Bird Feeders and Bird Baths
Bird Feeders
Bird feeders can be purchased from many stores, online, and you can make your own. Smaller feeders work well for smaller birds such as finches, chickadees, nuthatches and titmice. Larger feeders work well for medium-sized birds like grosbeaks and cardinals. Large table/platform feeders are generally good for all birds including the bigger ones like crows, Mourning Doves, and Blue Jays. If you are uncertain which feeders would work best for you, ask for help from someone you know who already feeds birds.
Before you purchase feeders, seed, and the accessories like poles and baffles, take a good look at your neighborhood. Do you have neighbors with cats? Are these cats outside? Cats are the number one predator of birds in neighborhoods. And the last thing you want to do is to provide an easy smorgasbord for cats. If you have neighbors who have cats that are both inside and outside, consider talking to them and asking them to keep their cats indoors during daylight hours. However, I know this is tricky business. Even though it is common knowledge that cats kill birds, it is also the belief of some cat owners that their pets are happiest when able to go outside whenever they wish. Take this into consideration before investing in bird feeders and all that goes with them. What you don’t want to see is a cat leaving your yard with a dead bird dangling from its mouth – especially during nesting season when the death of one parent generally means the death of all the young.
Another consideration is dogs. Most neighborhoods have leash laws and folks do not let their dogs run. But some dog owners with small dogs do not think this applies to their dogs – only to large dogs. Small dogs such as terriers and Yorkies can cause havoc to birds feeding on the ground underneath your feeders. If you, or your neighbors, have dogs and you want to have bird feeders, place the feeders where dogs cannot get to them. And remember, birds also feed on the ground underneath feeders so this area must also be inaccessible to dogs. Putting a fence around your feeders will often be enough to protect them from dogs.
Bird Feeders (for seed and suet)
Seed feeders can generally be grouped into three types:
1. Small feeders that attach to your windows – most often with suction cups. These feeders are used mainly by chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and smaller finches and are great if you live in an apartment or condo in a suburb or city. (Always check with your building manager or board before putting one up.) However, you will only get birds to use these feeders if you are in a tree-filled neighborhood or close to a tree-filled park. Most of these small birds are woodland birds, but can be found in tree-filled areas of cities, towns, and suburbs.
If you live in a house in this sort of neighborhood – as we do – these feeders will also work very well for you. Chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches become used to people quickly – this is especially true of chickadees. If you have the feeder attached to a window and you are sitting right there, as long as you do not move, the birds will not flush, and they will often stay until they are finished eating. These small feeders allow you the best view of birds without using binoculars. You can get so close to them that you will be able to distinguish every single feather. And they are just so alive.
2. Small and large hanging feeders. Remember, not all birds will use hanging feeders. Some birds are too big for them and some birds like being on the ground or on something that does not move.
Hanging feeders come in all sizes and styles. Some have perches and some do not – on the ones that do not, birds must cling to the sides. To decide which would be best to use, identify the birds in your yard. Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, woodpeckers, goldfinches, and House Finches are examples of birds that will cling to feeders. Birds such as jays, doves, grosbeaks and cardinals do not cling very well so need perches.
Take a look at the feeder you are considering as to what type of seed can be used to fill it. If the feeder is a fine mesh, then it is for thistle (nijer) seed and most often, only finches will use it – goldfinches relish these feeders and seed. Feeders that have perches will most often take any size seed including sunflower and safflower. As far as I have observed, birds that use hanging feeders eat both of these seeds. In our yard, we have a hanging feeder without perches, one with perches, and one specifically for thistle seed. All three are used quite a bit each and every day all year round.
These feeders can be hung from a pole such as a shepherd’s crook or a pole with a crossbar attached. They can also hang from tree branches. To decide how to hang your feeders, once again, take a good look at your yard and neighborhood. Some critters like birdseed and some critters see birds as prey. We have our hanging feeders on a pole with a crossbar. In the past, we have had baffles over them to keep the squirrels from jumping/dropping onto them from the branches above. We also have a baffle on the pole to keep squirrels, raccoons and possums from climbing up and eating the seed. The pole baffle also keeps snakes off the feeders – we do have black snakes that are excellent climbers. If you do not have these or similar animals, then you can hang your feeders from tree branches. I have lived in southeastern PA in a housing development at the edge of a small town, in southeastern WV in the mountains where I could see no neighbors, and here in central IL in a small neighborhood on a lake. I have used baffles on my feeders everywhere I lived.
