Nectar And Fruit Feeders

How do we attract the "Sweet Tooth" and "Buggy "wild birds?   The sweet tooth birds are the nectar,sugar loving birds.  These wild birds tend to have a high energy need and look for quick calories to maintain their systems. Nectar feeders offer just that for wild birds.   A nectar feeder is usually made of hard plastic or glass.  It comes in various shapes and sizes and has ports on it for drinking.  Many of these wild bird feeders have red,yellow or orange flowers on them to attract hummingbirds and orioles.  Orioles will many times share these nectar feeders  with hummingbirds if there is a perch or landing area for them to sit and drink   The super saturated sugar water placed in these nectar feeders is sometimes colored red for the hummingbirds and orange for the orioles.  Wild bird feeders for orioles sometimes come in a combination of nectar feeder and jelly feeder with little cup like holders on them. .  Grape jelly is a favorite with these birds but I have put  peach and plum jelly in them and have enjoyed watching these birds lap it up. When purchasing nectar feeders look to see if a bee guard is over the ports.  This is a plastic grid piece to keep wasps and bees out of the feeder and nectar. Wasps will fiercely compete with hummingbirds to get to the nectar if there is no guards covering the ports.  Another thing to think about with this type of wild bird feeder is an ant guard.  Ants love the sugar and will march up the poles or trees to get to it.  An ant guard provides a barrier making it harder for them to get to the nectar feeder and it's contents. Don't be surprised to see woodpeckers, finches and other birds trying to feed at these nectar feeders either.  Birds such as downy and red bellied woodpeckers  like the syrupy solution because it replicates sap.
Another group of sweet eaters are the fruit loving wild birds.  This group of birds consists of mockingbirds, cedar waxwings,jays,chickadees,vireos and orioles.  These wild birds will eat off of fruit feeders where fruit can be hung or spiked.  Oranges, grapes and cherries are always a good choice to put out to attract birds to your feeders.  The fruit won't last long at all.  I've watched birds,such as catbirds,devour the whole plate of cherries when offered at my feeder.  Be sure when buying the nectar feeders or any of the wild bird feeders you can disassemble them and the parts can be washed well and reassembled easily.  These feeders tend to develop mold because of the high sugar content of the nectar and the fruit.
The "Buggy"birds are the insect eating birds.  These wild birds consume large amounts of insects,bugs,worms,grasshoppers and mosquitoes.  These birds are usually the beneficial birds helping us rid our gardens of pests.  This group of wild birds includes bluebirds,woodpeckers,titmice,towhees and flickers.  There are many other wild birds in this group but I just named a few.  For various reasons some wild birds cross between food groups depending on the season and what is available to them and their nestlings.  A spread of mealy worms and grasshoppers on a tray feeder will certainly lure the bluebirds and woodpeckers.  If the tray feeder is placed on the ground towhees, robins and flickers will come to sup.  Insect eating birds enjoy suet. Suet cakes embedded with insects can be bought and offered in cages called suet holders.  These are usually made of wire so the birds can cling to them and eat.  Sometimes the suet cage needs to be inside another cage so the squirrels and bigger wild birds such as starlings and grackles can't get to the suet but the smaller birds can easily get inside the cage to eat.   Bluebirds and sparrows will also eat the suet from the cages but prefer the suet to be shaved or in small pieces.  Suet holders also come in an artificial log or branch form.  They have holes drilled into the limb where the suet plugs can be inserted and the birds can probe at the suet in a more natural state.
 I have given you some basic data on how to attract wild birds with the various types of feeders.  I also gave you some basic seeds and foods to put into them to attract the wild birds you desire.  Don't forget about the nectar feeders or fruit feeders.  To find some nice wild bird  feeders take a look at my site(WildBirdSeedMart.com) and see which wild bird feeder would suit you so you can start attracting wild birds and start bird watching.

