Winter 2001

By Bob and Karen Fisher

Never fed birds before? Be patient — a month may pass before birds appear regularly. To increase species variety, provide several different types of seed in a variety of feeders scattered at various locations.

It's a myth that you can't stop feeding once you've started. Birds adapt well to changes in food supplies and will move around to find new sources. But in an extreme winter cold spell with heavy snow cover you might want to recruit your neighbor to keep the feeders filled while you’re basking in a tropical sun.

Locate pole feeders 8 to 10 feet from trees if you can. Use a large diameter, tubular sleeve (the least expensive choice is 4-inch diameter PVC pipe available at hardware and home centers) over the pole to prevent squirrels and raccoons from climbing; their claws slip on the smooth surface. Cover the tube at the top with a plastic baffle to prevent birds from getting trapped down inside the pipe. Some pole assemblies now give you the ability to hang several feeders from one pole. This is a great way to draw a larger variety of birds to one viewing area. If you hang feeders from a tree, use a long S-shaped hanging hook, and a large deep dome baffle over the feeder. Trim any branches squirrels can use to jump on the feeder.

Squirrels and raccoons are nest predators and are upsetting the balance of healthy ecosystems, so try not to feed them.

Birds require nearby shrubs or trees to dart to safety from a sharp-shinned or Cooper’s hawk attack, but it’s important to make sure cats can’t hide under those bushes within pouncing distance. Use a 12- to 14-inch high chicken-wire barrier around or under these plants. A stalking cat must jump this barrier, usually alerting the birds to its presence. (If neighbors have cats that are routinely outdoors, you may choose to not feed the birds. Feeder birds are easy prey for cats, and it’s very difficult to protect them from sneak attacks, even with these precautions.) Remember, our native hawks are natural predators, to which our feeder birds have developed defenses over the millennia. But feral cats are not native, so birds are very vulnerable.

Empty seed hulls are a nuisance. If you clean regularly, seed debris won’t kill the grass, but an easier way is to clear a circular area under a feeder, and mulch it with wood or bark chips. Some birds, like fox sparrows, just love to scratch through the mulch with their feet to find those hidden seeds.

Black oil sunflower attracts tufted titmice, northern cardinals, blue jays, black-capped chickadees, goldfinches, and various woodpeckers. Use tube feeders; those with a 1-inch mesh cage around the tube allow smaller birds like chickadees to enter, restricting the larger birds.

Nyger (aka thistle, but not the prickly thistle that is a gardener’s pest!) requires special tube feeders with very small slit openings; fine mesh bags work well also. Providing nyger attracts goldfinches, house finches, pine siskins (when they invade from up north every other winter), and common redpolls. Buy small quantities of this seed at first until these species begin coming. Shake the feeder every day, as the small slits in the tube will clog with the debris in the seed. If house finches hog these feeders, try using the upside-down style tube. Most house finches dislike hanging upside down to feed, whereas the goldfinches love it.

Suet cakes placed in special baskets attract woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. Buying animal lard (available in tubs in the cooking oil section at the supermarket) and spreading it on the sides of a tree in the cracks in the bark readily draws this group of birds; it's more natural for these birds to cling when they eat.

Nuthatches, chickadees, and downy woodpeckers also love peanut butter. Try packing peanut butter (mixed with a little corn meal) into the crevices between the scales of a large pine cone and suspending it from a branch using a thin wire. Chickadees will often hover like hummingbirds, picking off bits of peanut butter from the pinecone.

Birdbaths or other water sources are bird magnets. In the winter, water is important. Use a heated bird bath or use a small thermostatically controlled heater that can be immersed in your present birdbath. Don’t forget to change the water frequently and periodically scrub the container. Otherwise outbreaks of avian illnesses can occur. Ground areas should be swept and the dropped seed and hulls discarded. Feeders should be scrubbed at least once a month, perches and all, with a mild bleach and water solution. Rinse thoroughly to get all the bleach residue out and dry completely before using them again. Store the seed you buy in a cool, dry, closed container to keep it fresh. A metal garbage can with a tight fitting lid works great. Mice can’t chew their way in.

Feeders and seed are available at many different stores, but those specializing in bird feeding have the freshest seed and the greatest variety of feeders, along with a knowledgeable staff to answer your feeding questions.