Birdfeeders

These two similar species are found in all regions of the United States in urban areas, parks, mixed woods and on low mountain slopes. They absolutely love small nyjer seeds so will be frequent visitors at thistle feeders which is the common name used for nyjer feeders. They are also frequent visitors to tube feeders that contain sunflower seeds. Because they are quite social birds, they are usually seen in groups or flocks of as many as 20 to 30 birds, often including siskins and gold finches. They also eat other seeds, fruits and berries. Drawing these finches to your yard can be the most entertaining if you also have an elevated bird bath filled with clean fresh water. They love drinking from bird baths, often many at a time. Splashing around in the water is also a common practice. While chattering away, they will spend lots of time going back and forth between bird baths and thistle feeders, pushing each other out of the way sometimes and then happily sharing at other times. They look very much alike and are often confused. The male house finch has a red head and upper breast with brownish back and sides. The female has uniform fine brownish streaks on the head and larger brown streaks on the belly and breast. The male purple finch has a red head, back and breast. The female has brown streaks and no red coloring.

It’s fairly easy to attract a flock of goldfinches to your yard. Thistle bird feeders are like a goldfinch magnet! These are tube feeders that are made of wire mesh instead of plastic tubes. The goldfinches just cling to the thistle bird feeder and pull out the tiny nyjer seeds. They are great fun to watch. As they are usually in a flock, you will have a large group of pretty yellow and black small birds that not only frequent thistle feeders, but are regularly seen at sunflower seed filled tube feeders. They are also frequent bathers, so will spend much time at an elevated bird bath. They are constantly moving, chattering and squabbling with one another. They seem to get along with most other birds, except are intimidated by the more aggressive jays. They are found in open areas with some trees and shrubbery available for cover. They are common in suburban areas, parks, gardens, wood edges, etc. Besides the seeds we offer in our bird feeders, goldfinches also eat other seeds, berries and insects.

There are a few different species of woodpeckers, but they all have common traits. They spend most of their time in trees looking for insects under the tree bark. Lucky for us, they also like suet and sunflower seeds. The pictured bird feeder is a perfect type for it is a combination suet feeder and seed feeder. Of course, using separate suet feeders and tube feeders would work just as well to lure woodpeckers out of the trees to your bird feeders. Woodpeckers are fairly common wherever there are large trees; in the woods, farmland or suburbs. They make their nests by excavating holes in trees. Some will even use a bird house.

The best beginning bird feeders are tube feeders. They are made of heavy duty plastic or glass tubes with a closed top and bottom with openings on the sides with mounted perches. The top opens for filling with seeds. Birds can land on the perches and pick seeds from the openings. The most important function of this feeder is that it goes a great job of keeping seed dry while providing an easy perch for feeding. Tube feeders can be hung from a hook on a tree branch, a stationary hook from a fence or deck railing, or mounted on a pole. If squirrels are a problem, there are squirrel proof hoods to hang above the tube feeder or baffles to put on the pole below the feeder. A tray can be attached to the bottom of tube feeders to catch discarded shells and offer extra perching room.

Before hanging tube feeders, consider these factors. Where do you spend most of your time in the house? Hang the tube feeder outside a window of a room the family spends significant time in for the best viewing. Birds need to be near cover so they have a close place to be protected from possible danger. It is best to hang bird feeders no more than 10-12 feet from a tree, shrubs, hedge, etc. If possible, position bird feeders in areas with some protection from wind, rain and flying snow. Experienced birders always say to serve black oil sunflower seeds. They are loved by many species and don’t have the waste that occurs with commercial mixes as birds pick through and throw aside seeds they don’t like.

Birds are easily attracted to fresh clean water. During most of the year, maintaining a bird bath is easy. Empty the bird bath daily, remove any debris, scrub if necessary (I use a wire brush and rarely have to scrub more than once a week) and refill. In the cold of the winter, it can be a bigger problem. If you are in an area with freezing temperatures, use a heater that is specially designed for bird baths (pictured is a popular model). They are safe for the birds and use very little electricity. Your feathered friends will really appreciate the constant source of water. Do not ever add antifreeze or anything else to keep the water from freezing. These chemicals are toxic and will certainly kill any birds who drink it.

Birds need plenty of water daily for feather care as well as to drink. Therefore, a great way to attract birds to your yard is with a bird bath. During very dry weather or when most water sources are frozen, water can become more important than food. Certainly a good choice is a pedestal heated bird bath, but this is not necessary. There are many inexpensive bird baths on the market, but there are many common containers that will work as well. The important features necessary are having a shallow bowl with a rough bottom so birds can stand securely. It only needs to hold about an inch of water in order to be a draw for finches, chickadees, robins, house sparrows and jays. A bird bath placed right on the ground will attract quail, mourning doves and other ground feeders.

It use to be that the most common way to feed birds was to simply scatter seeds and pieces of bread on the ground. This certainly works, but has some significant drawbacks. Seeds on the ground attract birds, but also attract mice, rats and other rodents. To keep food away from them, either scatter only enough seed for one day’s bird feeding, or better yet, use very low platform feeders. During wet weather, seeds that are directly on the ground will mold or sprout much faster than seeds in draining platform feeders. Also, not all birds will feed on the ground, but prefer higher locations. Hanging bird feeders will attract these species.

If you are trying to attract the beautiful bluebird for the first time, start in late winter or early spring. At this time, natural food is at a minimum so the possibility of success at platform feeders is the greatest. Bluebirds are quite fond of soft foods and absolutely adore peanut butter. It you simply mix some peanut butter with coarse cornmeal and offer it in platform feeders, this should attract any bluebirds in the area. You will also attract mockingbirds, chickadees, woodpeckers and nuthatches. If you would prefer to put this soft food in suet feeders, simply mix cornmeal, some suet or fat scraps and a helping of peanut butter. Use enough cornmeal to make the mixture thick enough to mold into a shape to put into the suet feeders. Also, if you feel the peanut butter mixture would make too much of a mess in platform feeders, simply put a clean styrofoam meat tray in the platform feeders to hold the peanut butter mixtures.

If you have been offering these favorite soft foods for a while during late winter or early spring and still no bluebirds arrive, they may not be in your area. They tend to frequent areas with open land nearby, so will probably not be found in the middle of a city. Even if there is a golf course nearby, they may find your treats.

It’s wonderful to have lots of birds visit your yard, but what fun to have them come right up to your window to feed. There are two types of window bird feeders. There are hummingbird feeders that attach to windows and also seed feeders. Because these feeders are held to the window by suction cups, they must be small and hold only small amounts of seed so they don’t get pulled off the window. The seed window bird feeders are the perfect size to host one or two goldfinches, pine siskins or other small birds. It’s thrilling to have them come that close. Once the local birds have found the first window bird feeder, try adding more feeders to the same window. Since they don’t hold much seed, this ensures a constant supply of seed and  filling is easier if the feeders are all in one location.

As summer is coming to an end, nesting season is over and the days start to shorten, goldfinches will stay together in a small family group. They will start spending more time again around  thistle bird feeders (nyjer seed). As fall migration begins, families join together until flocks can contain dozens to hundreds of birds. They will all be looking for food, so expect a large number of visitors to all thistle bird feeders. If the numbers visiting your yard becomes quite large, consider adding feeding stations, at least temporarily. These large flocks may be just passing through or stay for weeks. At some point, most will move on, but there will probably be some winter resident finches that stay year around. Of course, goldfinches love nyjer seed, but consider adding some less expensive alternatives that they also enjoy. Experiment with adding millet, flaxseed, cracked corn or even canary seed and see what else they enjoy.