Attract Birds to Your Feeder

 Putting up a bird feeder is a great idea to attract birds to your backyard. Here are some ideas to attract birds to the feeder.

If You Were a Bird

 Different birds have different tastes as far as a bird feeder goes. Some birds prefer high places. Others prefer low places. Identifying the species of bird helps. Most birds, however, prefer a feeder up high. This allows the bird to eat in safer conditions. It keeps them safe from house cats, birds of prey such as owls and hawks and other predators of birds. Place the bird feeder at least four to five feet high on the post or pole.

 The bird feeder will need to be far enough away from humans as possible. Even if the birds are used to humans, they are still wild animals and will be wary of humans and human activity. If you place the bird feeders too close to human activity, the feeders will simply become unused. Place them far enough away and the birds will feel safer.

 Some birds may prefer trees for safety. Others will land almost anywhere just to get food. Birds such as blue jays and cardinals will eat from feeders placed just about anywhere. Sparrows and chickadees will eat from posts and trees. Some birds such as bluebirds are a bit shy toward human activity and would prefer a bird feeder hidden from human activity.

 If you place the bird feeder on a pole, place it near a tree. If a predator does come stalking the bird (such as the house cat or dog) the bird can quickly escape into the safety of the tree or fly away.

It’s Got that Look

 A natural looking bird feeder will attract birds better. Many birds are frightened away by bright colored feeders. It’s true that some birds such as hummingbirds love the color red and a red hummingbird feeder will work best for them. However, most birds prefer the natural look of wood. If you feel the need to paint the feeder, then paint it a natural color such as off-white, tan or a brown color.

 There are many types of bird feeders. There are many commercial bird feeders available at such places as your local greenhouses, home and garden stores or local farmer’s markets. You can make your bird feeders using pieces of scrap wood. Pine is a common wood and inexpensive to buy. Use your favorite search engine to search for bird feeder plans or ask your librarian at the library for a book on bird feeder plans. You can make a simple bird feeder using a pine cone, some bird seed and peanut butter. Slather the pine cone with peanut butter and roll it in the bird seed. Hang it up where the birds might get to it.

Fill ‘er Up

 It sounds simple. Keeping the bird feeder filled attracts the birds back into feed from the feeders. The type of bird that will visit the bird feeder depends on what type of food fills the feeder. Most commercial bird seed will keep most birds happy. The year round feathered visitors including the cardinal and blue jay are less picky and will eat just about any bird feed. Other birds are more sensitive.

 Sunflower seeds are popular especially with finches and blue jays. Corn, millet, and thistle seed are also popular in commercial bird feed. Hang several different bird feeders, each with a different type of feed to bring on a higher variety of birds.

 Don't forget the suet. Suet is fat that means high energy for birds such as woodpeckers and bluebirds. Make a suet feeder separate from the other bird feeders. Use leftover onion bags for the suet feeder. Fat from the trimmings of meats can be placed in these bags and hung up for the suet loving birds. Beware of other animals such as raccoons that love fat too.

 If you want to attract birds all year long, building a relationship of trust is important. Build some bird feeders and keep them filled for regular bird watching.