Bird Feeding Tips

1. The best all-round seed for starting to attract and feed birds is black oil sunflower seed. It is the most popular seed for the greatest variety of backyard songbirds

2. Quality bird seed with a minimum of "fillers" gives you the most feeding value for your money. Birds often toss aside less expensive "filler" seeds such as milo, wheat, and some millets. Sunflower seed in and out of the shell, peanuts, tree nuts and other quality seeds are readily eaten by birds with a minimum of waste

3. To attract the brilliant yellow American Goldfinch, try Nyjer seed, sometimes called thistle seed. This tiny black imported seed is oil-rich and draws finches like a magnet!

4. Extend the benefits of feeding Nyjer seed. It lasts longer when you mix it in with another seed such as black oil sunflower or a seed mix.

5. Keep pre-packaged seed blocks on hand for feeding birds. If you don't have time for restocking your feeders, just unwrap a seed block and set it outdoors!

6. Garden friendly, no-waste seeds don't sprout on lawns or in gardens. These seeds typically have had the hulls removed. Seed can’t germinate when there is no hull.

7. Store seed and suet in a cool, dark and dry space. Both seed and suet can be put in the freezer for storage, too.

8. The best time for viewing cardinals is early in the morning or at dusk. They like to feed on the ground, but will also come to feeders that offer them enough room to perch. They do not use a bird house, preferring to nest in bushes and thickets.

9. Hummingbird feeders can be put up in spring as soon as temperatures stay above freezing or anytime later in spring and summer. If you want your feeder up to attract them as they migrate north in spring, check an online hummingbird migration chart for your area and put your feeder up a week in advance to be safe!

10. Are squirrels likely to be a challenge in your yard? Many squirrel proof feeders are available, along with baffles for existing feeders. You may also want to consider setting up your own feeding area for squirrels. You can divert them away from birdfeeders by keeping their own area stocked with favorites such as wildlife mixes and dried ears of corn.

11. If bears are in your neighborhood, take down your birdfeeders until you know it is safe to feed again!

12. Eggshells from your breakfast can provide mother-to-be birds with calcium for their own eggshell production in spring. Rinse and dry your eggshells, then crush them and mix them with seed, or put them out on a platform feeder.

13. Clean feeders are essential to keep birds healthy! Brushes and bird feeding cleaning products can help you maintain feeders easily. Hummingbird and oriole feeders need cleaning and fresh nectar two or three times a week in hot weather.

14. Keep bird houses up over the winter to provide weather sheltering for wintering birds. In very early spring clean out last year's nests!

15. Short on trees to mount your bird house? Try mounting your bird house to a handy bird house mounting pole.

16. Feeding birds is sometimes a child's earliest introduction to the natural world. Feeding birds, watching them and enjoying them can be the first step toward stewardship of the earth. Bird feeders make wonderful gifts for children for this reason.

17. Birds need water all year round. It is essential to them for drinking and for keeping their feathers in top flight condition. In winter, you can use a bath heater to keep water ice-free.

18. Birds are attracted to moving water! Add a dripper, mister or a Water Wiggler to your bath to ripple the water surface. The rippling has an additional benefit: mosquito eggs can’t hatch in moving water!

19. Keep your birdbath sparkling with a brush and our Birdbath Cleaner and Protector.

20. Add rocks, or bird bath fillers to create different water levels within the bath. This is especially helpful to small birds if your bath is deeper than 1 1/2 inches, the ideal water depth.

21. Place your birdbath in a location that offers an unobstructed view from inside your home. You'll enjoy watching the flurry of activity that occurs at bath time!

22. Try several different styles of baths--and preferably at various heights. A ground bath and a pedestal bath encourage a wider variety of birds to drink and bath in your yard.

(source: Duncraft)

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