as well as hummingbird feeders is a good idea. The hordes of migrants arriving in the spring from tropical America begin to hit the Gulf coast and other southern borders by late March and usually peak in April. Peaks in the northern states and Canada are about a month later. This timing coincides with the increasing availability of insects. Generally, the trip back to winter grounds takes place on a more spread out schedule. Some species leave by midsummer while others may not head south until November although most are gone by late October. If we carefully observe these patterns in our own backyards, we can tailor the bird feeders we use and the foods we offer to the species we want to attract. During periods of high traffic, just tube feeders may not attract as many birds as you would like, so it is important to consider adding other types of feeders such as platform feeders to attract birds who feed at different levels.

Birds are almost always on the move which is why they find new bird feeders added to your yard so quickly. They are either moving around locally, between feeding, roosting, bathing and nesting, or migrating from nesting to wintering habitats. For people interested in observing birds, it is easy to take advantage of this bird movement by simply staying in one place. How perfect for all of us who enjoy feeding birds in our backyard! It is not at all uncommon to see more than 100 different species visit a backyard over time. This variety of species can be greatly enhanced by offering a variety of food in a variety of bird feeders such as tube feeders, platform feeders, suet feeders, hummingbird feeders, etc.

Bird feeding is a wonderful hobby and most of us are hooked as soon as we hang our first tube bird feeders. However, we must always consider our effect on birds and work to reduce disturbance. It is important to ensure that bird feeders, nest structures and bird baths are safe. Be sure to keep any seed dispensers, water and all food clean and free from decay or disease. Of course, it is very helpful to birds to keep feeding them during harsh weather. As you add tube bird feeders, platform feeders, hopper feeders and hummingbird feeders, please be sure that the birds are not in danger from predatory cats, dogs or other domestic animals. Be sure there are trees nearby to protect birds from hawks and other predators.