3. Stationary feeders. These are feeders that are attached to something and never move. Almost all these feeders will have a place for the birds to perch or sit and they will take any sort of seed you want to place in them with the exception of thistle (nijer) seed.
To decide where to place your stationary feeder, once again, take a good look at your yard and neighborhood. If you have the predators I described above, then use a pole with baffles above and below the feeder. If you do not have these predators – or cats – then feeders can be attached to fence posts, attached to deck railings, or attached to anything solid and unmoving that will hold them. People do nail them to trees, but I have an aversion to that because a tree is a living thing and pounding a nail into the trunk opens a wound that can invite insects and disease. Please consider that before putting a nail or two into a tree.
The style of stationary feeder I like best is the platform feeder. Ours is placed on top of a pole with a baffle underneath and it drains well so a rain will not damage the seed. My only problem with the one I have is I wish it were bigger! But even at this size, Mourning Doves, Common Grackles, and Blue Jays use it often and with ease. Birds like sparrows and juncos, who almost always feed on the ground, will also use this type of feeder. Our platform feeder has no overhead baffle – we have placed it out of reach of the squirrels.
What Seed Should You Use?
Sunflower seed. Almost all birds eat sunflower seed. There are 3 types: striped, black oil, and no hulls.
- Striped. These sunflower seeds have a black and cream striped seed covering.
- Black oil. These sunflower seeds have a black seed covering.
- No hulls. These sunflower seeds have no seed covering and are the meat of the seed.
I have used all three and have had the most birds come to feeders for seeds with no hulls. However, these seeds are quite expensive and birds love them so much you could find you are filling your feeders every day. I stopped using these seeds in our large feeders for that reason. I have used both striped and black oil and have the best luck with black oil. You can also use a mix of black oil and striped. These seeds can also be scattered on the ground under the feeders. Experiment and see what your birds like best.
Safflower Seed. Quite a few birds will eat safflower seed and one of the best reasons to use this seed is that squirrels generally seem not to like it. We always have a hanging feeder filled with safflower seed and that feeder is regularly used by House Finches, Cardinals, Mourning Doves, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. We do not have Indigo Buntings every day in summer, but when they come, they will use that feeder.
Thistle (Nijer) Seed. We put this in a feeder for American Goldfinches. At first we used a seed sock but that was not big enough for all the goldfinches we have, so we changed to a mid-sized hanging feeder that a dozen goldfinches can use at once. Of course, they push each other around and fight, but there is room for that many. This feeder is metal with small holes – like mesh. No perches. The goldfinches can access the seed quite easily but most other birds cannot. And goldfinches love nijer seed. We did have a male Red-winged Blackbird put one foot on the tiny edge at the bottom of the feeder and the other foot was braced on the mesh. He tried to pull seed out through the mesh but his beak was just too thick and he had little success. He stayed on the feeder for some time and tried, but finally gave up.
White Millet. We do add some to our platform feeder but this is a seed we also scatter on the ground. Mourning Doves love white millet. Sparrows and Juncos relish millet and they are ground feeders. You will rarely/never find them on hanging feeders. They do use our platform feeder. Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles also relish white millet, but if we get too many on our platform feeder – pushing around some birds and keeping the smaller birds away – we stop putting it on this feeder and only scatter it on the ground.
Cracked Corn. Mourning Doves love cracked corn, but they will also eat white millet. Cracked corn is an excellent draw for all the black birds: European Starlings, all the grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Red-winged Blackbirds. If these birds have overwhelmed your feeders, do not use cracked corn – or if you do, just use it on the ground. And beware, many seed mixes contain cracked corn so always read the labels.
Mixed seed. I no longer use bags of mixed seed, but I did for many years, and always with success. Just be aware you get what you pay for. Cheaper bags often contain more cracked corn and red millet – in my experience red millet is not a preferred seed of most birds. A lot of it goes uneaten. Birds are picky – if you watch birds at a feeder, you will see them poke through the seeds to select one they want – that is why you never have to worry about scattering a lot of seed on the ground because birds do spill and drop seed from feeders. If you use a seed mix with red millet in your feeder, that will be much of the seed that is dropped.
