Applehurst

Birdfeeding Tips

Nearly anyone is able to attract wild birds in some way, and that may be why backyard birdfeeding is one of the most popular outdoor activities in the world. It’s important to keep in mind that the primary purpose of birdfeeders and baths is to attract the birds for our viewing pleasure—they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. So, in some sense, that makes feeders an artificial or unnatural feeding situation for the birds. Although it’s easy to fill a feeder with seeds or add water to a birdbath, there are a few points to keep in mind that will not only attract songbirds, but will help support healthy, happy bird populations everywhere.

The Most Important Birdfeeding Tip of All

Links to the Best Bird Information

What Bird Is That?

Can You Get Rid of ‘Pest’ Birds?

Common Myths About Backyard Birds

What To Do If You Find a Lost Baby Bird

The Most Important Birdfeeding Tip of All
Providing food and water for our pets is typically pretty easy, and we usually do it well enough to keep our furry companions healthy. But for some reason, many of us miss one important step when it comes to feeding our ‘wild pets’. Backyard birds appreciate the food and water we put out for them, but it is vitally important to make sure that the food and water, as well as the containers we’re filling, are very clean. Just as you need food that is clean and fresh to keep from getting sick, so do the birds.

Clean, Fresh Food Whatever grain or seeds you purchase, it must be kept dry and used in a short time. Moldy or rancid bird seed is not only a waste of your money, but birds can become ill from eating it. Don’t put out seed that won’t be eaten up in a few days. Store bird seed in tight plastic containers in a cool place. Fresh fruit, jelly, and nectar should be provided in small amounts, and should be replaced after three days or less.
Clean, Fresh Water Birds vary in their preferred foods, but they all need clean water throughout the year. Keep the bird bath in a spot that is a few feet away from the feeder, and plan on replacing the water every day. It can be as simple as flushing out the bird bath with a strong jet from the hose, then lowering the pressure to refill it. Standing water will invite mosquitoes, which are a threat to birds and people.
Clean, Fresh Containers Feeders come in a multitude of designs, but when you’re shopping for one, always consider how it might be completely cleaned. Can it be disassembled? Can you use a bottle brush to clean it, or can it go in the dishwasher? Clean feeders at least once every summer and then disinfect them with a 10% bleach solution.
Birdbaths need to be cleaned as well. Once every week or so, scrub it out the bath so that no algae forms. If you use a birdbath heater in the winter, you will still have to keep the water clean—but you’ll probably see more winter birds than any of your neighbors.

What Bird Is That?
Don’t know who’s visiting your yard? With the help of a bird guide, you can answer that question. First, look at the following four keys to identification recommended by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Then use a good guide book or the Cornell online guide to narrow it down.

Size and Shape Become familiar with silhouettes; judge birds against the ones you know well, such as sparrows, robins, and crows; look at sizes and shapes of the head, beak, legs and feet, and tail.
Color Pattern Notice how colors vary on the bird between light and dark, bold and faint, and anything that is particularly attention-getting, such as an eye ring, or belly flash.
Behavior Is the bird’s posture horizontal or vertical; is it nervously darting, or calm and inquisitive? How does it move and how does it perch or cling? Flight patterns, feeding style, and whether or not it is part of a cohesive flock is helpful to know.
Habitat Does the bird spend most of its time on the ground, in high trees, hopping around in bushes or grasses? Take a look at range maps to see what birds are typically in your area, and at what times of the year.

Common Myths About Backyard Birds

Myth: It’s important to stop feeding hummingbirds so they will migrate south as they’re supposed to.

Truth: Hummers rely on shortening daylength to guide their behavior. Sometimes you may see an occasional hummingbird at a feeder late in the season, but it is most likely on its way south, and is glad to find a meal and a place to rest. In any case, you should take down hummingbird feeders in fall and sanitize them before storing them for the winter.

Myth: If you put a baby bird back in its nest, the parents will smell the human scent on it and abandon it.

Truth: According to Cornell researchers, many bird species do not recognize their own young as being different from any other young bird, with a few exceptions. It is possible to return young birds to their nests without danger of their being rejected by the bird’s parents. However, it depends on the age of the bird and whether or not they really are ‘orphans.’ See What To Do If You Find a Lost Baby Bird for further information.

Myth: Birds will get sick on uncooked rice, so it’s better to throw birdseed at the bride and groom after a wedding.

Truth: Most birds are accustomed to eating uncooked grains as part of their natural diets, so no harm will come to them from eating raw white rice.

Links to the Best Bird Information

These are some of the best sources available for learning about birdfeeding, identifying birds, learning more about bird biology, and creating habitats that support native wild birds.

Can You Get Rid of ‘Pest’ Birds?

Putting out tasty bird treats will mean that sometimes you attract birds that bully others, or that you find particularly unenjoyable. Here are a few things you can try:

Change the type of feeders you put out. Limit it to nyjer in finch feeders, or to to upside-down suet feeders. That will pretty much eliminate jays, grackles, or starlings.
Stop feeding completely for two weeks. Birds are creatures of habit, and this change will usually alter their behavior by encouraging them to forage elsewhere.
Use a feeder specifically designed for small birds, with a wire cage that doesn’t allow large birds access to the food.
Choose seed mixes that do not contain milo, and only a small amount (if any) millet and cracked corn.

What To Do If You Find a Lost Baby Bird

If you find a young bird that is capable of hopping or flitting around, or is able to clutch a twig firmly with its feet, it’s probably a fledgling that has purposely left the nest and is being watched over and fed by its parents. Returning them to a nest would probably result in their hopping right out again. What you can do is keep pets indoors or leashed for a few days, or try to keep an eye on it so that it stays out of harm’s way—like the sidewalk or street. If you find a younger bird that appears to have been blown or knocked from the nest, you may try to return it to its nest, if you can find it.

Do not try to raise a young bird yourself. You would not be able to teach the bird what it needs to know to survive in the natural world, nor would you be able to provide it with the nutrition and care it needs without expert knowledge and experience. In most cases, you would be violating federal and state laws (such as the Migratory Bird Act) that require permits for keeping wild birds. In any case, you may always contact a local wildlife bird rehabilitator who can tell you the best course of action. To find a local rehabber, call your local county conservation office or the state department of natural resources.