GUIDE TO GUIDES

by StarWatcher307

Feeding Your Backyard Your Bird Friends

Article by James Miller

Backyard bird feeding is a convenient way to enjoy wildlife. More than 65 million Americans of all ages watch, feed and landscape for birds.

It doesn’t matter where you live – in an apartment, townhouse or single family dwelling, in the city, suburbs or country. Just stand still and you’ll hear them: wild birds. It is hard to imagine life without them.

Bird watching is one of the fastest growing forms of outdoor recreation in the country. Each year millions of people discover for the first time the joys of birdwatching. It’s easy to understand why. Birds are fun to watch.

And you can watch them just about everywhere. The most convenient place to start is right in your own backyard. All it takes to get their attention is food or water, a place to build a nest and appropriate vegetation.

Getting StartedWhen you want to attract a particular bird species and keep it coming back to your backyard, what you do will be determined by where you live, and the time of year. For example, on any winter day, you are likely to see a cardinal at a sunflower feeder in Virginia, a goldfinch at a thistle feeder in Massachusetts and hummingbirds at a nectar feeder in southern California.

A bird field identification book has pictures of different birds and will help you find the names for the birds you’re likely to see and the time of year you’re most likely to see them. So, first determine what birds are likely to occur in your area.

Feeder SelectionWhen the ground is covered with snow and ice, it’s hard to resist just tossing seed out the door. But it’s healthier for the birds to get the their handouts at a feeding station, rather than off the ground. Regardless of the season, food that sits on the ground for even a short time is exposed to contamination by dampness, mold, bacteria, animal droppings, lawn fertilizers and pesticides.

You can start simply with a piece of’ scrap wood elevated a few inches above the ground. Add a few holes for, drainage and you’ve built a platform feeder. It won’t be long before the birds find it.

Feeder PlacementThere are several factors to consider after you’ve decided to feed birds in your backyard.

Where do you want to watch your birds? From a kitchen window… a sliding glass door opening onto a deck… a second-story window?

Pick a location that is easy to get to. When the weather is bad and birds are most vulnerable, you may be reluctant to fill a feeder that is not in a convenient spot near a door or an accessible window. Also, pick a site where discarded seed shells and bird droppings won’t be a cleanup problem.

Put your feeder where the squirrels can’t reach. Squirrels become a problem when they take over a bird feeder, scaring the birds away and tossing seed all over. Squirrels have been known to chew right through plastic and wooden feeders.

If you’ve seen squirrels in your neighborhood, it is safe to assume they will visit your feeder. Think long and hard before you hang anything from a tree limb. Squirrels are incredibly agile, and any feeder hanging from a tree is likely to become a squirrel feeder.

In the long run, a squirrel-proof feeder or any feeder on a pole with a baffle is the least aggravating solution. The most effective squirrel-proof feeder is the pole-mounted metal “house” type.

If you must hang a feeder, select a tube protected with metal mesh. Most plastic “squirrel-proof ” feeders, despite manufacturers’ claims, may eventually succumb to the squirrels. Any wood or plastic feeder can be effective when mounted on a pole with a plastic or metal baffle, if the pole is at least 10 feet or more from a tree limb or trunk (squirrels can jump great distances).

Get more information about backyard bird feeding and backyard bird houses at BirdSanctum.com (http://www.birdsanctum.com)