Nuts and dried fruit. Woodpeckers and Blue Jays love nuts. And Blue Jays will eat peanuts. These birds are equipped to crack peanut shells so you do not have to do that for them. My advice would be to place a few nuts on your platform feeders and see which your birds will eat before investing in a big bag of any variety – nuts are expensive. You can also place nuts on the ground but your squirrels will get most of them. Cleon always throws a few on the ground. We generally have 4-6 fox squirrels living with us and as we have baffles so they cannot get into our feeders, we do not begrudge them eating on the ground underneath.
Many birds will eat dried fruit and there are mixes that contain bits of both fruits and nuts. These pieces will be small. If you are using dried fruit at your feeders from bags sold to us for snacking, read the ingredients to make sure it is just the fruit, dried. No added ingredients. Take a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife and cut the fruit into small pieces. I have used raisins, cranberries (make sure they are actually cranberries), and apricots, and the birds in our yard like all three.
Suet feeders:
Chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches all like suet, but woodpeckers love it. And you may even get a Carolina Wren in winter!
Suet. You can buy suet feeders and all sorts of suet at most places that sell bird seed. We buy the rectangular solid suet blocks that fit our suet feeder perfectly.
Suet comes with all sorts of different dried fruits and nuts and some are made to discourage squirrels. We use baffles on our feeders to prevent squirrels from accessing so have never had to use these types of suet. My birding friends have mixed success with them. Remember, squirrels are geniuses when it comes to feeders and some will still eat the suet that they are not supposed to like. Squirrels do differ from place to place and even from squirrel to squirrel. My advice would be if you have problems with squirrels and you have a suet feeder they can easily access, try one of these blocks of suet that they are not supposed to like and see what happens.
You can also make your own suet. My father made a suet feeder for me. It is a thick branch with 4 large holes drilled into it. There are recipes for suet online, but here is what I use and the woodpeckers love it. I spoon, then press the suet into the hole.:
Lard and chunky peanut butter at a ratio of 4 parts lard to 1 part peanut butter.
A handful of hulled raw sunflower seeds.
A handful of chopped raw nuts
A handful of chopped dried fruit.
I vary the nuts and dried fruit and the birds seem to like whatever I use. Make sure the nuts and fruit are chopped into small pieces as large pieces are hard for the birds to handle. I put the nuts through my small nut grinder and I use kitchen shears or a large knife to cut the fruit. (Put cooking oil on the blades or dust the fruit with powdered sugar to help prevent the fruit from sticking to the blades.) I also learned lard is much easier to mix with the peanut butter if the lard is at room temperature – not straight from the refrigerator.
Can you offer other things at feeders?
Bread, doughnuts, and baked goods. We do not put any at our feeders. A steady offering of any of these will attract starlings and blackbirds. And as these birds are flock birds, you can attract a big number. And these birds have voracious appetites and are big enough and aggressive enough that they will keep smaller birds away from your feeders. A few of these birds are just fine, but dozens and dozens? They can overwhelm your feeder. And keep in mind, birds coming to your feeders do not have their own bakeries. They eat seeds, insects, and fruit. No bird is baking at her nest. So bread, doughnuts, and baked goods are foreign to them and probably not good for them – especially day after day.
The salty snacks we love. Don’t do it. Whether it is salted peanuts, bits of pretzels, popcorn, or any of the dozens and dozens of snacks we human beings stuff ourselves with. Do not put any of this out for birds. Not ever. Birds were created to eat mainly seeds, fruit, and insects and these are the foods that work best with their digestive systems. Offer fats in winter – in suet – but that is the only exception. Think of it this way. How many times have you binged on your favorite snack like potato chips, salted nuts, or anything that comes in a bag and the next thing you do is raid your bathroom medicine cabinet for antacids? Birds do not keep a roll of antacids in a secret pocket under their wings, so stick to what they were born to digest and keep everything else for yourself.
Bird Feeding Guidelines (seed feeders):
– If you have cats, squirrels, raccoons, snakes, or other predators in your backyard, consider protecting the feeders with a baffle both below and above each feeder. If you have questions, ask a friend who feeds birds or inquire wherever birdfeeders are sold.
