Wild bird feeders

The U.S. National Audubon Society estimates one third of the adult population feeds wild birds*. If you're one of those who do, selecting the right feeder type and feeder placement will ensure you'll have hours of bird-watching to enjoy. And don't worry, feeding birds in winter won't make them dependent on human care*.

Type of feeder

Before selectinga wild bird feeder, know what species are in your area. Exactly what and how birds eat varies by species. Birds are attracted by different kinds of foods, ranging from seeds, to nectar, mealworms or fruit, each with its specialized feeder. The size of the holes in a feeder and the length can attract some species and keep others away.

See a list of wild bird feeder types

Feeder Placement

Location of the feeder makes the difference between attracting birds or not. Place the feeder near the kinds of cover into which birds can escape from cat, hawks, or other predators. Without some cover, birds may avoid the feeder altogether. However, keep the feeder at least five feet off the ground and ten feet from the nearest shrub, to give birds a chance to flee in the event of a cat attack. Secondly, make sure you'll be able to see the feeder. The second consideration is to place feeders close to windows where you can have a good view of them. Avoid placing it beside a window, though, as birds may fly into the glass.

Hygiene

Because birds can be messy eaters and seeds and droppings make a source of infection. Ideally, the bird feeder should be cleaned and disinfected weekly. First, scrub the feeder with a soap solution. Then mix one part chlorine household bleach with nine parts water. Rinsed or even better soaked for 10 minutes in this solution. Large feeder can be spray, but cover all the small corners. Then rinse your bird feeder and let it dry thoroughly, especially wooden structures.

Damp seeds and debris under feeders is a breeding ground for fungus that birds can inhale. If the ground under your feeder is planted, use a broom or rake to turn the earth. Paved ground can be vacuumed or rinsed down with a bleach solution.

Bird feeders to make

Building bird feeders not only saves money and recycles, it's a simple way to involve kids in gardening. A pine cone can be "painted" with peanut butter or suet, rolled in seed, and hung on a tree. A orange half can also attract birds. To make a string feeders, use heavy-duty string or twine with a needle to string popcorn, cranberries, raisins, and even bread cubes. Wind the string through tree branches or shrubs or around a railing. A soda bottle or plastic milk carton can also work well. Punch two holes through the top of the bottle and thread a string through it to make a hanger. Then simply cut out the front of the bottle and fill the bottom with seed.

Types of Wild Bird Feeders

• Hopper Feeder
  Hopper feeders are the most common type of bird feeder, usually made in the shape of a house or barn. These can provide dry storage for several pounds of mixed seed, which falls forward into an open tray as needed. Hopper feeders attract both smaller species and larger birds as jays, cardinals, grackles, and red-winged blackbirds. Ideally, these feeders should be mounted on a pole about five feet off the ground. For best results, use a hopper feeder that can be completely disassembled for cleaning.

• Ground-feeding table
  This feeder is a tray (usually wooden) with a bottom of stainless steel mesh that prevents prevent droppings from coming into contact with the seeds and also prevents water from pooling in the feeder. There are also models with covers to keep the snow off and/or surrounded in wire mesh to keep squirrels and larger birds away. Ground feeders attract sparrows, towhees, goldfinches, doves, cardinals, and juncos, among others.

• Tube feeders
  A clear tube filled with mixed seed is one of the simplest and best general-purpose feeders for small wild birds such as chickadees, nuthatches, fiches, titmice, and siskins. If want to feed larder birds, most tube feeders have holes large enough to accomodate sunflower seeds, as well. Be sure to select a model with metal around the seed dispensers to keep out squirrels and house sparrows.

• Suet Feeder
  Suet (beef or lamb fat) is a favorite food of titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers, but wrens, creepers, and warblers also enjoy it. Chunks of suet can be hung from trees in mesh bags like those used for onions, in small hardware-cloth baskets, or in a cage feeder made specifically for the purpose. Suet can also be made by grinding and melting suet and adding seeds. Suet pudding, or a blend of peanut butter and cornmeal, can be spread on pinecones or put into one-inch-wide holes drilled into logs. Hang the pinecones from trees, from poles near other feeders, or from a wire or twine stretched between trees. Avoid feeding suet in hot weather as suet will go rancid and make birds ill or drip onto their feathers.

• Thistle Feeder
  Specifically designed to dispense thistle seed (different from the garden weed) these feeders have tiny holes that make the seed available only to small-beaked finches such as goldfinches, redpolls, and pine siskins. Avoid thistle-seed bags, though, as squirrels can tear them. Hang your thistle feeder from a tree or place it on a five-foot pole to protect it from squirrels.

  Bird-friendly Landscaping

  Providing wild bird feeders is just one part of helping out wild birds. Improving backyard wildlife habitat through landscaping that provides food, shelter, and nesting space for a wider variety of birds, however, is even more helpful. For information on how to create a bird-friendly garden, visit BLI's Native Bird Gardens. For tips on selecting a bird bath for your garden, visit Bird baths

  *From The Winter Banquet by Steven Kress published in Audubon Magazine of January-February 2000.