Patio hummingbird feeder stand12/2/2023 ![]() ![]() Outdoor cats are especially dangerous to birds in the spring when fledglings are on the ground. ![]() Responsible and caring cat owners keep their cats indoors, where they are also safer from traffic, disease, and fights with other animals. Or attach fruit tree netting outside windows to deflect birds from the glass.Ĭats kill hundreds of millions of birds annually in the United States, often pouncing on ground-feeding birds and those dazed by window collisions. Mobiles and opaque decorations hanging outside windows also help to prevent bird strikes. Protect birds from collisions by placing feeders within three feet of windows, if possible. In the United States, approximately one billion birds die each year from flying into windows. Place squirrel feeders far from bird feeders to further reduce competition.ĩ) Locate feeders to reduce window collisions Squirrel feeders stocked with blends that are especially attractive to squirrels and chipmunks can reduce competition for high-priced foods offered at bird feeders. Locate pole-mounted feeders at least 10 feet from the nearest shrub, tree, or other tall structure. Pole-mounted feeders should be about five feet off the ground and protected by a cone-shaped baffle (at least 17 inches diameter) or similar obstacle below the feeder. Squirrels are best excluded by placing feeders on a pole in an open area. For these reasons, it’s best not to keep seed from one winter to the next.Ĩ) Discourage squirrels from consuming feeder foods Overheating can destroy the nutrition and taste of sunflower seeds. Damp seeds may grow mold that can be fatal to birds. Keep the cans in a cool, dry location avoid storing in the heat. Store seed in metal garbage cans with secure lids to protect it from squirrels and mice. Feeders must be washed every few days with very hot water and kept scrupulously clean to prevent the growth of mold. Boil briefly to sterilize and dissolve sugar crystals no need to add red food coloring. Make a sugar solution of one part white sugar to four parts water. To attract orioles and tanagers, skewer halved oranges onto a spike near other feeders, or supply nectar feeders. To attract these birds, soak raisins and currants in water overnight, then place them on a table feeder, or purchase blends with a dried fruit mixture. This all-season mixture attracts woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, and occasionally warblers.įruit specialists such as robins, waxwings, bluebirds, and mockingbirds rarely eat birdseed. Mix one part peanut butter with five parts corn meal and stuff the mixture into holes drilled in a hanging log or into the crevices of a large pinecone. ![]() Peanut butter is a good substitute for suet in the summer. Do not put out suet during hot weather as it can turn rancid also, dripping fat can damage natural waterproofing on bird feathers. Place the suet in special feeders or net onion bags at least five feet from the ground to keep it out of the reach of dogs. Suet (beef fat) attracts insect-eating birds such as woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice. A relatively few species prefer milo, wheat, and oats, which are featured in less expensive blends. Mixtures of peanuts, nuts, and dried fruit attract woodpeckers, nuthatches, and titmice. Birds that are sunflower specialists will readily eat the sunflower seed and toss the millet and corn to the ground, to be eaten by ground-feeding birds such as sparrows and juncos. When using blends, choose mixtures containing sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn-the three most popular types of birdseed. Offer sunflower seeds, nyjer (thistle) seeds, and peanuts in separate feeders. Black oil sunflower seed appeals to the greatest number of birds. To avoid waste, offer different seeds in different feeders. To avoid crowding and to attract the greatest variety of species, provide table-like feeders for ground-feeding birds, hopper or tube feeders for shrub and treetop feeders, and suet feeders well off the ground for woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees.Ģ) Offer a variety of seeds in separate feedersĪ diverse mix of seeds will attract the greatest variety of birds. Sparrows, juncos, and towhees usually feed on the ground, while finches and cardinals feed in shrubs, and chickadees, titmice, and woodpeckers feed in trees. ![]() 1) Locate bird feeders at different levels ![]()
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