-If you can, space feeders at least several feet apart to avoid overcrowding. Many species are territorial when it comes to feeding and allowing space between your feeders will discourage aggression – although not eliminate it. Some birds seem to just live to fight. American Goldfinches are a good example.
– Clean your feeders regularly. With busy schedules, this can be cumbersome but it truly is important. The whole point of feeding birds is not just to provide you with an opportunity to observe birds and their behaviors, but also to give birds a helping hand – particularly in harsh weather. You want your feeders to help maintain the health of the birds you are feeding and not be a place for birds to transmit and pick up illness and disease. It helps us to mark our calendar because this is an easy chore to forget or put off, and it is such a necessary chore to help maintain good health in your backyard birds. Always wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from germs and bacteria when handling feeders.
How to clean feeders:
1. Take feeders down once a week.
2. Use soap (I use dishwashing soap) and hot water and thoroughly wash each part of the feeder. Be sure to scrape away any build-up of dirt around the openings or on the platform if there is one – a screwdriver or small paint-scraper works will for this chore. Discard this buildup into a plastic bag, seal it, and put it in your trash. Do not put it in your compost bin unless you monitor your bin closely and are absolutely sure it heats up enough to kill the viruses and germs that are in this feeder residue. We compost, but our piles do not heat up nearly enough. Most piles do not.
3. Use a 10% solution of bleach and a stiff brush and rags. (1 part bleach to 10 parts water). Dip the feeder into this solution – if the solution does not cover the feeder, use a clean rag to sponge the bleach water over the entire feeder.
4. Thoroughly rinse each part of the feeder then pour boiling water over the entire feeder.
5. Allow the feeder to dry completely, then refill and rehang. In winter, we normally clean our feeders mid-day so they are filled and available early in the morning and late in the afternoon when so many birds are looking for food.
6. Rake under the feeder to remove uneaten seed, seed hulls and bird droppings.
What to do with the seed you remove from the feeder before cleaning: This can be a tough choice. Discarding unused bird seed time after time can get expensive. The experts will recommend you do just that and if you want to be completely safe, I would recommend you follow that advice. After years and years of feeding, we now have a pretty good idea how much the birds are eating and close to cleaning day, we cut back as to how much seed we put in a feeder. But if there is some left, we dump it out on newspapers on the floor of our garage and sift through it. Any damp or wet seed, or anything that does not look right, is immediately discarded. We only return seed to the feeder that easily runs through our fingers, and looks and smells fresh. Any portion that looks even the tiniest bit questionable, we discard.
As far as we have observed, we have never had trouble with disease in the birds we feed – particularly that nasty eye disease that can plague House Finches. However, I have no scientific data or research to back up how we handle this seed and if you have any doubts or want to be completely safe, do what the experts recommend – discard all the leftover seed and refill your feeder with clean seed straight from the bag.
Seed can be scattered on the ground underneath a feeder – keep in mind birds will also scatter seed so less from you is always better. A handful or two is often enough. Uneaten seed that remains on the ground for days can deteriorate and become spoiled – not good for the birds!
Hummingbird Feeders
Hummingbird feeders require more maintenance than seed feeders and this maintenance is important. It will adversely affect the health of the birds if you do not keep their feeders clean and their sugar solution fresh. If you do not have the time or inclination to clean and refill a hummingbird feeder every three days, don’t put one up. Give this some thought before you make the commitment. You can buy commercially made solution, but it is easy and much less expensive to make your own. Do not buy solution that is red and do not add red food coloring if you make your own as it has not been determined whether or not the food coloring will harm hummingbirds. Remember, flower nectar is colorless. Hummingbirds will be attracted by the colors on the feeders just like they are attracted to the colors of flowers. Reds, yellows and oranges seem to be their favorite colors.
Recipe from allaboutbirds.org:
¼ cup table sugar (do not use honey)
1 cup water
Mix together. Heat the water to help dissolve the sugar but if you change the solution in your feeder every 1-2 days, boiling the water first is not necessary. If you change the solution every 3 or more days or make a large batch to store in your refrigerator, then boil the water. But, make it a rule to never leave the solution in your feeder longer than 3 days. Do not use honey because when honey is mixed with water it becomes a mixture in which bacteria and fungus thrive. This can be fatal to hummingbirds
If the outside temperature is below 45⁰F, increase the sugar to ⅓ cup. This will provide the hummingbirds with more energy to ward off the cold.
