Birdfeeders

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!

The Goldfinch lives in virtually all parts of the U.S. and is a regular visitor to thistle bird feeders. At this time of the year, they are especially attractive in their breeding attire. The males are a bright lemon color with a black cap and the females are also gold, although a less brilliant color. In the fall, they molt and become a brownish or grayish color. They are among the few species of birds that actually molt twice a year. They love the tiny seed called nyjer which is best served in a specialized feeder that is built to dispense this seed without wasting much. The Goldfinch is unlike most other birds for it eats only seeds. It even feeds its young partially digested seeds. Having a thistle bird feeder and a bird bath in the yard is a recipe for a yard full of finches!

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.

Chickadees are frequent visitors to backyards and are often the first to discover a new tube feeder. They are easy to identify because they all have black caps and bibs. They will also easily build their nest in a bird house that is placed near a wooded area. The fledglings look just like the adults, complete with caps and bibs. Chickadees are great fun to watch so keep an eye on your tube feeder. In most areas of the U.S. they are very common.

Hummingbird feeders are easy to maintain and so many people have them, but hummingbirds still need lots of help. Dozens of hummingbird species are vulnerable to habitat loss. If these birds become threatened, their ecological niche as plant pollinators can suffer. Happily, we can all take steps to help protect hummers. The easiest thing to do is have hummingbird feeders in your yard. We keep ours up all year for they are visited by migrating birds as well as the locals. The next important help we can give is to plant plants that attract hummingbirds. Native flowers offer nutrition that the hummers are familiar with. Probably the most important contribution we can make to their survival is to avoid the use of insecticides. Hummingbirds need to eat dozens of insects every day to get enough protein in their diets. While feeding their young in the spring, they need to collect even more insects to feed them.

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.

Downy Woodpeckers are known to be among the most widespread species at suet bird feeders in North America. The suet is quite similar to their favorite natural food which is beetle larvae. They do eat a wide variety of other animal and vegetable foods, so don’t be surprised to see them visit a tube feeder for a sunflower seed or chip of cracked corn. During the winter, the Downy Woodpeckers may visit your suet bird feeders in pairs or as individuals. However, in the spring, they will be visiting almost always in pairs. Downey Woodpeckers are so common in North America that they visit over 90% of suet bird feeders in some areas and visit feeders all year long in many areas, particularly in the eastern half of the U.S.

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.