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The Joy of Feeding Birds!

August 31, 2008

Joy of Feeding Birds

There is a lot of joy to be had, by the simple act of feeding birds.
You have the pleasure of viewing these varied and beautiful creatures. A second benefit is the good feeling you get, knowing that you’ve helped one of God’s little creatures survive the rigors of winter.
Depending on your circumstance and environment, you may want to feed your birds year round. If you live in an urban area with little or no native vegetation, the birds won’t be able to find their natural food. Without a reliable source of food, the birds will soon leave, in search of berries and seed elsewhere. When you first start putting seed out for the birds, you will probably only get a few visiting sparrows or wrens. They will come back, and bring a friend or two. Passing birds will take notice and drop in for a snack.Soon you will find yourself enjoying birds which you have never seen before, and you will be hooked…..
Once you decide to set up a feeding program, your local birds will become dependent on you. Don’t feed them when it is convenient for yourself, and then decide to discontinue your hobby when the weather turns bad, or you have a little snow on the ground. This is when your birds will need you the most.
In suburban and rural environments, natural food is more plentiful during the summer months. The birds will stay around, enjoying their favorite snacks.It is not nearly as important to put seed out at this time of the year.
Different species of birds seek different foods. You will have periods when a certain type of bird is very prevelant, but suddenly just disappear…. and a different species shows up. This normally coincides either with their mating season, or the ripening of certain, different fruits etc. Remember that as soon as your birds have run out of natural feed, they will leave unless you provide them with a good reason to stick around. You want to begin feeding them before they run out of natural feed, or they will have no choice but to leave, in search of a new source of food. If you set up your feeders early and keep them filled with food, you will attract many wintering birds that will become accustomed to visiting before cold weather begins. Once you have started to feed, don’t stop until you are sure that the winter is over. A late and unexpected snowfall covers much of songbirds’ natural food.
Whether you live in the city or the country, one way to be sure of year round birds is to feed them year around. There is no more wonderful sight in late spring and summer than to watch a mother bird take food from your feeder to her nest to nourish the next generation, or when she first brings her young to the feeder.

Preferred Foods of Common Birds:

American goldfinch	hulled sunflower seeds, niger seeds, and oil-type sunflower seeds.
Blue Jay	peanut kernels, black-stripe, gray-stripe, and oil-type sunflower seeds.
Brown-headed cowbird	white proso, red proso, German millet, and canary seed.
Cardinal	sunflower seeds of all types.
Chickadees	oil-type and black-striped sunflower seeds, peanut kernels.
Dark-eyed junco	red proso, white proso millet, canary seed, and fine-cracked corn.
Common grackle	hulled sunflower seeds and cracked corn.
Evening grosbeak	sunflower seeds and cracked corn.
House finch	In Maryland, oil-type and black-striped sunflower seeds, sunflower kernels and pieces, and niger. In California, white prove millet and flax also readily taken.
House sparrow	white proso millet, canary seed, and German (”golden”) millet.
Mourning dove	oil-type sunflower seeds, white prove millet, niger, and German (”golden”) millet.
Purple finch	sunflower seeds and kernels.
Starling	peanut hearts and hulled oats.
Song sparrow	white and red prove millet.
Tufted titmouse	peanut kernels, black-striped and oil-type sunflower seeds.
White-crowned sparrow	oil-type sunflower seed, sunflower kernels and pieces, white and red prove millet, peanut kernels and hearts, niger seed.
White-throated sparrow	oil and black-striped sunflower seeds, sunflower kernels and pieces, white and red prove millet, and peanut kernels.

More Information: Feeder Types

: A Bird at The Bird Feeder

: Birds in the Hand

: A Girl Feeding Birds

: A Girl Feeding Birds by Her Hands

: Bird Feeder

: Bird Feeder Chateau!

: Bird Feeders in the Garden

: Bird in a Jar Feeder

: Bird On Feeder

: Bird Feeder

: Birds on a Feeder

: Boy and Girl Bird Feeder Statues

: Father Bird Feeding Baby Bird

: Feeder Birds

: Feeding Birds by Hand

: Feeding Pigeon

: Feeding Sparrows

: Feeding Sparrows by Hand

: Feeding the Birds

: Feeding Time

: Girl With Pigeons

: Green Park Pigeon

: Hand Feeding Birds

: Hand Feeding Humming Birds

: Hand Feeding Humming Birds

: Humming Bird at Feeder

: Notre Dame Sparrows

: Parrot Hhand Feeding, Lamington The National Park of Australia

: Pigeon Feeding Sparrow!

: Wild Bird Feeding

Birds

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