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Bird Feeding 101Everything You Ever Wanted

To Know About Feeding Birds

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Close your eyes for a moment and picture this –a white carpet of new, soft, sparkling snow... a red

cedar, hopper bird feeder loaded with black oil sunflowerseeds and mounted on a wood post with a white “tophat"... and moving, brightly colored objects zooming in

and out of your “picture."

This work of art is bird feeding at its finest!

Backyard bird feeding is aconvenient way to enjoy

wildlife. According to a recentCensus Report, over 63 millionAmericans, young and old, feed,watch, or photograph wildlife.And, they spend $29 billionannually doing it.

What has made watchingbirds the fastest growing hobbyin the country, second only togardening. Whatever it is,watching birds, like watching fishor other animals, seems tomake people feel good.

How do our feeding “hand-outs" affect the birds. Littleresearch has been done on thatquestion. But we do know thatsome birds – cardinals,mockingbirds, and tuftedtitmice – have extended theirwinter range northward, perhapsbecause of an increasedavailability of food at feedingstations.

There is no indication, however,that backyard bird feeding hashad a negative affect on wildbird populations as a whole.

Backyard bird feeding can,however, have an adverse effecton an individual bird. There maybe a higher incidence of diseaseand birds injured by flying intowindows. But, you can takeprecautions to minimize theseproblems.

How to StartNo matter where you live, you

can put food outside your door,and some creature, feathered orfurred, will show its appreciation

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and make an appearance.That’s all it takes. Once youget started, it’s hard to stop.

Before you know it, you’relearning bird names. Afterawhile, you’ll start torecognize individuals and themessages in their behaviorand song.

When you get to the pointwhere you want to attract and“keep" a particular species,what you do will be determinedby where you live and the timeof year.

In the long run, a squirrel-proof feeder or any feeder on apole with a baffle is the leastaggravating solution. Themost effective squirrel-prooffeeder is the pole-mountedmetal “hopper" type.

If you must hang a feeder,select a tube protected withmetal mesh. Most plastic“squirrel-proof" feeders,despite manufacturers’claims, may eventuallysuccumb to rodent teeth.

If you have the “right"situation in your yard, a polewith a baffle should suffice.Any wood or plastic feeder canbe effective when mounted ona pole with a plastic or metalbaffle, if the pole is at least 10feet or more from a tree limbor trunk.

Once you’ve determinedwhere you’re going to put yourfeeder, you’re ready to goshopping. In addition to goodlooks, think about...

s How durable is it.

s Will it keep the seeds dry.

s How easy is it to clean.

s How much seed will it hold.

s How many birds will it feedat one time.

s Which species will use it.

DurabilityThere seems to be no end to

the material used in making birdfeeders. You can buy“disposable" plastic bagfeeders; feeders made of cloth,nylon, vinyl, and metal netting;clear, lexan, colored and PVCplastic tubes; ceramic andterra cotta; redwood, westerncedar, birch, pine, and plywood;sheet metal and aluminizedsteel; glass tubes and bottles.

How long a feeder lastsdepends on how much effort youput into maintaining it, theeffects of weather, and whethersquirrels can get to it.

Dry SeedsWater can get into any feeder

– regardless of how careful youare to protect it. Seed will spoilwhen it gets damp or wet. Cloth,vinyl, nylon, and metal nettingfeeders are inexpensive, butthey do not protect your seed.You can improve them by addinga plastic dome.

Most wood, plastic, ceramic,and solid metal feeders will keepseed dry, but water can get into

the feeding portals. Look forfeeders with drainage holes inthe bottoms of both the feederhopper and the seed tray.

Even bowl-type feeders andtrays with drainage holes willclog with seed and birddroppings. Add rainwater andyou have an unhealthy broth.Look for shallow plate-like seedtrays. The purpose of a tray isto catch dropped seeds whileallowing spent seed shells toblow away.

CleaningAny zookeeper and cage bird

owner will tell you, when you feedbirds in a confined area, youhave to expect bird droppings,feathers, an occasional insector two, and left-over food mess.

While you don’t have to washthe feeder daily, you shouldclean it regularly.

Diseases like salmonella cangrow in moldy, wet seed and birddroppings in your feeder trayand on the ground below. It’s agood idea to move your feeders(just a foot or so) each seasonto give the ground underneathtime to assimilate the seeddebris and bird droppings.

Keeping your feeders cleanshould not become a majorundertaking. The degree ofmaintenance required is directlyrelated to the types of birdsyou want to attract.

A thistle feeder forgoldfinches should be cleanedabout once a month depending

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on how often it rains. Feedinghummingbirds requires cleaningat the very least, weekly,preferably more often – two orthree times a week. Sunflowerand suet feeders may need to becleaned only once a month.

Feeders made of plastic,ceramic, and glass are easy toclean. Wash them in a bucket ofhot, soapy water fortified with acapful or two of chlorine bleach,then give them a run throughyour dishwasher.