Try to locate your feeder in the shade or partial shade – the solution will not spoil or ferment as quickly (both can be fatal to hummingbirds).
You may find more than hummingbirds at your feeder, especially if the ports are a bit wide. Do not be surprised to see an enterprising Baltimore Oriole, Downy Woodpecker, or House Finch attempting to feed.
Ants, bees, and wasps: If you are plagued with ants, bees, or wasps, look at the style of your feeder. Bottle-type feeders tend to drip and this acts as a lure to ants, bees and wasps. The saucer-type feeders generally do not drip and so do not attract these insects as easily.
Ants. You can buy or make an ‘ant moat’. This is a small cup, about 3” in diameter, often plastic, and fits tightly around the hanger of the feeder. It is filled with water which ants cannot swim across to access the feeder. Never fill this moat with oil or petroleum jelly as that can get on the hummingbird’s feathers and be fatal to the bird. You can buy ‘ant moats’ online or look at videos on the Internet which demonstrate how to make them.
Bees and Wasps. Some feeders come with ‘bee guards’ on them but beware if they are yellow as the color yellow actually attracts bees. The saucer-type hummingbird feeder is often a deterrent to bees and wasps because the level of liquid is generally too low for these insects to access. Tongues of hummingbirds are quite long – longer than tongues of bees and wasps. If bees and wasps persist, move the feeder. Studies show hummingbirds have no trouble at all finding the new location but bees and wasps do. It is thought that hummingbirds are persistent and bees and wasps just give up and move on. Interesting, don’t you think? And something to observe in your own backyard.
Another thing to consider is location of your feeder. Bees tend to forage more in sunshine, so the more sunshine on your feeder, the more attractive it will be to bees. If possible, place your hummingbird feeders in shade or at least partial shade. Hummingbirds are open woodland birds – they like shade.
Cleaning a hummingbird feeder: Clean your feeders at least every 3-5 days – every 3 days is best. Use a bottle brush and hot water. Never use soap or detergent.
When to take your feeder down and when to put it up: There is evidence the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is expanding its winter range northward. This comes from FeederWatch data collected from 2000 through 2013. (For more information on FeederWatch, go to this website’s menu which is located on the left side of the home page, click on Articles, then scroll to and click on Organizations that Not Only Help Birds, But Help You Understand Birds.) Their winter range can now include our southeast and southern states north to North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma. This is a change.
If you live in these states, observe what is happening in your yard and garden, and at your feeder. If hummingbirds are now staying through the winter, consider keeping their feeder up through the cold months. And be aware of the nighttime temperatures. If the temperatures fall below 45°, increase the amount of sugar per cup of water as suggested at the beginning of this section.
For more information – especially for the western states – click on Articles on this website: Hummingbirds – Gardens and Feeders.
Taking your feeder down: If you live in our northern to central states, hummingbirds migrate. There has always been the thought that if you keep your feeder up too long, it will keep these birds in your yard too late for them to make it safely to their winter territories. But studies have shown feeders do not keep hummingbirds from migrating – it appears they have a very strong instinct to migrate. If you live in these northern or central states, keeping feeders up late into the fall will give the stragglers something to eat which gives them fuel to continue their journey. These birds are so small and their metabolisms are so strong that every calorie counts.
Most hummingbirds in these states will be in migration by September 30th, but there are always those who leave later – examples would be juveniles from mothers who nested late or juveniles from the second nest of a female.
Hummingbirds migrate alone – singly. No one shows these juveniles the way. If they hatched late, which will result in migrating late, they may be migrating after most of the flowers and insects are gone. Feeders will help these juveniles survive. The general rule of thumb in these states is to leave your feeders up until September 30th, but if you want to give a helping hand to the few who get a late start, and maybe even save their lives, keep your feeders up until about the middle of November.
If you live along the Gulf Coast, you will almost always have hummingbirds all year round. If you live in our southern states, but away from the coast, you might have hummingbirds all year round. If you live in any of our southern states, check with your friends who have feeders, ask at your nearest wildlife refuge for advice, or simply experiment on your own and observe what is happening at your feeder and in your yard. If hummingbirds are present in winter, they might use your feeder every day.
