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.
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