Appalachian Traveller

Bird Houses & Feeders Bat Boxes Deluxe Bluebird Box Butterfly Shelter Other Critters Folk Art Food & Fixin's Garden Home Decor Appalachian Fact & Folklore Mountain Travel

Attracting Birds to Your Home and Garden Bird House or Bird Feeder? Whether you’re purchasing a gift for a friend or just getting started in birding, you should carefully consider your objectives when deciding on a bird house or bird feeder. If you are interested in viewing a variety of birds throughout the year, it will pay to learn the feeding and migration habits of birds in your region.  Or maybe your objective is to watch a pair of birds start a family, in which case a bird house is your obvious choice - but what kind? Your own lifestyle may play a part in your ultimate decision. Now is a good time to order a bird nesting box or bird feeder. You may feed the birds year-round, we recommend it, and you should have your bird house positioned by February 1st, when the weather may be a little chilly for hanging their home. Birds will also use a bird house during the winter months and inclement weather. Bird Feeders for Wild Bird Watching Feeding wild birds, year round, not just during the winter months, is a rewarding hobby for the young and the young at heart.  Choosing the feeder is not as significant as you may think - choosing the right food and keeping regular feeding habits is more important. We recommend a mixture of small black oil sunflower seed, large striped sunflower seed, and cracked corn as the best mix for attracting a variety of birds to your feeder.  The oil sunflower seed is high in protein and is the natural favorite of most small songbirds.  Cracked corn and striped sunflower seed will also attract larger birds like jays, cardinals, towhees, and woodpeckers. A few species of birds prefer a gourmet diet of fruits, berries, or insects, or prefer specific types of seeds that may require “additives” to this formula to insure that they will continue to visit your yard or garden. Locating your Bird Feeder Think twice about mounting a bird feeder in the middle of your yard away from trees and your house.  It may impress your neighbors, and compliment your landscaping, but many of your feathered friends will need nearby trees to crack open the sunflower seed, and you’ll quickly tire of keeping the feeder full if you must frequently trudge out to the feeder in the rain and the snow.  A bird feeder that hangs under eaves or mounts to a window sill is much more practical, gives you a closer view, and is more convenient to refill. Prime your new bird feeder with white bread, more noticeable than seed, the bread will attract your first birds, others will notice them and spread the word. If squirrels are a problem you might consider suspending a feeder from a wire stretched from your house or deck to a nearby tree, retrieving it with an attached wire or shepherd's hook.  We recommend a squirrel feeder for feeding squirrels and to keep their attention away from your bird feeder, but bear in mind there is no such thing as a "squirrel proof" bird feeder or feeding arrangement. Bird Houses for Cavity Dwelling Birds Birds that naturally nest in the cavities of trees, fence posts, or under overhangs will accommodate a crafted bird house, but birds, like people, can be somewhat picky when selecting the right abode for raising a family.  Bird houses come in all shapes and sizes, but your most important consideration when selecting a bird house is the nesting habits of the bird.  Not all birds dwell in cavities, some prefer building their nest al fresco in trees or shrubs or on the ground, and purple martins require condo arrangements, nesting communally. A simple rule of thumb for cavity dwelling birds is to pick a natural wooden house with a hole large enough for the bird you are wishing to attract and smaller than, let’s just say, its competition.  Be wary of "expert advice" on bird house specs, a lot of this advice is misinformed, but do stay away from brightly painted houses, or those with shiny metal roofs. Ventilation and drainage must also be provided. Most bird houses come with an clean-out for easy removal of old nests; we recommend doing that every fall after a nesting season. Then, wash the inside of your nesting box with a weak solution of bleach and water. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry before closing the box. If your nesting box provides an easy to open hinged door, you may check in on your feathered friends during nest building, egg laying, and after the eggs are hatched. When you see the adults out of the nesting box quickly view the nest, number of eggs, or the young. Do not disturb a bird during incubation (at least two weeks). If you live in the city you might consider providing dried grass and straw, twigs and bark, and short pieces of string or yarn, materials that birds use in building a nest, in a box in a dry location of your apartment building. Location of Bird Houses Mount your house on a wooden or metal pole, or tree and use no more than four small nest boxes for any one species. (Put about 100 yards between bluebird boxes.) Don't put your bird houses near a bird feeder. A good rule of thumb is to position the hole facing southerly and, for most songbirds, place the house as high as you can reach. If you have very hot climate and little shade, face the entrance holes of your houses northeasterly away from the afternoon sun. Urbanization has eliminated a lot of natural habitat for birds, to the point of almost causing the beautiful Eastern Bluebird to become extinct.  Many, who provided bluebirds a bluebird house alternative for their natural choice of a woodpecker hole in a cedar fence post, helped save the species. Learning about wild bird nesting habits will go a long way towards choosing an appropriate bird house and its location, but be patient, or you - and the birds - may be disappointed. Editor's Note:  There are many good books on birds and providing shelter and food for wild birds. A trip to your local library will be as rewarding as birding in your backyard. About Us | Contact Us | Bird Houses & Bird Feeders | Folk Art Food & Cookware | Garden | Home Decor | Mountain Folklore | Travel Info Copyright © 1998-2007. Appalachian Traveller, Inc. All Rights Reserved.