Use the same regimen withwood feeders, but substituteanother disinfectant for thebleach so your wood won’t fade.

Food CapacityThe ideal feeder capacity varies

with your situation, and thetypes of birds you want toattract.

If you feed hummingbirds, bigfeeders are not always better.One hummingbird will drink abouttwice its body weight (less thanan ounce) each day.

Early in the season, hummersare territorial and won’t share afeeder. A 16-ounce feeder can bewasteful, or indeed lethal,because artificial nectar (sugarwater) can ferment in the hotsummer sun.

If you see only one hummer inyour yard, a two-ounce feeder ismore than enough. On the otherhand, if you live in the Southwest,and have 34 hummers in youryard, a 16-ounce feeder may notbe big enough.

If you opt for a large volumeseed feeder, be sure to protectit from the weather and keep itclean. If, after months of use,the birds suddenly abandonyour feeder full of seed, it’s timefor a cleaning.

How Many Birds.If too many birds at your

feeder becomes a problem, youcan control their numbers byputting out smaller amounts ofseed, by using specialty seeds,or by using restrictive feeders.

If you fill your feeder only whenit’s empty, the birds will look forfood elsewhere. They’ll return aslong as you continue to fill it.

You can virtually eliminatevisits by birds you’d rather notsee by offering seeds they won’teat. Be selective in your choiceof seeds.

If you use more than onetype of seed, put them inseparate feeders. This willreduce wasted seeds, as birdswill toss unwanted seeds out ofa feeder to get to theirfavorites.

Birds that visit your feederhave very specific preferences.Most prefer sunflower. Someprefer millet. A few preferpeanuts. None seem to preferthe other grains used in themixes: corn, milo, red millet,oats, wheat, and canary seed.

If you want to feed onlycardinals, doves, and white-throated sparrows, switch fromblack oil sunflower to safflower.

If you want only finches andan occasional dove and white-throated sparrow, try nigerthistle.

If you want only jays,titmice, and white-throatedsparrows, try peanuts.

Another way to discourageunwanted birds is to usespecialty feeders that, forthe most part, allow only“select" birds to feed.

The most non-selectivefeeders are the tray,platform, or hopper feeders.

You can encourage smallbirds with feeders thatrestrict access. Woodfeeders with vertical bars andfeeders covered with wiremesh frustrate the largerbirds.

Tube feeders without traysalso restrict access to smallbirds. Remove the perches,and you’ve further selectedonly those birds capable ofclinging – finches, chickadees,titmice, and woodpeckers.

Add vertical perches totube thistle feeders, andyou’ll limit accessibilityprimarily to the goldfinches.

If starlings are a problemat your suet feeder, you candiscourage them by using asuet feeder with access onlyat the bottom. Starlings arereluctant to perch upsidedown. Chickadees andwoodpeckers don’t find thata problem.

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Species VarietyThe species you attract is

determined primarily by theseeds you offer.

Black oil sunflower is thehands-down favorite of all thebirds that visit tube and housetype feeders. White proso milletis favored by birds who visitplatform feeders (doves andsparrows). Ducks, geese, andquail will eat corn.

Many of the cereal grains(corn, milo, oats, canary, wheat,rape, flax, and buckwheat) inmixed bird seeds are NOTfavorites of birds that visittube feeders.

Watch a feeder filled with aseed mix and you’ll see the birdsmethodically drop or kick outmost of the seeds to get totheir favorite – sunflower. Birdswill also kick out artificial“berry" pellets, processed seedflavored and colored to look like“real" fruit.

If I Stop Feeding, What Will Happen.Some people don’t feed birds because they are concerned that

the birds will become dependent on the feeders for survival and ifthey stop, the birds will starve to death.

Normally, this is not true. Feeders serve as supplements tonatural food sources, not replacements. Birds that visit feedersdevelop a routine or pattern of visiting feeders. If your feeder isempty on a particular day, they simply go on to the next. If yourfeeder remains empty for a long period of time, they may quitcoming at all.

The exception to this is when there are snow storms, ice storms,and periods of severe, prolonged cold – birds then need food badly.Your feeder can make a difference in the birds survival.

Seeds that wind up on theground are likely to becontaminated by dampness andbird droppings. If the birds don’teat them, rodents will.

The most effective way toattract the largest variety ofbirds to your yard is to put outseparate feeders for each food:

s Starling-resistant suetfeeder

s Hopper feeder for sunflower

s Bluebird feeder

s Wire mesh cage feeder forpeanuts

s Nectar feeder

s Tube feeder for thistle

s Stationary or tray fruitfeeder

s Hopper or platform feederfor millet

This article was written byThomas D. Patrick, President and

Founder of the WindStar WildlifeInstitute, a national, non-profitconservation organization whosemission is to help individuals andfamilies establish or improve the

wildlife habitat on their properties.

For more information or for thename of a Master Wildlife Habitat

Naturalist in your area, pleasecontact:

WindStar Wildlife Institute

E-mail: wildalife@windstar.orghttp://www.windstar.org