Attracting Wild Birds to Your Yard: What to Feed Them
Posted: Friday, July 25, 2008
by Susan Woodward
http://www.rv-adventuring.com
Many species of North American birds supplement their regular diets with delicacies supplied in the backyards of nearly half the households in the United States . Following is an overview of the types of foods available for you to offer.
Sunflower seeds : Black oil sunflower seed is the best choice, especially for northern climates as they contain a high content of oil and protein. Striped sunflower seeds are also popular, especially by finches and cardinals with their thick, heavy bills. Hulled sunflower seeds are more costly, but will attract even more birds and eliminate the mess of hulls that tends to collect under a feeder.
Thistle seed : This is not from thistles at all, and is heated to prevent it from germinating, so don't worry that you'll end up with a crop of thistles in your yard from spilled seed. It is also called Nyjer, or Niger , seed. It's a small seed with a high fat and protein content, and is a favorite of goldfinches. Tube feeders with very small openings are used to contain the seed, and often the perches are above the openings as goldfinches prefer feeding upside down.
Suet : Many species of birds like to eat live insects rather than seeds, and suet (beef fat) will make them happy. In summer, suet or suet cakes can turn rancid, though some types of suet cakes are specially formulated for summer use. A good summer substitute is a mixture of one part peanut butter to five parts cornmeal. Stuff it into the crevices of a large pinecone or holes drilled into a hanging log.
Nectar : Briefly boil one part sugar and four parts water, cool, and add to a hummingbird feeder. Hummingbirds are attracted to anything red. You'll find many of the feeders have red parts, or you can tie red ribbons on them. Orioles and tanagers also enjoy nectar, but will need a feeder with perches on it.
Fruit : Robins, orioles, tanagers, bluebirds and mockingbirds all like fruit and berries rather than seed. Skewer halves of oranges and place them near other feeders, or soak raisins and currants overnight and place them on a platform feeder.
Feeding the birds has obvious benefits for the birds and will give you hours of pleasure as well.
Susan Woodward inherited her love of birds from her grandfather, whose hobby was photographing and banding birds. She has enjoyed feeding and watching the birds in her own backyard for decades. She is the owner of It's a Bird's World, an online store featuring bird feeders, bird houses, bird baths and accessories. You will find more information on attracting and feeding birds at her site: http://www.ItsaBirdsWorld.com .
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)hi susan,i am going to add this to my favorites. i have no idea why, but i love watching the birds, and if i can give them what they want, so be it, and thanks to you.thanks for the tips and i hope you continue writing,best regards,sue thomHi Susan,Thank you so much for your kind comments on my articles. I see you are a busy author on searchwarp. I've just started the writing, but will try to keep it up - any suggestions for good places to submit will be welcome.Susan Woodwardhi susan,i'm not sure i understand, but if you mean categories, no....all articles are addressed. it's a great site, and very user/author friendly,let me know if i can help further,best regards,sue thom
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