Types of bird feeders

Various types of wild bird feeders attract different types of wild birds. It's important to know  your area's native wild birds so you will know when a stranger arrives and visits.  Migration time is the most likely time different wild birds will appear at the feeders.  They are looking for a place to eat,sleep and replenish themselves  for the next phase of their journey. Putting up feeders and baths will entice and draw in the birds.My one friend's idea of feeding the birds is throwing wild bird seed and food on the ground.She's right, that will do the trick;it's the original and most basic wild bird feeder.A preferred way is to have a ground feeder that is 1-2 inches off the ground. This way the wild bird seeds are contained and will not grow into your lawn. It also allows you to control the wild birds you wish to draw in. Birds such as towhees,cardinal,doves,quail and the sparrow family are all considered ground feeding wild birds.They will eat grass seed,milo,millet,sunflower seeds and corn.Thrashers,robins and flickers are also ground feeders but they look for insects and worms which can be offered in a feeders too. A tray or a shallow bowl or plate can act as a ground feeding station for wild birds.
Tray or platform feeders on a pole or suspended attract a different group of feathered friends. This type of wild bird feeder should have raised sides for birds to perch and land on. It will also help to keep the wild bird seed in the tray and not scattered all over on the ground.Platform or tray feeders can hold a good bit of  wild bird seed but try to judge how much seed to put on the tray because you want it to be emptied and not hanging around so it spoils. Pouring seed into these stations is easy.They also accept any type of wild bird seed, nut,fruit, and bread. The birds that will come to this feeder are cardinals, finches,jays,chickadees and nuthatches.All like open feeders.If mealy worms and peanuts are offered titmice,bluebirds,buntings and some woodpeckers will appear.
Tube feeders are long and cylindrical in shape and attracts a different variety of wild birds.   Tube feeders come in hard plastic,wire mesh or nylon/poly mesh).Each type is specific to attracting and feeding  various types of wild birds. I like the hard plastic ones with the metal perches and the re-enforced openings or seed ports. The feeders tend to be more sturdy and the squirrels have a harder time gnawing through them to get to the wild bird seed.Make sure it has easy accessibility for filling because you don't want to use two hands to steady the feeder leaving you no hand to pour the seed. .These feeders depending on the hole sizes offer different types of wild bird seed. The larger ports will usually dispense safflower,sunflower,red and white millet and flax seed.This will attract jays,chickadees finches,titmice and all kinds of sparrows.The wire mesh ones usually are filled with peanuts and fruit pieces.This wild bird selection of food is a woodpeckers,nuthatches, Carolina wrens and jays paradise.The slit hole feeders are made for Niger or thistle seed.This attracts wild birds such as goldfinches,house finches and pine siskins.The poly sock like feeders also hold Niger seed which will attract goldfinches.
One more wild bird seed feeder to discuss is the hopper style feeder.These are enclosed containers made of heavy plastic or metal. They keep the wild bird seed dry in foul weather and usually come with a weighted perching bar which is adjustable.  The weighted bar helps keep the heavier and bigger wild birds and squirrels  getting to the bird seed. It allows the little guys to eat more peacefully.The hopper feeder takes all kinds of mixed wild bird  seed thus allowing many different smaller birds to eat from it. Many of the perching and song birds will go to the hopper type station.Next time the discussion will focus on fruit eating wild birds and nectar loving wild birds. See if you can guess what type or kind of wild birds these are.  Please go to my site .WildBirdSeedMart.com to see our offerings of wild bird seed and wild bird feeders.

How to start attracting wild birds

For many years I have not had the time to sit and bird watch.  I would observe on Saturdays or Sundays while eating breakfast the wildlife outside my window.  I do indeed have many feeding stations and bird baths placed around my yard but never really had time to truly observe what was out there.  As a young girl I loved birds,painted models of them and was going to be an ornithologist(a wild bird scientist)which never happened.  Now I have the time to observe and identify the various wild birds at my feeders and baths.  I have become more than a  "armchair birder" or a "coffee time"birder.  I am now a " backyard" birder!  I've graduated and am moving up. As I grow I will add information to my blog(Wild Bird Seed) to help any beginner, novice or casual birder to grow and learn to attract wild birds.
To attract wild birds one needs to find something to draw the birds in.  This can be accomplished through landscape plantings for what birds like to eat and by feeding them.  Today I'm going to discuss how to get started attracting wild birds. Wildlife has different needs,preferences to food, habitat and topography.  Some like lots of old mature trees and forest while others prefer open space.  Depending on where you live will determine the kind of wild birds that will be attracted to your yard.  It's important to know the native birds so when a "visitor"appears you'll recognize it as a "find".  Feeding the birds will achieve this goal.  Birds,especially wild birds, require alot of food to sustain their metabolic needs.  If you offer what they like,they will come.  While trying  to attract wild birds to your feeder keep in mind several things . When considering feeders birds like to see what is being offered, so start with a bigger open type feeder.  One that holds lots of seeds and has a rim or raised frame for the birds to perch and land on.  I say bigger because birds want to see others eating.  They   like company;plus strength is in numbers.  Also look for feeders which can be filled easily and quickly. You don't want to be out there trying to remove lots of parts,slides and panes and using both of your hands,it leaves you no hand to pour the seed.  Keep it simple and easy.    Next look for a feeder which is easy to clean.  It's very important to keep the station clean so the birds don't pick up any diseases from contaminated seed or rotting seed.  Diseases spread quickly through flocks due to the crowded space at the feeder.  The feeder should be able to be washed with a solution of water to bleach in a ratio of 10:1. It then needs to be rinsed and dried before new seed goes into it.
Bird feeders can be placed almost anywhere to attract wild birds.  The trick in attracting wild birds of a certain type or kind is to place the feeders in spots where they would naturally feed.  For example, some wild birds like to eat off the ground while others like to eat higher up.I will go into these aspects of attracting wild birds in more detail on my next blog.  I hope you enjoyed this little blog and found it informative.
Most importantly-**pick a feeder and place it where you can see it and enjoy it!   Enjoy your new hobby of attracting wild birds and watching them,it can be fun and very therapeutic  Look for my next blog on types of feeders and the bird types they will attract.  One excellent place to find a feeder is at WildBirdSeedMart.com .Start attracting wild birds!