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Art Career Success with Local Businesses
Local businesses are often the best places to sell your original arts and crafts. If your goal is gallery representation, local sales can build your reputation, and fill in your resume. In addition, income from local sales can exceed what you...
Getting Ready For Your Backcountry Adventure
Much of your hiking gear is only used when hiking or backpacking. And for many people, once you get home, it gets tossed into the closet until the next trip.
Prepare For Your Trip
If this is you, you have to be certain that all of your gear is...
Landscape Painting Tips For Oil Painters
There is something quite magical about painting outdoors. I feel
comfortably secluded with nature having an almost spiritual
connection when I paint a landscape. Landscape painting is a
passion of mine. I would like to share some tips and...
Rock Climbing – Preserve Your Experiences
Rock climbing is a great way to escape the rat race, live on the edge and get a heck of a view. Alas, your rock climbing experiences can fade with time. The best way to prevent this is to keep a rock climbing journal.
Rock climbing Journals
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What's In Your Hiking Pack?
Every time I leave the pavement, I take along my trusty hiking pack – even if I have no intention of hiking. Doing this has become a habit rather than a conscious decision. My pack goes with me when a hike, camp, hunt, fish, bird watch and even...
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Set Out a Feast for your Feathered Friends
February is “Feed the Birds” month in much of North America. And what great timing! If you’re going through a cold winter, you can help the wintering birds that are going through it with you. If you live further south, you’ll have not only year-round feathered friends to feed, but also an influx of migrating visitors from colder climates.
If you grow native plants in your garden, chances are good you already have quite a few feathered visitors already. If you’d like to supplement that, or if nothing in your garden attracts birds, here are some tips for successful birdfeeder use.
There are three main factors to consider when you choose where to place a feeder:
•There must be easy year-round access. You’ll have to clean and fill the feeder in all types of weather.
•There will always be debris under a bird feeding station, such as discarded shells, bird droppings, and so on. Choose a location where this can be easily cleaned up.
•If there are squirrels in your neighborhood, you’ll want to place the feeder where they can’t reach it. Sure, they’re cute but they won’t share their food with the birds. The best solution for this problem is a pole-mounted feeder (the pole should be a least 10 feet from the nearest tree limb or trunk) that is either “squirrel-proof” or protected by a baffle.
The first priority with the seed in a feeder is to keep it dry. Seed will spoil quickly when it gets damp or wet and can breed diseases like salmonella.
•Look for feeders with some type of roof or dome to keep out direct rain water.
•Be sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of both the seed hopper and any seed tray.
•Clean the bird feeder regularly. How often will depend on the weather and the type of feeder you’ve chosen.
Birds are notoriously picky eaters and they will methodically discard most of the seeds in a seed mix to get to their favorite. Seeds that wind up on the ground are likely to be contaminated by dampness and bird droppings and will be unappetizing to the birds. If you leave the debris there, you will most likely attract rodents.
To prevent a great deal of
waste, choose only the types of food that will attract the birds you want. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recommends putting out separate feeders for each food. Why not give these a try?
•With most birds that visit tube and house-type feeders, the hands-down favorite is black oil sunflower seeds. A tube feeder with sunflower seeds will attract goldfinches, woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. If you add a tray, you’re likely to also see cardinals, jays and finches. A bonus: sunflower seeds are NOT the first pick of crows and starlings.
•Doves and several types of sparrows enjoy millet served in a house or platform feeder.
•A hanging suet feeder will be a treat for woodpeckers, as well as chickadees, wrens, nuthatches and cardinals. Starlings also like suet but you can discourage them by using a suet feeder with access only at the bottom. Starlings are reluctant to perch upside down but chickadees and woodpeckers don’t mind at all. If you’re in a warmer climate, use commercially rendered suet cakes that are safe for use in the heat, rather than raw beef fat.
There is no research to indicate that backyard bird feeding has a negative effect on wild bird populations. In fact, it may help in many situations, such as when natural food sources are scarce or birds are migrating. Once you start feeding though, you should keep it up throughout the year. And don’t let the feeders get empty before re-filling, or the birds will look for food elsewhere and may take a while to find you again.
What specific birds you attract and feed will vary depending on your location and the treats you offer. You can look in a bird field guide to determine which species are likely to be in your area and then look up what foods are their favorites. So get out there and feed the birds!
About the Author
Debbie Rodgers owns and operates Paradise Porch, and is dedicated to helping people create outdoor living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Visit her on the web at www.paradiseporch.com and get a free report on “Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor space”. Mail to debbie@paradiseporch.com
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