When to put up your feeder in spring: Studies have shown that if you wait until you see a hummingbird, there have probably been hummingbirds in your area for at least a few days. And the point of putting up a feeder is not just providing a place for these birds to eat and for you to watch their antics, but to help them recover from their long migration. And you want to encourage them to nest. So feeders should be placed just before they arrive in your area. A general rule of thumb is if you live in the central states, March 15th, and if you live in the northern states, March 30th. You can find information online for exact dates for your area. In our central and northern states, from mid-March to about mid-April, flowers are few and far between, and insects are just emerging, so providing these hungry migrants with something to eat will be much appreciated by them – not that they will ever show it! Such foul little tempers!
Baltimore Oriole Feeders
Baltimore Orioles eat ripe fruit and are attracted by the color orange. You can cut oranges in half and hang them from trees. Orioles are also attracted to jelly. Even though orange seems to be their favorite color, the orioles in our yard love grape jelly. There are oriole feeders like the one in the photo that include a plastic spike to hold half an orange and also cups in which to put jelly. But a caution about the jelly – only put out a small amount at a time – no more than a tablespoon and less would be better. Jelly can get on a bird’s feathers which is often difficult to impossible for a bird to remove and it will interfere with the oil on the feathers. Jelly on their feathers will cause them to be sticky and will attract ants and mites which are not good for the birds. And keep their feeder very clean. Every 2-3 days, rinse the entire feeder thoroughly with hot water – no soap. Every time you add jelly, use hot water to scrub and rinse the cups.
In my experience, it takes time for Baltimore Orioles to find a feeder. We put this feeder up in three different springs – four weeks each time. Even though we could see and hear orioles, none of them used it. Each time, we took it down and put it away. The fourth spring we put it out and within an hour, we had three males eating the jelly, and now Cleon is filling it at least once a day and buying the jumbo jars of grape jelly at the store. It only took four tries in four separate years! So this may be another opportunity for you – as it was for me – to develop patience and perseverance.
Eastern Bluebird Feeders
My advice is to put up a bluebird feeder only if you already have bluebirds close-by. I do not have much experience with bluebird feeders, but my friends who do, tell me that in their opinion, these feeders rarely/never attract bluebirds who are not already there. But if you have a feeder, the bluebirds you have will use it – to feed themselves, to feed their young in the nest, and they will bring the fledged young to the feeders. If you have bluebirds all year round, these feeders can be heavily used by the birds during cold spells as bluebirds do not seem to be able to withstand cold as well as birds like chickadees and titmice.
The main food – and often only food offered – is live mealworms which can be purchased in pet stores or online and be kept in your refrigerator for about 6-8 weeks. Check prices as they can vary. My friends tell me if they have only one or two adult bluebirds who are not nesting, they only put out a few mealworms at a time – no more than a dozen – and wait until they are eaten before adding more. However, this can mean checking the feeder several times a day which does not work for everyone. Do not worry if several hours go by and the feeder is empty, the bluebirds will check back periodically. If you place mealworms in the feeder about the same time each day, the bluebirds will become familiar with your schedule.
If you have Ladder-backed Woodpeckers in your yard, do not be surprised if they come to this feeder. They also like meal worms!
There is a theory that since bluebirds seem to relish meal worms, they will eat as many as they can
instead of looking around for something else. This is similar to me and chocolate. Why should I go to the trouble of making a balanced meal for myself when I can just eat a pound of chocolate? Bluebirds need a more varied diet than just mealworms, just as I need to eat more than chocolate – sad, but true. Bluebirds do need to eat other things like insects and fruit. This is different from birds like cardinals and Blue Jays who will eat at your feeders but also always eat elsewhere.
If you have a mated pair of bluebirds and they are bringing their youngsters to your feeder, there are sources online that will recommend putting out a hundred meal worms at a time. That is a big difference in amount from the previous paragraph. Keep in mind that meal worms should be viewed as more of a treat for your bluebirds – not their main source of food. Mealworms do not contain the calcium these birds need – most particularly nesting females and growing youngsters. There are calcium powders you can obtain to dust mealworms before adding them to your feeder but in my opinion, there is not enough research as to how much to use and if added calcium is in any way detrimental to these birds. Before adding calcium, I would suggest you do some research and a good place to begin is The North American Bluebird Society at nabluebirdsociety.org.
