Create Your Own Wild Bird Sanctuary
No matter where you live, wild birds share many common needs. They’re always searching for food, water and shelter. Providing any one of these ingredients in your yard will attract birds. But provide all three, and you’re on your way to creating your own wild bird sanctuary.
Over the next few posts I will discus each of these components and how to put them together.
If you want to be successful in attracting birds with food, you need to consider not only the kinds of food that birds eat but also their feeding methods.
Just hanging a bird feeder full of a generic seed mix may attract a few birds. But if you want to attract a larger variety of bird species, you’ll need to do a bit more.
Wild Bird Foods
There is considerable diversity in the different types of foods that wild birds eat. Some of the most common foods are fruits, nuts, seeds, pinecones, tree sap, flower nectar, insects and caterpillars. Some birds are very selective, eating only one type of food, while others eat a variety of foods.
If you want to attract more birds, you need to offer a variety of bird foods.
Most seed eating birds favor black-oil sunflower seed. It is the best food for getting traffic started at a new feeder.
Birds that eat insects, like woodpeckers, can be attracted with suet. The texture and taste closely resembles that of smashed-up insects.
Sugar water will attract nectar-eating birds like hummingbirds and orioles.
Fresh fruit can also be used to attract birds that feed on fruit like orioles.
Other bird foods include mealworms, grains, baked goods and many homemade treats.
Wild Bird Feeders
They way wild birds eat is almost as diverse as the foods they eat. Some sit on leaves, picking off insects, while others dig worms out of the ground and then there are some that catch insects in flight.
Before putting out a bird feeder, consider the types of birds you want to attract and their feeding methods.
Tube feeders will attract birds that perch while eating. These are usually small seed eating birds.
Hanging platform feeders will attract medium to large birds that prefer a larger surface to stand on while feeding. These species include Cardinals, Doves and Blue Jays. You can place your platform feeder near the ground to attract birds like robins.
Suet feeders are designed to hold commercially produced suet cakes. The birds usually have to cling to the sides to feed, which comes natural to tree clinging birds like Nuthatches.
Hummingbird feeders are specialized feeders designed to dispense artificial nectar (sugar water).
Oriole feeders have a unique design. Many have hooks for fruit and dishes to hold grape jelly.
Bluebird feeders are designed to hold mealworms. They are also built to accommodate the shy nature of the bluebird. They have a closed compartment that birds must enter through small holes to reach the food.
Other styles of wild bird feeders include wire mesh bird feeders, peanut feeders, squirrel proof feeders and hopper feeders.
If you find yourself getting bored with seeing the same species of birds at your feeders day after day, add some variety. Try new feeders with new foods at different levels. You will be surprised at the new birds you see.
Next I will discus how to attract wild birds using water.
