Bird Feeders

Jon Ruppel asked:


One of the harshest facts about the winter months, especially in the northern states, is that many factors combine to make it hard for birds to find food.  First, there is just less of it.  Plants that many birds might feed on, such as berries, have just stopped producing in many areas, and those birds that like to feed on the insect population will find that there it has pretty much disappeared, either dying out or hibernating during the cold months.  So finding a good source of food is a challenge.

The other thing to keep in mind is that because birds are warm blooded, and wintertime is so much colder, they need a very high source of energy to keep warm enough to survive.  Much of the bird seed available these days doesn’t really provide much in the way of calories or energy.  That’s why suet feeders are a favorite for winter time bird feeders.

Suet is raw beef fat, typically taken from around the kidneys and loins. Because of its high fat content it is very high in energy.  Suet is one of the best foods to attract nuthatches, woodpeckers, wrens, titmice, chickadees, thrashers, cardinals, bluebirds and many other types of birds.  And, as usual with bird feeders, it can attract some less desirable wildlife like starlings and squirrels.  So, if these are a problem, you may want to use a suet feeder with a cage, and for starlings try a feeder covered on all sides but the bottom, which will feed many other birds but discourage starlings.

Depending on the type of suet you use, it can start to melt and go rancid at temperatures above 70 degrees F, so take care to empty after the spring thaw.

Another thing to keep in mind is the wintertime need for water.  Obviously, with freezing temperatures, the availability of water outdoors will drop, and a typical bird bath will freeze over fairly quickly since they are designed to be shallow.

There are many heated bird baths, but probably the easiest way to solve this problem is to add a bird bath heater to your existing bath.  Make sure that the bird bath is made from a material that can take the heat, some resins may melt.  Also be sure that the heater has a thermostat so it won’t overheat the water as well.

With a few simple steps like this, you can make sure that the birds in your yard are going to make it through the winter.



Goodman Heat Pumps

steve white asked:


You have tried them all! Each one claims to be squirrel-proof, but you have pictures to prove they just don’t work. Does a squirrel-proof feeder really exist? How much does it cost? These are the usual questions we get involving a customer’s decision to purchase a bird feeder.

There are many feeders on the market for many different kinds of squirrels. Each one does an admirable job of keeping squirrels from monopolizing your yard. This is the key to understanding the function of a squirrel proof feeder. A properly designed feeder will stop squirrels from eating birdseed 95% of the time. There are no 100% squirrel proof feeders available. At some point, at some time, some squirrel is going to get some food. The feeder just shouldn’t become a daily feeding station for them. Once you understand this, backyard bird feeding becomes a whole lot less stressful.

Keep in mind, squirrels are extremely territorial. The two or three you see in your backyard are actually keeping out the dozens that want to enter. Removing the dominant squirrels from your backyard, by any method, will only create a vacuum that will constantly be filled. I personally know of one customer who traps and moves his squirrels. He spray paints the tails to be sure they do not come back from where he drives them. After two years, he is up to 75 squirrels……and still counting! But, he is having fun, so we laugh about it.

If I told you I could show you how to win 95% of the time at Las Vegas, would you go and gamble! Of course you would! Yet, for some people, keeping squirrels off their feeders 95% of the time is not enough. It is too bad, because backyard bird feeding is the easiest hobby to enjoy from the comfort of your own easy chair. Rain or shine, wild birds entertain us all.

So if you’re looking for the best squirrel proof bird feeder in the world, be sure to tell your wild bird store what kind of squirrels you wish to keep away from your bird seed.  Don’t have a store near you?  Then you need to visit www.wildbirddepot.com and ask for some free, expert advice.



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sunarsih asked:


Recently my 89 year old mother came to live with us permanently. She has clouded vision, mild dementia and isn’t about to do the things that always kept her busy, cooking, gardening, reading, crossword puzzles, etc.

