While you are patiently awaiting the nesting season to begin here are some specific feeders with specific food for specific birds!!!
*Have your kids help- They can choose the bird they want to see, then as a family buy or build the feeder. Finally let them fill the feeder with food.
All of this information came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Build a birdfeeder…Save a bird =)
*TUBE FEEDER WITH BLACK OIL SUNFLOWER
goldfinches chickadees
woodpeckers nuthatches
titmice redpolls, pine siskins
*ADDING A TRAY TO THE TUBE FEEDER WILL ALSO ATTRACT
cardinals jays
crossbills purple finches
white-throated sparrow house finches
white-crowned sparrows
*TRAY OR PLATFORM FEEDER — WITH MILLET
doves house sparrows
blackbirds juncos
cowbirds towhees
white-throated sparrows tree sparrows
white-crowned sparrows chipping sparrows
*TRAY OR PLATFORM FEEDER — WITH CORN
starlings house sparrows
grackles jays
juncos bobwhite quail
doves ring-necked pheasants
white-throated sparrows
*PLATFORM FEEDER OR TUBE FEEDER AND TRAY — with PEANUTS
cardinals chickadees
grackles house finches
titmice house sparrows
sparrows starlings
mourning doves white-throated sparrows
jays juncos
*NIGER THISTLE FEEDER WITH TRAY
goldfinches house finches
purple finches redpolls
pine siskins doves
chickadees song sparrows
dark-eyed juncos white-throated sparrows
*NECTAR FEEDER
hummingbirds orioles
cardinals tanagers
woodpeckers finches
thrushes
*FRUIT
orioles tanagers
mockingbirds bluebirds
thrashers cardinals
woodpeckers jays
starlings thrushes
cedar waxwings yellow-breasted chats
*HANGING SUET FEEDER
woodpeckers wrens
chickadees nuthatches
kinglets thrashers
creepers cardinals
starlings
*PEANUT BUTTER SUET
woodpeckers goldfinches
juncos cardinals
thrushes jays
kinglets bluebirds
wrens starlings
*HANGING PEANUT FEEDER
woodpeckers
chickadees
titmice
Here are some things to think about when you are getting ready to feed the birds. An FYI: most of my information came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Selecting a bird feeder:
Do you want to buy a feeder or make one- this can be as simple as throwing bread crumbs out
on your back patio to actually busting out the circular saw and making one that can hang from your maple tree to laying out some cash for the super duper squirrel zapping feeder =) Just kidding about the zapping part. It is better to use a feeder since food left on the ground is subject to mold and bacteria and other unseen things.
When you are picking a feeder its best to consider placement 1st. Where can you watch the birds easiest? Where would you most likely refill the feeder? Where are you ok with a mess? Is the area mostly squirrel proof?
Now that you know where you will put the feeder the next step is buying or making.
**Ask these questions before getting your bird feeder: Is it durable? Will it keep seeds dry? Is it easy to clean(my most important qualifier)? How much food will it hold(meaning how long before I have to get off my butt to refill it)? How many birds can it hold? And is species specific?
Durability: You can buy “disposable” plastic bag feeders; feeders made of cloth, nylon, vinyl and metal netting; clear, lexan, colored and PVC plastic tubes; ceramic and terra cotta; redwood, western cedar, birch, pine and plywood; sheet metal and aluminized steel; glass tubes and bottles. There seems to be no end to the type of materials used to make feeders. Pick one you like and that is safe for the birds!!
Keeping seeds dry: water gets into almost all feeders. Remember seed will spoil so check your feeder after rainstorms. You can improve the likelyhood of keeping your seed dry by adding a plastic dome to your feeder(which can also help deter those pesky squirrels). Also look for feeders that have drainage holes.
Cleaning the feeder: Remember with a bird feeder come birds that leave behind feathers and droppings!! A thistle feeder for goldfinches should be cleaned about once a month. Hummingbirds feeders requires cleaning two or three times a week. Sunflower and suet feeders may need to be cleaned only once a month. Use hot soapy water and let it sit if its plastic, ceramic or glass. Wood feeders need to be cleaned too. Otherwise use your eyes, if you wouldn’t give it to your pet bird it’s probably time to clean it out. I like easy!!
Food capacity: This is important to me(I can be somewhat lazy in the refill arena). The bigger the better exceptbeware that large volume feeders can lead to a waste of seed if it rains alot.
Number of birds & species: This is in your control. You can put out small amounts of seed, put out specialized seed or use restrictive feeders. If you use more than one type of seed, put them in separate feeders. Most birds prefer black oil sunflower. If you want to feed only cardinals, doves and white-throated sparrows, switch to safflower. If you want only finches, doves and white-throated sparrows, try niger thistle. If you want only jays, titmice and white-throated sparrows, try peanuts. The most non-selective feeders are the tray, platform or house feeders. Tube feeders with wire mesh are good for small birds. Remove the perches and only birds that can cling will feed.
So now that you are armed with the basics of choosing a bird feeder now we can temporarily change my slogan to Build a bird feeder… Save a bird =)
