Advice for Getting Birds to Visit Your Feeders

Want to provide food for additional types of backyard birds? To understand how to draw birds to feeders, use these time-tested strategies.

To entice birds to your feeder, provide a variety of foods.

Your avian visitors will be delighted with feeders filled with seeds, suet, sugar water, and fruit like oranges and grape jelly. For added attractiveness, think about draping various feeder designs about your landscape.

Birds Like Peanuts

Blue jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches all adore peanut bits. To draw more attention, mix them with seed or hang a special peanut feeder. Blue jays like to eat peanuts in the shell. Be on the lookout for picky jays who pick up many peanuts before selecting the ideal one.

Keep Track of Your Visitors

You can predict what birds to anticipate and when by keeping track of their seasonal movements. Also, you’ll discover more about each of the visiting species’ behaviours. Join a citizen science initiative like Project FeederWatch to take it a step further and send reports about your observations to ornithologists who track bird patterns across North America.

Participate your neighbours

Increase the local habitat for birds by including your neighbours. More birds will visit your feeders if there is more room, perches, and food available.

Keep Feeders Scrubbed

Be careful to frequently clean, disinfect, and remove any old or damp seed from feeders. Every few days, and more frequently in warmer weather, replace the sugar water.
Around feeders, use plants to provide cover.

Plant evergreen trees, shrubs, vines, or ground coverings next to bird feeders since birds enjoy shelter, especially in that area.

For the benefit of birds and butterflies, grow natural ornamental grasses.

Water Your Landscape Added

Some birds, such as robins, may frequent birdbaths even when they don’t eat from feeders. A tidy bird is a comfortable bird. If your region has winter freezes, consider warming your birdbath with an electric or solar heater so that birds can keep neat and enjoy a drink on brisk days.

Keep a Four-Season Habitat

Don’t stop there after luring birds to your feeder. By offering food, shelter, and water all year long, even in the summer, you may turn your yard into a community gathering place.
More Ways to Attract Birds to Your Feeder
Readers provide tried-and-true advice on feeding and caring for backyard birds.

“I’ve got extra feeders. There is always a replacement ready to fill in when one has to be taken down for cleaning. This allows me to wash the soiled feeder and allow it to dry naturally, explains Red Hook, New York resident Linda DiGasper.

“Suet basket filled with fruit slices. The unique treat is enjoyed by woodpeckers, according to Richele Herigan of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

According to Sue Gronholz of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, “We have a range of feeder types and offer a selection of bird food to attract a variety of species.”
“I supplement the packs of mixed bird feed with additional sunflower seeds.