We reserved a chair in our “sunroom” for her. If anyone else sits in it, she gets worried that she’s sitting in someone else’s seat. So we all try to stay clear of it so she can be assured it’s hers alone. Right by that seat is a window. We’ve afixed a bird feeder to the window that can be purchased in any bird supply store - like co-ops, specialized bird stores, catalogues, etc. We fill the little feeder with sunflower hearts, and the birds take over - providing Mom with countless hours of amusement. They chatter, argue, chase one another away. They remind us of busy-body old ladies, and we love each and every one! Mom and I try to imagine what they seem to be arguing about. Occasionally one will seem to bully the other birds, not letting anyone join him in the feeder. He’ll just scold and scold. Then sometimes a really funny thing will happen. A bird, like a Jay, will try to get into the feeder. The ones we have are designed for the smaller birds, and the big old Jay will get a little stuck and it’s hilarious to watch him try to extricate himself.

What a joy for older ones to observe and comment on throughout the day!

Read more about Window Bird Feeders. Visit our site for lots of Wooden Bird Feeders Information.





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Alvin Loh asked:


If you have already put up some birdhouses in your own backyard, you are probably wondering how you are going to attract and get more birds to come and visit your birdhouses. This article provides some ideas that you can easily implement to attract more birds to your backyard and your birdhouses.

First, as with humans, food is always a popular way to attract birds to your birdhouses and your backyard. You can provide different kinds of food to cater to different types of species of birds. Some of these food include nectars, small insects, fruits, nuts and seeds. In addition to these food sources, you should also always provide fresh water to the visiting birds. Bird baths and small ponds are some good ways to provide the visting birds with water.

The fastest way to a bird’s heart is through its stomach. By providing food and water to the birds, you are performing bird feeding. Bird feeding is also a great way to observe different species of birds and their respective unique characteristics. Bird feeding is particularly important to birds because it provides them with a source of food and water during periods when food and water are scarce such as winter time. However, bird feeding can be done all year round as it supplements the visiting birds with their food needs. As such, its a great way to attract more birds to your birdhouses and backyard.

So how can you use this knowledge to attract more birds to your birdhouses and backyard ? For one, you can choose a safer spot in your backyard and set up a simple feeding station. The spot you choose should preferably be away from predators. You can take some precautionary measures to make the chosen spot safer like installing a ultrasonic cat deterrant and making sure there are no food near the spot so as to avoid attracting hungry animals. You can encourage birds to visit your feeding station by placing bird food in different areas around the feeding station. You can then vary the distance and shorten it as time goes by.

As mentioned, you don’t have to build or buy an elaborated feeding station. The most important factor that your feeding station should have is the ease in which you can maintain it. It should be easy to refill, it should display the food prominently to birds, it should also hold a reasonable amount of food so you do not have to keep topping it up with food and finally it should be able to hold more then one bird at one time. Some of the simple feeding station you can consider buying would be the tube-feeder in which the seeds stay dry and its design prevents spillage of food or you can choose the hopper type of bird feeders which dispenses food automatically when they are needed.

As for water, it is essential if you want to attract more birds to your birdhouses. You should note that different species of birds have different requirements of how deep they like their water source to be. For example, some species of birds like small puddles while other birds like bird baths that are relatively deep. Providing various depths of water will attract different species of birds. However, do take note that your water depth should not be more then 2 inches deep as some birds may drown and do not choose a bird bath with an elaborated and striking pattern or design at the bottom of the bath as it may confuse the birds and discourage them from using the bird bath.

Besides all the points mentioned above, you should also keep in mind the number one factor that influences the attractiveness of your birdhouse to visiting birds. What’s the number one factor that people always don’t take note ? Its the safety of your birdhouses to the visiting birds. If you are attracting a certain kind of species of bird, customize the entrance opening hole of the birdhouse to suit just the species of bird you want to attract. Removable of birdhouse perches and the reduction of backyard predators also play a big part in making your birdhouse safer and more attractive to birds.



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