You can feed bluebirds in spring and summer – during nesting time. But if you have bluebirds year round, consider feeding them all year long. Meal worms can be offered in winter but bluebirds will also eat fruit – currents and red raspberries seem to be favorites. Some, but not all, bluebirds will eat raisins that have been plumped in boiling water and cooled. Individual raisins are too big for them to handle so must be chopped up. (I find it easier to chop any dried fruit if the fruit is dusted with powdered sugar and the blades rubbed with cooking oil.) Some bluebirds will also eat suet and amazingly, scrambled eggs. An excellent website explaining all this is from the Michigan Bluebird Society at michiganbluebirds.org.
Bluebirds do not seem to locate feeders as easily as birds like chickadees who sometimes seem to find feeders the moment after you put them up! To attract bluebirds’ attention, sometimes it helps to attach a scrap of blue fabric to the feeder – one that is large enough to flutter in the breeze. Another suggestion would be to add a few red berries like raspberries or currants or bits of cherries to the feeder where they are easily seen – bluebirds seem to be attracted to red berries. Once the bluebirds find your feeder, they will return.
As with all other feeders, keep your bluebird feeder scrupulously clean – take it down every 3 days or so and thoroughly clean it with hot water.
Birdbaths
Keeping birdbaths clean is important – for the health of the birds using them and for mosquito control.
This is what is recommended by experts:
1. Birdbaths should be emptied once a day. Use a rag or a brush to clean the sides and bottom, rinse, then refill with clean water.
2. Once a month, clean the bird bath with a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water). Rinse thoroughly before refilling.
Mosquitoes: If you live in an area that has problems with mosquitoes, emptying your bird bath, wiping it down, and refilling it each day will prevent the mosquitoes from successfully hatching their eggs in it. We live in such an area and many of our friends and neighbors will not place a bird bath in their yards because of mosquitoes. They have been taught from an early age to eliminate as much standing water in their yards as possible. However, replacing the water each day eliminates the standing water problem and with that practice, mosquitoes will not be able to use bird baths for their private nurseries. It does take a commitment of time but knowing that you are providing something wonderful and useful for your resident birds and that you will be able to watch their antics is well worth the effort!
Look at the photographs to the left – what in the world is this?
This is a fecal sac dropped in our birdbath. The sac is the white spot in upper left area of the blue saucer in the photo on the left. The photo on the right is a close-up of that fecal sac in the water.
Fecal Sacs
Fecal sacs are small white/clear sacs that surround the feces of some nestlings. The sac is a gelatinous, mucous membrane. Nestlings often defecate immediately after eating – often while the parents are still at the nest. Parents generally dispose of these sacs in two ways – either by carrying them off or eating them. And before we all sit there and go, “EEEWWWWW!!!!!” remember, all animals have to deal with this. Ask yourself: What did human parents do before there were diaper services, or disposable or cloth diapers? And remember, we have hands with fingers and thumbs. Birds only have beaks and talons.
Different species dispose of the fecal sacs in different ways. Robins generally eat the fecal sacs. Common Grackles remove them and will drop them in water – which includes bird baths and swimming pools. Large birds like hawks and eagles do not have fecal sacs. Their young have enough ‘oomph’ that they can tilt their behinds upwards and squirt their fecal matter some distance – generally right over the edge of the nests. Therefore, a good rule is NEVER stand under the nest of a hawk!
Why do birds remove fecal sacs? One theory is that fecal sacs have an odor and will attract predators. Another theory is nest cleanliness. It is probably true the cleaner the nest, the less likely the nestlings will be affected by insect and parasite infestations and disease.
As with all things, this is not black and white – that a certain species ALWAYS does the same thing. My husband and I monitored nest boxes for about ten years for our local conservation district and we observed that at the end of the year, an Eastern Bluebird’s nest is rather pristine. A bit flattened, but clean and intact. A Tree Swallow is supposed to remove fecal sacs and drop them in the nearest water but we can tell you – not always. After the young leave, their nests are always a bit of a mess. There is some fecal matter throughout. Not as much as would be there if none were removed, but it seems the parents do miss a few.