Feeding the Birds

Tom has gone bonkers on feeding the birds this winter.  Here is a picture of SOME of the bird-feeders he has set up.

There are several kinds of feeders here.  Below are two types of feeders that we have found are very popular with the birds.  On the left is a thistle feeder.  Thistle seed is very popular with finches.  We mostly have gold finches and house finches here in this part of the state.  Looks like Tom had a mixture of thistle and millet in the feeder when this picture was taken.  On the right is a sunflower feeder.  If you want to buy one kind of seed that the majority of birds will eat it, then you should get "black oil sunflower" seed.  This is what we keep in this feeder.

Another kind of feeder that we use is a suet feeder.  You can see one of these in the middle of the picture below.  It is the square feeder that is made of wire.

You think of suet feeders mostly in relation to woodpeckers, but we've learned that lots of different birds will come to them.  During cold weather, birds need lots of calories to keep them going.  Suet fits the bill.  The suet cakes that you buy to fit in these feeders are mostly fat with lots of seed mixed in.  You can buy "fancy" suet cakes with all kinds of berries mixed in.  But, the cheapest ones that only have suet and seed are just fine.  The birds do not care!

You don't have to buy fancy bird feeders to get started....just some of the pans that you use under flower pots will do.  Here's a picture of some we have out on our upstairs deck.  They are really popular with the birds.

Of course, if you are going to put food out to attract the birds, then you are going to need a good field guide to help you identify the birds that come to your feeders.  Here are some of the ones we have.

Finally, during the winter, you should make sure the birds have a supply of water that is not frozen.  You can buy a cheap little contraption that fits in your birdbath that will heat the water enough to keep it from freezing.  It looks like a round piece of metal that has an electric cord attached to it.  The electric cord plugs into an electric outlet or extension cord.  Here's a picture of our birdbath.  Notice that we have a large rock in the birdbath.  It serves to hold the de-icer contraption down and also to give the birds a place to sit.

Feeding the birds is an activity that is really a lot of fun and is educational as well.  I highly recommend it!