Backyard Bird Feeding - Ask Extension
I saw Dana Sanchez's article about backyard bird feeding in the Statesman Journal. I have been doing it wrong and want to buy new feeders and start ov...
Knowledgebase
Backyard Bird Feeding #422853
Asked August 22, 2017, 5:10 PM EDT
I saw Dana Sanchez's article about backyard bird feeding in the Statesman Journal. I have been doing it wrong and want to buy new feeders and start over. Does she have any suggestions about brands of bird feeders or bird seed?
Marion County Oregon
Expert Response
Select bird feeders for the type of food you want to offer and to minimize spillage - which can unintentionally attract and support populations of rats, raccoons, and other species you might not want to have hanging around your house. Offering high-quality seeds, such as black oil sunflower, will help you attract and support a broad range of native bird species. Basic bird feeder designs can dispense sunflower seeds that don't have shells, which are used by a number of desirable bird species. Some birds are well-adapted to cracking open the sunflower seed shell - For those there are wire-tube feeders: Be aware when you offer the seeds with shells however that the shells get dropped and can form a little waste heap under the feeder.
Commercially sold "wild bird seed" mixes often contain a lot of fillers, such as milo and cracked corn, that many native wild birds just don't use - so alot of it gets kicked out on the ground. On the ground, the discarded seed can grow into weeds and also ends up supporting non-native, invasive birds such as house sparrows and starlings - which actually compete with native birds and negatively impact their populations. The discard also can turn into a food opportunity for rats, etc.
A lot of people will be happy to just keep to basic seed feeders, but other options you can add to your yard would include suet (especially in winter), hummingbird nectar, and/or Nyjer (treated thistle) seed feeders. Each of those serves an additional specialty group of birds.
Finally, because any feeder attracts use by more birds than we'd see using a single perch in nature, it's important to keep our feeders (and bird baths) clean so as to not spread disease. Audubon offers some excellent advice here http://www.audubon.org/news/3-ways-keep-your-feeder-disease-free-birds
Commercially sold "wild bird seed" mixes often contain a lot of fillers, such as milo and cracked corn, that many native wild birds just don't use - so alot of it gets kicked out on the ground. On the ground, the discarded seed can grow into weeds and also ends up supporting non-native, invasive birds such as house sparrows and starlings - which actually compete with native birds and negatively impact their populations. The discard also can turn into a food opportunity for rats, etc.
A lot of people will be happy to just keep to basic seed feeders, but other options you can add to your yard would include suet (especially in winter), hummingbird nectar, and/or Nyjer (treated thistle) seed feeders. Each of those serves an additional specialty group of birds.
Finally, because any feeder attracts use by more birds than we'd see using a single perch in nature, it's important to keep our feeders (and bird baths) clean so as to not spread disease. Audubon offers some excellent advice here http://www.audubon.org/news/3-ways-keep-your-feeder-disease-free-birds
Thank you for your response. I should be able to change directions with your information. I have been feeding a "wild bird" mix. I concur a lot gets thrown out on the ground. Also, rain water gets in the tubes and makes a mess. Thanks again.
