Many people enjoy feeding wild birds in winter but have questions. What kind of birdseed is best? Will they eat homemade treats? Will the birds starve if the feeder isn’t filled for a few days?
Different birds enjoy different types of bird seed, so the type you buy depends on what kind of birds you want to attract. Cardinals, nuthatches and chickadees prefer sunflower seed; house sparrows and juncos like thistle seed, millet and cracked corn; finches like sunflower seed and thistle seed; and blue jays have a preference for sunflower seed and cracked corn.
Bags of birdseed list what is inside, and just like “people food” the first ingredient is what there is the most of and there is a lesser amount of each ingredient as you go down the list. Some birdseeds have added supplements to help birds through harsh winters.
In most cases, you get what you pay for – the more expensive bags contain a higher quality of food. Millet is probably the least expensive ingredient in birdseed, and some less expensive brands contain a disproportionate amount of millet, much of which ends up kicked off the feeder by cardinals and blue jays.
You can also make your own bird food or just toss your leftover toast, crackers or bagels out for them. Spreading them with peanut butter first gives added nutrition.
Here is a fun activity for kids. Take some pieces of stale (not moldy) whole grain bread and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Poke a piece of yarn or string through the bread and spread both sides of the shape with a 50/50 mix of peanut butter and shortening. Sprinkle with bird seed and press in lightly. Hang from tree branches.
You can make bird cupcakes by combining ½ cup melted shortening with ½ cup peanut butter, 1 cup bird seed and 2 ½ cups cornmeal. Press the mixture into muffin tins and push a stick through the middle of each one to create a hole for hanging. When the mixture dries, remove the cakes from the pan and take out the sticks. Thread yarn or string through the hole and hang from tree branches.
So, you’ve been feeding the birds for months and want to go on vacation. Don’t worry; the birds won’t starve when you go. Bird feeding is so popular that they will easily find a feeder at one of your neighbors’ homes to visit. They are probably eating there already either before or after they visit your feeder.
No birds visiting your feeder? Make sure it is in an area protected from the wind and that there is a tree or shrubbery nearby that the birds can escape to if they are frightened. My neighbors hung large red ornaments in their tree next to their bird feeders and those feeders are always busy with visitors. The brightly colored ornaments seem to attract birds just as colorful flowers and berries do in warmer weather.
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