Birdfeeders

It’s too bad that many people don’t want to feed birds because they have heard “urban legends”. There are two frequently told that have been scientifically proven wrong. First, feeding birds makes them dependent on bird feeders so they don’t search for natural food. This is just silly. Birds are always looking for feeding opportunities, so they love bird feeders, but studies have shown that in fact, birds only get about 25% of their food from bird feeders. There are many natural sources which furnish foods they love. Even during the winter, birds will manage without the help of bird feeders. The other urban legend that drives me crazy is that birds won’t migrate if we keep feeding them. Birds migrate based on the hours of daylight, the weather and their own instincts, not based on the availability of bird feeders! Actually, full bird feeders assist migrating birds who can use a stopping off place with easily accessible food before continuing on their long journeys.

I just put up a new coppertop bird feeder in a new location in our yard. It’s a really pretty feeder so I wanted it in a location to be easily seen from the family room. I filled it with just black oil sunflower seeds to try to attract as many species as possible. What bird would be the first to be brave enough to approach the new coppertop bird feeder and how long would it take? I wasn’t surprised when the first visitor was a blue jay for they are always the bravest and most curious about new things in the yard. However, I was surprised that within a couple of hours I had 2 jays visiting the new bird feeder! I’m sure it now won’t take long for many other species to follow the lead of the jays.

Feeding birds during the summer allows many species to be comfortable in your yard. In the fall, migrating birds will also be attracted by all the activity. Our platform feeder allows us to offer many types of food during the fall to draw in as many migrators as possible. You never know what species may drop by! We keep the platform feeder stocked with a variety of bird seed, but mostly millet and black oil sunflower seeds. Also we add an assortment of nuts and fruits, as well as leftover bread, bagels, cake, etc. Other treats to offer include mealworms and suet.

During the summer we have to work a little harder to attract birds to our yard for there is so much natural food available - weed seeds, insects, wild berries, etc. We have found that a platform feeder is the perfect summer feeder for many reasons. It is easy for birds to see so they will find it faster. Also, it is the perfect choice for offering extra treats to draw birds. We regularly add pieces of fruit, berries, nuts, etc. to coax the local birds in. It doesn’t take long for them to discover this source of food. Our platform feeder use to be hanging, but we have moved it to the ground, out in the open to avoid preying cats. Now it is visited by quail and mourning doves as well as towhees, juncos, titmice, finches, jays, sparrows, etc. By having it on the ground, any leftovers at the end of the day disappear during the night so the platform feeder doesn’t need cleaning as often!

Squirrel proof bird feeders are getting more sophisticated, as well as more entertaining, all the time. There are many styles that react to a squirrel’s weight and start spinning them off or collapse the bottom to drop them off, or simply close the seed ports. There are also squirrel proof bird feeders that simply have a cage that completely surrounds the bird feeder so squirrels cannot get in, but song birds can. Picking the right one for your yard is really a personal decision based on appearance, placement of the feeder and what kinds of birds you want to attract. I personally love the Yankee Flipper (pictured) which has a battery powered motor that flips the feeder’s perch to send a squirrel flying.

I have always wanted to hand feed chickadees and goldfinches, but it takes lots of time and patience. I have learned of a solution! The common method is to sit quietly a few yards from your tube bird feeder filled with black oil sunflower seeds for as long as you can. Do this daily and as the birds get use to you being there, move your chair closer and closer and have a container of sunflower seeds in your lap. Eventually, you should be able to draw the birds to you. I’m sure this works, but who has the time or the patience? A much easier method exists. Put together a scarecrow, but dress it in a coat, large cape, whatever will also fit you. Add a large hat that can also shade your face fairly well. Construct “hands” to hold a container filled with sunflower seeds. Put your “doll” out near the tube bird feeder and make sure it is always offering sunflower seeds. Eventually, the chickadees will discover the new source of nonthreatening food and happily feed from your creation. Now, all you have to do is replace the doll with yourself by putting on the coat and hat, hold the container of sunflower seeds and quietly take up the same position. Simple and effective! I’m building mine this weekend!

I keep one tube bird feeder full of unshelled peanuts which draws woodpeckers, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, etc. I decided to experiment with other nuts to see what birds would eat. So far, they are showing no interest in walnuts, almonds or cashews. Our peanut feeder is designed only for clinging birds to keep the jays from dominating this tube bird feeder so my experiment is only testing a few species. However, peanuts are cheap and seem to be the most popular, so that’s what I will stick with.

There seems to be constant conflict about whether cats should be kept indoors or allowed to roam freely. The believers of keeping cats indoors (including me) feel the cats are healthier and safer and will live a longer life. On the other side, people believe cats were meant to have a free roaming life. Unfortunately, roaming cats are responsible for killing millions of birds, especially grassland birds. A good friend of mine has found the perfect solution to keeping her indoor cat happy and entertained. She has both a tube feeder and a hummingbird feeder hung right outside a window. It didn’t take birds long at all to get use to the cat right on the other side of the window and the cat enjoys hours of bird watching! Not only are birds happily feeding at the tube feeder and hummingbird feeder, there is now a hummingbird nest in the bush near the window, spotted by the cat before my friend saw it. Birds, cat and humans are all winners here.

The Mourning Dove is one of the most common birds to be seen visiting our platform feeders. They are ground feeders that are commonly seen in rural, suburban and urban areas throughout most of the United States. They have managed to discover our hanging platform feeder and, with a little practice, can even balance on it two at a time! Unfortunately, more Mourning Doves are shot in the U.S. than all other migrating gamebirds combined. Non-hunting mortality is also quite high every winter, so it is thought that half of the Mourning Dove population dies each year. During the hot months, they require four times as much water as in winter, so our platform feeders and bird baths are important to this species.

The best reason to try to keep squirrels out of bird feeders is that they can eat their weight in seed in less than a week! They can jump 6 feet up and at least 8-10 feet straight across and can run as fast as 20 mph. A squirrel’s front teeth are designed for gnawing and eating and actually grow 6 inches per year and are worn down by activity. This is why the best squirrel proof bird feeders have sturdy construction and are usually made of metal. They offer a variety of methods to foil a squirrel’s attempt to get to the bird seed. Some have cages that only small birds can get through and some of the squirrel proof bird feeders are designed to be entertaining for us as well. Watching a bird feeder spin until the squirrel flies off always brings a smile to watching faces!