This works especially well if you’re feeding birds in the winter since the seeds will be easy to spot on top of the snow.
Get white proso millet if you want to attract doves, juncos, or sparrows. Avoid red proso millet since birds don’t usually enjoy it. [3] X Trustworthy Source EDIS Electronic database of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’s peer-reviewed articles Go to source Fill feeders with thistle seed if you want to get more finches in your backyard. Try offering peanuts or sunflower seeds to attract crows or blue jays. Use suet cakes to feed chickadees, woodpeckers, jays, and nuthatches. [4] X Trustworthy Source EDIS Electronic database of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’s peer-reviewed articles Go to source Make sugar water for hummingbirds by boiling 4 cups (950 ml) of water and adding 1 cup (200 g) of sugar. Let the water cool before you use it in your feeders.
Change the water every day or every other day so it stays fresh. Clean the bird bath once a week so it doesn’t form algae. Use a water drip or a wriggler so birds are drawn toward the sound of moving water. Additionally, they also help prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs.
Keep your feeders within about 3 feet (0. 91 m) of windows to help prevent birds from running into the glass and getting injured. Alternatively, cover your windows with anti-collision decals to keep birds away. [7] X Research source Try to keep your feeder within 5–15 feet (1. 5–4. 6 m) of shrubs, tall grass, or other plant cover. That way, birds will feel more comfortable eating from your feeder knowing they can make a quick getaway from any predators. [8] X Research source
Baffles are especially important if you hang your feeder from a tree since squirrels could easily climb down and get to it. If you’re feeding hummingbirds, it may attract ants instead. Deter the ants by putting an ant moat, which is a small cup of water, on the feeder’s hanger.
Platform feeders have large, flat trays where you spread out the seeds. These work best near ground level for attracting cardinals, chickadees, mourning doves, jays, and finches. Tube feeders have a tall vertical tube filled with seeds and multiple perches where birds can feed. Tube feeders are perfect if you want finches, cardinals, nuthatches, and other small songbirds in your yard. Suet feeders are usually small cages you can hang on a post or on a tree to feed woodpeckers, chickadees, and jays. Thistle feeders are small tubes or bags where birds can only take one seed at a time and are specifically designed for thistle seeds. Hummingbird feeders have tanks for sugar water and small perches, but they don’t attract any other bird species.
As a good rule of thumb, replace all of the seeds inside of the feeder every 2 weeks so it stays fresh. Cleaning out old seeds also helps prevent diseases and bacteria from spreading between birds.
Nesting spots are especially important for birds trying to stay warm during the cold winter nights.
Contact your local extension office or look up what plants and bird species are native to your area.
