Birdfeeders

In order to attract the most birds to our yards, it is important to have a variety of trees and shrubs near our bird feeders. These not only offer safe havens from predators, but also offer nesting sites. Once a pair of birds has mated, choosing a place to lay the eggs becomes a high priority. Either or both partners may take on this responsibility, depending on the species, but usually it is the duty of the female. Some birds return to a previously used nest site, but most look around for the best possible site. This shopping around usually takes no more than a few days so if we offer good choices as well as a good source of food and water, we are quite likely to have regular visitors to our bird feeders. By offering different food at different levels, such as platform feeders, hummingbird feeders, hopper feeders and oriole feeders, we greatly increase our chances to have a wonderful variety of birds return again and again.

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.

Migration is truly a spectacular aspect of bird behavior. In North America, about 80% of about 650 species are involved in migrating. This can be observed anywhere from the Arctic to the tropics, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. There are as many variations im routes, timing and techniques as there are migratory species. Almost everything we know about bird migration has been learned in the past 150 years. Modern techniques such as banding have certainly helped to collect data but birders have also gathered large amounts of information. There are many counts conducted throughout the year and people with backyard bird feeders have gathered much useful data. As we draw birds to our tube feeders, suet feeders, platform feeders, etc. we are presented with the ability to add to the knowledge of how birds behave. We witness arrivals, departures, summer and winter quarters and many species en route. Our bird feeders give us the opportunity to participate in annual counts that help scientists piece together bird patterns. Still, our knowledge of bird migration is far from comprehensive, and new insights are gained constantly be birdwatchers as well as by professional ornithologists.

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.

Now you are keeping records of the birds visiting your yard and when they are visiting, but are there birds in the area that have not been drawn to your yard? How to know and then draw them in? The best thing to do is visit your local park and just sit down and watch. Are you seeing an abundance of ground feeders? Well, maybe platform feeders should be a more dominating presence in your yard. Are there lots of birds in the water? The addition of bird baths would certainly entice some of them to your yard. It’s always fun to add different types of bird feeders and bird baths and see how the visiting population in your yard changes.

As we add to our bird feeders in the yard - after that first tube feeder, maybe you have added hopper feeders or platform feeders, we start noticing the wide variety of birds coming into the yard. When this first happened in our yard, I started marking in my guide which birds I had seen in the yard. This worked for a while, but then I realized that I wanted to save more information. Now I have a notebook where I can record detailed information such as arrival and departure dates of migrating species, when the greatest number of a species seems to be present, when the nest building begins, etc. This is fun because now you can compare from one year to the next. It also helps with specialty feeders. Now I know when to hang the Oriole feeder and when to take it down, when birds are most drawn to suet feeders, etc.

As soon as the first tube bird feeders go up in the backyard, birds will begin to congregate in your yard. When we put out our first tube feeders, we were quite excited to see so many birds coming to our yard, but could only identify a few. First I bought a field guide for our area and got out the binoculars. Now I can stand in the kitchen looking out the window with my binoculars and easily identify most of our visitors. But how to begin this process for there are so many birds in the field guide? Start by looking for features of shape, size, posture, coloring and even posture. This will help you place a bird in the correct family and the number of possibilities is greatly reduced. Then you need to only consider the members of the family that are likely to be in your area at this time of the year. If you are looking at a group of small birds with yellow breasts that are hanging on a nyjer tube feeder, you can be quite certain they are gold finches. There are other species that are a similar size, but have different feeding habits and coloring.

Bird counts are special events where birders get together and count all the birds they can find in a particular place. One of the most popular bird counts is the Christmas Count, which takes place every year around December 25. In the United States and Canada, there are more than 40,000 people participating. Christmas Counts are held in the same places each year, in circular areas 15 miles wide. These areas are called count circles. Usually, people are in groups of about four and each group covers a small part of its circle. At the end of the day, the number of birds and species are tallied and compared to other year’s numbers, including weather information. If you are lucky enough to live inside one of these circles, you can participate in the count in your own yard. Having tube feeders, hopper feeders, platform feeders, etc. up all year will ensure a population in your yard during the Christmas Count. Contact a neighborhood birding club or local chapter of the Audubon Society to locate a count circle in your area.

It’s quite important to have all tube bird feeders, platform feeders, hopper feeders, hummingbird feeders, etc. cleaned, filled and ready to accept guests in the early spring. Usually, the males of each species migrate to the nesting areas before the females arrive. The males select a general territory where the nest will be built and later the female picks the exact location. When the male stakes out his territory, he drives out all other males of his species as he waits for the females to arrive. When they arrive, the courtship begins. The male needs to convince one female to accept his territory. He does this in a variety of ways, depending on species. Displaying feathers, singing and behaving very conspicuously is the usual. Of course, all of this activity is quite entertaining to watch, so drawing these males to our bird feeders is a must in the spring. The male will attack other males who enter his territory. If he is unsuccessful and is driven off by a stonger male, the female will accept the new stronger male.