How to feed birds in your backyard?

Feeding birds in your backyard can attract many birds to make your backyard look more lively and appealing. However, maintaining this by feeding the birds consistently requires patience, time, dedication and money. You will be surprised with the species of birds that you can attract to your very own backyard. Birds in the backyard make for enjoyable company. You can use different feeds to attract different varieties of birds to identify and photograph if you want. Additionally, feeding birds in your backyard is also a good idea because they keep insect populations in control which can lead to a healthier landscape. Birds will even eat up undesirable weeds from your backyard. Furthermore, certain birds can facilitate the flower pollination in your backyard as well.

There is no particular time to set up a bird feeder in your backyard. You can use bird feeders all year round and it won’t fail to attract birds. In winters, when their food sources are scarce, birds can benefit greatly from your bird feeder. However, with a few tweaks, you can attract the maximum amount of bird species in your backyard.

Let them hear the water

Sometimes, leaving a bowl of water out is not enough. Birds looking for water will only come to your backyard if they know it has water so you have got to advertise it. Let them hear the water. Using a small fountain pump, bubblers and a drip hose tend to attract more birds. This technique is especially useful for the spring and fall migrant birds.

Use grit

Birds swallow small quantities of ground eggshells, sand and oyster shells to facilitate the mechanical breakdown of food in their stomach. So, if you think you have completed your duty of attracting birds by leaving out some bird feed, you might want to add some grit too. Grit can attract a surprising number of birds as a food supplement. When using oyster shells and egg shells, make sure that you boil them for at least 10 minutes before crushing them and adding them to the platform feeder or dish.

Choosing the right bird feeder

When looking across the variety of bird feeders available, you may have a hard time picking due to the overwhelming variety in the market. Look for the ones made of ceramic, plastic and glass because they are very easily cleanable. All it takes is hot, soapy water and some bleach. Use a dishwashing detergent to finish it off. The type of bird you want to attract largely depends on how well you maintain the feeder. For goldfinches, you must clean once a month and for hummingbirds, you must clean up on a weekly basis. Another major problem bird feeders often face is having the seeds get soggy. To avoid this, get small feeders so that there is less time for the seeds to get wet. Additionally, if you are getting multiple birdfeeders, make sure you set them up across an ample distance with each other to avoid overcrowding.