On February 15, Jeff Glattly, with Wild Birds Unlimited of Pearland, TX presented wonderful information about feeding wild birds in your backyard, and saving the song birds.
Why feed birds? During low food supply, bird feeders supplement natural foods. Also during cold weather or drought, birds need their natural food supplemented. Birds do migrate even when they are fed locally. And seeing the birds visit the feeder is a joy.
What are the best foods? Cheap foods have fillers, up to 70% of the bag, that the birds dump out of the feeder onto the ground. Most birds do not like corn, so look at the ingredients on the bag. Different birds eat different foods. Black oil sunflowers, safflower, nyjer (thistle), and millet are popular with most birds. Birds also like peanuts (but so do squirrels). Squirrels do not like hot pepper, but birds don’t mind it, so some food is mixed with hot pepper. Notice what different birds eat and look for those types of seeds in the ingredients. Cedar waxwings like bushes with berries. Some birds like insects, like mealworms (especially Eastern bluebirds). In cold weather, birds like suet with high fat content. Bark butter suet or peanut butter can be spread on a tree bark. Hummingbirds and orioles like nectar. Some hummingbirds do not migrate, and stay in our area all year. In the spring, orioles migrate through our area. Do not put red dye in nectar, but red feeders are good. Change nectar frequently (almost daily in warm weather) to keep bacteria from growing. Bird feeders need to be kept clean to avoid diseases.
Birds need water, for drinking and bathing. Moving water attracts birds and deters mosquitos. Provide water in addition to food.
How do we attract the birds we want to see? Birds need space and cover. Different species need different space needs. Some birds need open areas (a flyway for them). Purple martins like bird houses high up and with lots of open space. Space and cover provide a space for birds to flee or hide from predators, like a red-tailed hawk.
Why have bird houses? Habitat change and destruction is happening all over the Houston area. Eastern bluebirds would probably be extinct if not for nesting boxes. Purple martins breed almost exclusively in manmade bird houses. Some invasive species, such as House Sparrows, have displaced Eastern bluebirds and purple martins. The House Sparrow will go into bird houses and kill the young.
What are the best feeders? Cylinders and cakes last a long time. Shelled and no-mess food is available to avoid shells on the ground. A hopper feeder is popular and holds lots of seeds; medium sized birds, like cardinals like them, but so do squirrels. Tube feeders are for smaller birds, with small perches. Tray feeders hold lots of seeds and are easy for ground feeding birds, but also for squirrels. Rats can also be a problem. Finch feeders (usually tube), with nyjer and finch blends, are good for finches and also pine siskins and goldfinches. Specialty feeders include dish feeders for mealworms, and peanuts in shell feeders. Window feeders (suction cups on a window outside) are popular.
How do we stop unwanted visitors from getting all the food and ruining our feeders? Squirrels, raccoons, deer, snakes, non-native birds, birds of prey, cats, and rats can be unwanted visitors. Safflower seed deters squirrels. Squirrels can jump 10 feet horizontally and 6 feet vertically so put the feeder away from places where they can jump to it. Baffles on the pole can keep squirrels off. Snakes can crawl into feeders or bird houses. Large hawks prefer small mammals, but bird cages can keep large birds out. Bees and ants can be a problem at nectar feeders. Window strikes are also a problem, especially during migration. Set up feeders away from windows, and turn off outside lights during migration season.
We are losing our birds. Make windows safer. Keep cats indoors. Avoid pesticides. Keep feeders and water clean to deter disease.
To monitor bird migrations, look at the e-bird web site:
https://ebird.org/region/US-TX-225
https://ebird.org/region/US-TX-225/hotspots
To visit Wild Birds Unlimited, go to:
Bird photos courtesy of Jon Powell, using his BirdBuddy feeder with c