Birds certainly benefit from easy access to food in feeders, but
keep in mind that they would do just fine without it. The real beneficiaries of backyard bird feeding are people; birds at feeders
are beautiful to watch, often amusing, and companionable.
To keep birds returning to your feeders in any season, you need to
provide them with three essential elements: food, fresh water for
drinking & bathing, plenty of places to take cover — preferably
native trees and shrubs. Native plants also provide potential nesting
sites and sources of natural food.
Because feeding birds is primarily for your own pleasure, place your
feeders where you can see them from a favorite, inside vantage point.
Black-oil sunflower seeds attract the widest variety of birds that eat
seeds. It can be purchased at reasonable prices in bulk, usually 25 to
50 pound bags. It’s best to avoid buying small bags of colorful,
mixed seeds. They often contain common cereal grains such as milo,
wheat, oats, and rice that few birds will eat.
White millet, also available in bulk, is appealing to doves, sparrows,
juncos, and other birds that feed on the ground. It works well to
scatter it on the ground underneath a feeder that is stocked with
black-oil sunflower seed. Cracked corn is also inexpensive and
recommended for spreading around on the ground for doves and
sparrows. Squirrels eat corn, too, and it may help somewhat in
keeping them out of your feeders.
Nyjer “thistle” is a small seed that usually goes into cylindrical
feeders equipped with several perches and small holes from
which the birds extract seeds. American goldfinches and purple
finches, especially, are attracted to nyjer. It is more expensive
than black-oil sunflower seeds, but fewer species eat it;
consequently, it lasts somewhat longer.
In addition to seeds, birds also eat suet, fruit, and nectar. Suet, which
is made from animal fat, is sold in small blocks and fits into specially
designed wire cages that can hang from a limb or post.
Some birds such as waxwings, bluebirds, and mockingbirds eat fruit and rarely birdseed. To attract these birds, soak raisins and currants in water overnight, and then place them on a table feeder. To attract orioles and tanagers, cut oranges in half and skewer them onto a spike and place them near other feeders.
Information provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation,
Missouri Conservationist, Nov. 2013
Permalink for entire article : http://mdc.mo.gov/node/24529
